May 6, 2006
[Click here for full championship meet results]
SMITHFIELD, RI – UMass Lowell junior sprinter Toni-Marie Henry took home first place in the women's 100 meter dash and placed second in the 200m to help the Riverhawks successfully defend their Northeast-10 Conference Track & Field Championship this afternoon at the 2006 conference meet held at Bryant University. UMass Lowell edged runner-up Southern Connecticut but only 10 points, 225 to 215 to capture the outdoor title.
The Southern Connecticut men, led by Championship M.V.P. Ivan Schmidt, also defended their conference crown by winning the men's team title with 262.5 points. Stonehill was second overall on the men's side with 102.5 points. Schmidt captured first place in the men's high jump with a conference meet record height of 7 feet, 1 inch, improving on his previous meet record of 6-11 set in 2004 by two inches.
Henry, the women's Championship M.V.P. Saturday, took first in the 100m in a time of 12.32 seconds and finished second in the 200m in 25.13, just behind Bryant's Natasha Stevenson who edged Henry for first with a time of 25.05.
Lowell's Nicole Plante took home first in both the women's 1500 meters, winning in a time of 4 minutes, 42.91 seconds, and later captured top honors in the women's 5,000 meters in 18:41.00.
In the throwing events, the Owls of Southern Connecticut made up ground by taking the top two spots in the discus, hammer, and javelin. Randi Cuccaro of Oxford, Conn. placed first in the women's hammer throw with a mark of 149 feet, 11 inches. She would later capture first in the javelin with an afternoon's best mark of 133-1. Bryant freshman Rachel Martinich placed third in the javelin with a school-record throw of 121-7.
Yvonne Perkins, who was placed second in the hammer throw (143-2), captured the conference title in the discus by edging teammate Katherine Reynolds with a best mark of 120-7. Reynolds finished second at 119 feet, 1 inch.
Bryant's Hafiz Greigre, the Men's Athlete of the Year award recipient in the Northeast-10, had a huge day for the Bulldogs. The sophomore took first in both the 100 meters (10.82 seconds) and the 200 meter dash in a season-best time of 21.53 seconds. Later, after setting a new school record in the men's long jump, with a second-place leap of 23 feet, Greigre helped lead the Bryant's men's 4 x 400 meter relay team to a first-place finish in a school record time of 3 minutes, 22 seconds. The record finish, not only clipped the previous school mark by more than two seconds, but also meets New England qualifying standards.
2006 NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, May 6, 2006 – Hosted by Bryant University
Women
1. UMass Lowell 225 Points
2. Southern Connecticut 215
3. Bryant University 78
4. Stonehill 72
5. Bentley 31
6. Assumption 12
7. Saint Rose 6
8. Pace 3
Men
1. Southern Connecticut 262.5 Points
2. Stonehill 102.5
3. UMass Lowell 94
4. Bryant University 87
5. Bentley 52
6. Saint Rose 15
7. Pace 3
Assumption 3
2006 Northeast-10 Track & Field Awards:
Women's Coach of the Year: Gary Gardner, UMass Lowell
Men's Coach of the Year: Jack Maloney, Southern Connecticut
Women's Freshman of the Year: Yvonne Perkins, Southern Connecticut
Men's Freshman of the Year: Tyrone Joseph, Southern Connecticut
Women's Athlete of the Year: Nicole Plante, UMass Lowell
Men's Athlete of the Year: Hafiz Greigre, Bryant University
Women's Championship MVP: Toni-Marie Henry, UMass Lowell
Men's Championship MVP: Ivan Schmidt, Southern Connecticut
