MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 announced its indoor Track & Field major award winners on Tuesday afternoon. Four different schools were represented, with two winners apiece from American International, Assumption, Franklin Pierce and Stonehill.
AIC's Roxan Foster was the only multiple award winner as she claimed both NE10 Track Athlete of the Year and NE10 Track Rookie of the Year. Assumption's Kevin Hack was honored as Men's Field Athlete of the Year while teammate Anthony Spignese secured Track Rookie of the Year honors. Hugo Arlabosse of Franklin Pierce was named Men's Track Athlete of the Year and the Ravens' Paola Brena was named Women's Field Athlete of the Year. Stonehill's Cameron Bernard and Haley Lightbody claimed Men's & Women's Field Rookie of the Year honors.
This year the NE10 Named Coaching Staffs of the Year, with John Wallin of SCSU and his staff earning the honor on the men's side. Stonehill's Michael Delgado and his staff claimed the honor for the women. Wallin and his staff of Brian Hill, Nelson Laskoski, Joe Caraciolo, Georgette Nixon, Kade Amster and Cy McIntosh led the Owls to their fourth consecutive NE10 Title. Meanwhile, Delgado and his staff of Karen Boen, Dan Schwartz, Dan Gordon, Carl Boen and Nicole Borofski secured the program's seven consecutive NE10 Title this past February.
Foster is the first female to earn both Athlete and Rookie of the Year honors in the same indoor season and the third overall, joining AIC's Leakey Kiposegei (2016) and SCSU's Taivon McCoy (2002). Foster won the 60 meter hurdles at the NE10 Championship in 8.67 seconds and took second in the 60 meter dash (7.73). She is currently ranked fourth nationally in the 60m hurdles and also had NCAA provisional marks in the 60m and 200m.
Brena, the 2019 Field Rookie of the Year, has had a strong sophomore season in the high jump where she is ranked second nationally at 1.76 meters. She reached the NCAA automatic qualifying standard three separate times throughout the season and claimed the NE10 Championship back in February.
Lightbody was one of the NE10's top freshman as she earned Field Rookie of the Week honors three times this season. At the NE10 Championships, she claimed gold in the pole vault with a height of 3.60 meters, the top mark in the NE10 this year. She also took fifth in the long jump with a distance of 5.34 meters and finished the year ninth in the NE10 in that event.
Arlabosse was the New England Champion and NE10 Champion in the 800 meters this year. His best time of 1:49.17 currently ranks third in the nation. He eclipsed the NCAA automatic standard twice while also winning the BU Terrier Invitational in 1:49.22. He is also fifth in the region in the mile and helped his team to a second place finish in the Distance Medley Relay at the NE10 Championships.
Hack had an impressive senior season, highlighted by his gold in the high jump at the NE10 Championships and second place finish in the 60 meter hurdles. His height of 2.11 meters in the high jump is tied for 11th in the nation and first in the NE10 while his hurdles time of 8.49 seconds is third in the NE10 this season.
Spignese was the NE10 Champion in the 60 meters and 200 meters at the NE10 Championships on his way to earning Track Athlete of the Meet and Most Valuable Athlete honors at the NE10 Championships. He tied the meet record in the 60 meters (6.85) and won the 200 meters by 0.32 seconds (21.41). Spignese is currently ranked 16th nationally in the 200 meters (21.38).
Bernard captured Field Rookie of the Year honors after ranking among the top nine in the NE10 in three different jumping events. He ranks seventh in high jump (1.86m), eight in long jump (6.70m) and ninth in triple jump (13.26m). At the NE10 Championships, Bernard placed fourth in the high jump, sixth in the long jump and seventh in the triple jump.
2020 NE10 Track & Field Award Winners
Track Athletes of the Year
Men: Hugo Arlabosse, Franklin Pierce
Women: Roxan Foster, American International
Field Athlete of the Year
Men: Kevin Hack, Assumption
Women: Paola Brena, Franklin Pierce
Track Rookie of the Year
Men: Anthony Spignese, Assumption
Women: Roxan Foster, American International
Men's Field Rookie of the Year
Men: Cameron Bernard, Stonehill
Women: Haley Lightbody, Stonehill
Men's Coaching Staff of the Year
John Wallin & Southern Connecticut
Women's Coaching Staff of the Year
Michael Delgado & Stonehill
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
