2009 Track & Field Performers of the Week

May 4, 2009
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Taylor Fitzgerald, Williams
(Sophomore - Dedham, Mass.)
Fitzgerald earned the 400-meter dash title at the New England Division III Championships last week with a time of 48.42. He was also third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.40. Fitzgerald also anchored the Ephs 4x100-meter relay squad that finished second with a time of 42.77.
   
Men's Field Performer of the Week
Isaac Nicholson, Williams
(Sophomore - Rhinebeck, N.Y.)
Nicholson was fifth overall in the Decathlon at the New England Division III Championships, accumulating 5766 points. In the Long Jump, Nicholson recorded a personal-best mark of 6.74 meters, finishing seventh overall, and recorded a 1.80 meter mark in the High Jump, placing eighth.
   
Women's Track Performer of the Week
Stephanie McNamara, Tufts
(Sophomore - North Attleboro, Mass.)
McNamara broke a meet and school record in the 10000-meter run during the New England Division III Championships at Springfield last week, completing the race in 35:32.79. McNamara’s time in the 10k broke the 10-year old Tufts mark of 37:08.88 set by Cindy Manning in 1999.
   
Women's Field Performer of the Week
Brianna Kondrat, Colby
(Senior - Eaton, N.H.)
Kondrat added the New England Division III Hammer Throw to her list of titles this season, winning the event with a toss of 162-04 in a field of 18. She also placed second in the Discus with a throw of 129-06. Kondrat accounted for 18 of Colby’s 51 points.
   
April 27, 2009
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Peter Kosgei, Hamilton
(Junior - Kapsabet, Kenya)
Kosgei repeated as champion in the 800 and 1500-meter runs this past weekend during the 2009 NESCAC Track & Field Championships hosted by Connecticut College. Kosgei broke his own NESCAC record in the 800 with a time of 1:50.44, while completing the 1500 in 3:53.74. On Thursday at the Penn Relays, Kosgei was eighth in the 3000-meter Steeplechase (8:52.87).
   
Men's Field Performer of the Week
Rich McNeil, Bates
(Junior - Danvers, Mass.)
McNeil claimed top honors in the Hammer and Discus throws on Saturday at the 2009 NESCAC Track & Field Championships. McNeil recorded a distance of 52.09 meters in the Hammer and 43.11 meters in the Discus. He was also second in the Shot Put (15.29).
   
Women's Track Performer of the Week
Stephanie McNamara, Tufts
(Sophomore - North Attleboro, Mass.)
McNamara won both the 1500-meter and 5000-meter races at the 2009 NESCAC Track & Field Championships on Saturday. Her time of 4:31.28 in the 1500 set a new facility record, while outdistancing the runner-up in the 5000 by over 35 seconds (17:37.84).
   
Women's Field Performer of the Week
Brianna Kondrat, Colby
(Senior - Eaton, N.H.)
Kondrat broke a 14-year-old Colby record in winning the Hammer Throw at the NESCAC Track & Field Championships over the weekend (50.92). She was also fourth in the Discus and seventh in the Shot Put.
   
April 20, 2009
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Pierre-Alexandre Meloty Kapella, Williams
(Junior - Redwood City, Calif.)
Meloty Kapella placed first in two individual events and helped the Ephs take a relay title at the Little Three championships over the weeekend. He came in first in the 100 and 200-meter dashes with times of 11.17 and 22.51, respectively. He also ran a leg of the winning 4x100-meter relay, which finished in 42.67.
   
Men's Field Performer of the Week
Mike Moody, Wesleyan
(Junior - Portland, Maine)
Moody captured the Javelin title for the third year in a row at the Little Three championships over the weekend, breaking the program record he previously set with a toss of 203-7. In addition to his record-shattering performance in the Javelin, Moody placed second in the Hammer (140-0), third in the Discus (113-3) and fifth in the Shot Put (36-5) for 18 total points.
   
Women's Track Performer of the Week
Hillary Higgs, Williams
(First Year - Springfield, Mass.)
Higgs came away with two individual wins and helped the Ephs capture a relay event during the Little Three championships over the weekend. Higgs took the 200-meter and 400-meter races in 25.99 and 59.28, respectively. She also anchored the 4x100-meter relay squad, which finished in a time of 49.64.
   
Women's Field Performer of the Week
Danielle Sheppard, Colby
(Sophomore - Kittery, Maine)
Sheppard broke her personal best in the High Jump for the third time this season, as she recorded a 5-4.25 in winning the High Jump at the Aloha Relays hosted by Bowdoin on Saturday.
   
April 13, 2009
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Daniel Murner, Amherst
(Junior - Crestwood, Ky.)
Murner placed first in the 5,000-meter run at the UMass Amherst Invitational over the weekend. He finished the event in a time of 14:39.
   
Men's Field Performer of the Week
Rich McNeil, Bates
(Junior - Lawrence, Mass.)
McNeil won the Shot Put, Discus and Hammer throws during a four-team meet at Colby on Saturday. McNeil’s tosses in the Discus (145-02) and the Hammer (174-10) were both personal bests.
   
Women's Track Performer of the Week
Lauren Philbrook, Williams
(Senior - Hopkinton, Mass.)
Philbrook ran away with first in the 5,000-meter race at the UMass Amherst Invitational over the weekend, out-distancing herself from the competition by over 40 seconds and winning the event in 17:07.54.
   
Women's Field Performer of the Week
Brianna Kondrat, Colby
(Senior - Eaton, N.H.)
Kondrat had two first place finishes at a tri-meet hosted by the Mules, taking the Hammer and Discus. Kondrat broke her personal best toss in the Hammer with a mark of 160-05, while her throw in the Discus came in at 123-10. She also finished third in the Shot Put with a toss of 36-6.75.
   
April 6, 2009
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Peter Kosgei, Hamilton
(Junior - Kapsabet, Kenya)
Kosgei won the 3,000-meter Steeplechase at the Continental Invitational over the weekend, completing the event in 9:16.82.
   
Men's Field Performer of the Week
Jonathan Higginbotham, Hamilton
(Freshman, Winthrop, Mass.)
Higginbotham finished third in the Long Jump with a mark of 6.55 meters and was second in the High Jump (1.78) at the Continental Invitational over the weekend.
   
Women's Track Performer of the Week
Liz Wahl, Hamilton
(Junior - Pocatello, Idaho)
Wahl placed first in the 100-meter dash at the Continental Invitational with a time of 13.09 and was second in the 200-meter event, finishing in a time of 26.90. She also participated on Hamilton’s 4x100-meter relay team.
   
Women's Field Performer of the Week
Brianna Kondrat, Colby
(Senior - Eaton, N.H.)
Kondrat was among the top collegiate finishers in three events at the Jim Sheehan Memorial Invitational hosted by Fitchburg St. over the weekend. Her toss of 112-11 in the Discus was first among collegiate competitors and third overall. She was also third overall in the Hammer (157-08) and third in the Shot Put as the Mules won the 20-team meet with 211 points.
   
March 30, 2009
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Ryan Quinn, Bates
(Sophomore - Watertown, Mass.)
Quinn posted two personal best performances in addition to two all-time top 10 performances in Bobcats history, as he finished second in the 100-meter dash in 11.19 and fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.70 at the Tufts Snowflake Classic on Saturday. He also anchored the 4x100-meter relay team which finished second in a time of 44.02.
   
Men's Field Performer of the Week
Alex Samma, Connecticut College
(Junior - Ougadougou, Burkina Faso)
Samma won the Triple Jump at the Snowflake Classic hosted by Tufts on Saturday with a distance of 14.32 meters.
   
Women's Track Performer of the Week
Stephanie McNamara, Tufts
(Sophomore - North Attleborough, Mass.)
McNamara won two events at the Snowflake Classic hosted by Tufts over the weekend. McNamara took home top honors in the 1,500-meter run in a time of 4:37.35 and then came back to win the 800-meter race in 2:19.85. She also posted a split of 60.0 in the 4x400-meter relay.
   
Women's Field Performer of the Week
Vantiel Elizabeth Duncan, Bates
(Junior - Topsham, Maine)
Duncan tossed a personal-best throw of 52.94 in the Hammer to finish second in the event at the Snowflake Classic. She was also fourth in the Discus and third in the Shot Put.