Outdoor Track Ranked In Week Five Poll
NEW ORLEANS – For the fifth consecutive week, the men’s and women’s outdoor track teams hold spots in the Northeast Regional rankings, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday. Following team victories at the America East Outdoor Championships, the men’s team jumped a spot to seventh, and the women held steady at 10.
The men’s poll saw no change in the top five, with Cornell continuing to hold a commanding lead over second-ranked Buffalo. Connecticut, Harvard, and Syracuse round out the top five. Boston University showed the biggest improvement of any men’s team, jumping four spots to ten. Columbia leapfrogged UAlbany this week, jumping three spots to six. Maine is the only other America East squad in the poll, holding steady at 15.
Connecticut reclaimed the top spot in the women’s Northeast poll, wrestling the spot from Harvard who has been ranked first in most of the women’s polls since the indoor season, but dropped to second this week. Boston University broke into the top five this week, jumping two spots to four. Cornell held steady at third, as did Buffalo at fifth. Binghamton jumped five spots to 14, entering the poll at the third America East squad behind UAlbany and Vermont, who jumped three spots to 12.
Three new performances broke into or improved previous marks for UAlbany athletes on the regional performance list. Jeremiah Obeng-Agyapong’s winning time of 52.84 in the 400 hurdles at the America East Outdoor Championships over the weekend ranks eighth in the northeast. Nathan Hiett’s winning pole vault of 16’-8.25” is fourth in the Northeast. Finally, Kareem Morris’ winning long jump of 23’-6” ranks eighth in the region.
The women added two new performances to their individual athlete regional performance list. Kathryn Fanning, in placing second in the 1,500 at conference championships, now ranks fifth in the Northeast with a time of 4:22.81. The time broke Fanning’s own school record in the event by two-hundredths of a second. Tynelle Taylor-Chase is now sixth in the 400 hurdles, having won conference championships with a time of 59.70.
Next on the schedule for UAlbany is the third and final home meet of the year, the UAlbany Last Chance meet, on Saturday, May 10. A week later, the team will head to Princeton University to compete at IC4A and ECAC Championships, without the seniors, who will be attending their commencement ceremony.
