FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
[Click
Here For Full Release]
South Easton, Mass - The Northeast-10 Indoor Track & Field
Athletes of the Year could add additional hardware to their season
accolades as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches
Association named both athletes the East Region Athletes of the
Year.
Southern Connecticut State University juniorLetecia
Taylor (Plainfield, N.J.) was named the women's Track
Athlete of the Year, while the University of Massachusetts Lowell
senior Ruben Sanca (Boston, Mass.) earned
men's Track Athlete honors.
In addition, Southern Connecticut's Sasha Mathelier
(Freeport, N.Y.) and Ryan Whitehead
(Darien, Conn.) were selected the East Region
Athletes of the Year. The honors continued for Southern Connecticut
as both Jack Maloney and
Chris Covert were named the East Region's
men's and women's coaches of the year.
Taylor is currently ranked sixth on the NCAA performance list in
the 60 meter Hurdles (8.63). The Northeast-10 Athelte of the Year
won the 55 meter hurdles and was also part of the Southern
Connecticut’s 4x400 relay team that place second at the
NE-10s. She is also a 2009 All-New England selection in the 55
meter hurdles
Sanca currently stands atop the national rankings in the
5000-meters and has also posted NCAA qualifying marks as a member
of the UMass Lowell’s Distance Medley Relay team. Sanca also
ran the mile in 4:07.37 which is the fourth fastest time in the
country. He holds the third-fastest 5000 meter time (14:07.26) and
runs the mile on UMass Lowell's DMR squad which is ranked third
nationally (9:57.70). Sanca won the 3000 meters at the New England
Championships and helped lead his DMR squad to the New England
title as well.
Mathelier broke the school pole vault record three times this
season and is currently ranked 13th nationally (12'3.5"). She
finished first in the pole vault at the NE-10 Championship and
finished fourth at the New England Championships.
Whitehead is a NCAA Division II qualifier in pole vault (5.03m)
and is ranked 11th nationally. He was named the 2009 Northeast-10
Most Outstanding Performer at the championship and set a new
Northeast-10 record in the pole vault.
With 15 member institutions the Northeast-10 is the second largest
NCAA Division II athletic conference in the nation. Its 23
championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500
student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II
conference.
- NE-10 -
