2011 Track & Field Season in Review

2011 Track & Field Season in Review

June 21, 2011

The 2011 Emmanuel College Men's and Women's Track & Field Teams wrapped up the most successful outdoor season in program history. The season included record-setting performances in seven regular season meets, as well as stellar showings in post-season competition. Twelve Emmanuel student-athletes qualified for and competed in the New England Division III Championships and eight Saints advanced to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships.

An unprecedented 20 new Emmanuel program records were set during the 2011 season. The Emmanuel women's squad was responsible for twelve of the new records, while the men accounted for eight. Freshman sensation Lauren Atkins (Saugus, Mass.) shattered three schools records, including sprinting her way to a 12.73 finish in the 110m and a 26.70 time in the 200m. Atkins also owned the long jump mark with a 16'7.25" jump in her rookie season.

Junior Katasi Kulubya (Anaheim, Calif.) also found herself holding three records after the 2011 campaign. Coming off an All-New England Indoor season, Kulubya ran a 59.31 400m and a 2:26.60 800m race at the outdoor Division III New Englands. She also ran the lead-off leg of the 4 x 400m record-setting relay at the ECAC Championships.

Additionally, individual women's program records were set by sophomore Joslyn DelSignore (Taunton, Mass.) in the 3000m, junior Shannon McCabe (Charlestown, R.I.) in the 100m Hurdles, freshman Meaghan Mauer (South Hadley, Mass.) in the 400m Hurdles, freshman Kelly Ulf (Lunenburg, Mass.) in the triple jump and junior Kathleen King (South Easton, Mass.) in the hammer.

Joining Kulubya on the record-setting 4 x 400m relay squad was sophomore Nathalie Victoria (Brockton, Mass.), sophomore Julie Young (Derry, N.H.) and senior Irene Limlengco (Brookline, Mass.). The quartet peaked at just the right time, running 8th at the Division III New Englands, where they qualified for the ECACs and each team member earned All-New England honors. The team then ran a program-record 4:08.19 race at the ECACs in Bethlehem, Pa on May 20th.

This was Limlengco's second All-New England honor, as she and Ulf were also named All-New England for their 6th and 8th place finishes in the high jump at the Division III New England Championships.

Emmanuel's 2010-11 Freshman Student-Athlete of the Year, Nathan Bruno (Lenox, Mass.) was involved in four of the eight new program records on the men's side. Bruno, and Indoor All-New England honoree in the 600 meters, set individual outdoor program records in the 800m (1:57.20) and in the 400m Hurdles (55.31). He also ran the second leg of the record-setting 4 x 400m relay and anchored the record-setting 4 x 800m relay.

Junior distance runner Stephen Armstrong (Revere, Mass.) set new records in the 5,000m (16:32.01) and in 10,000m (33:42.64). Junior transfer Abdi Ibrahim (East Boston, Mass.) set a new Emmanuel record in the 1,500m in the third meet of his rookie outdoor season with the Saints. Also setting a new individual record in 2011 was junior captain Gregory Brown (Norton, Mass.), who heaved the hammer 103'7" on May 1st.

Competing with Bruno on the record-holding 4 x 400m relay team was senior captain Andrew Heath (Stamford, Conn.), freshman Eric Donnelly (Halifax, Mass.) and senior Ben Cleveland (Auburn, Me.). The team ran 4th in the Division III New Englands to earn All-New England honors and followed up that performance with a record-setting 3:20.56 time in the ECAC Championships. Ibrahim joined Heath, Cleveland and Bruno on the record-setting 4 x 800m relay team. The quartet set the new mark of 8:35.25 on April 9th at the Regis Pride Classic.

Six-sport Head Coach Tony DaRocha will return in 2011-12 for his eleventh season at Emmanuel. DaRocha will lose four seniors to graduation from his men's outdoor team, including Heath, Cleveland, John Hieber (Peabody, Mass.) and Thomas Ryan Maher (Gales Ferry, Conn.). He will also graduate just three seniors from his women's team, including Limlengco, three-sport captain Maureen Kellett (Westborough, Mass.) and Kelsey Fitzpatrick (Milford, Mass.). The two teams will combine to return 32 veterans for the 2012 season. DaRocha has brought in a number of talented to recruits to compliment his experienced returning squad next year.