FITCHBURG, Mass. – Eastern Connecticut State University freshman Taylor Driggers (Providence, RI/Norwich Free Academy) broke a 32-year-old program outdoor record – as well as the Little East Conference meet record – in the long jump with a leap of 18-1 Saturday at the New England Alliance/Little East Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Fitchburg State University.
In winning the event, Driggers became the first Eastern female to win the long jump in the 17-year-history of the championship. Driggers broke the program record of 17-5 ¾, set in 1983 by Eastern All-America sprinter Judy Pemberton (also a graduate of Norwich Free Academy). The Little East meet record was previously set by Hannah Wiley (17-8 ¾) of the University of Southern Maine in 2012. Mercedes Arnold of Worcester State University holds the New England Alliance record of 18-5, set in 2010.
Driggers topped a field of 30 alliance competitors and 11 Little East competitors with her winning jump which is the 26th best in Division III this season.
The Eastern women placed ninth in a field of 11 in the alliance championship and fifth among six in the Little East scoring. The Eastern men were 10th of 11 in the alliance and last in a field of six in the Little East.
The 2015 New England Alliance Outdoor Track & Field Championships featured a bit of déjà vu on Saturday , as the Southern Maine men's and women's programs each claimed the Little East Conference titles in a repeat of December's Indoor Championship results. The Husky women were also crowned the 2015 New England Alliance Outdoor Champions in joint scoring with the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) programs.
The LEC championship marked the 16th-consecutive for Southern Maine's women's program, all of which have come under the guidance of 29th-year head coach George Towle. The Huskies totaled 203 points in LEC scoring, while registering 145 in the Alliance totals. On the men's side, Southern Maine recorded 188 LEC points and 141.5 in the Alliance, good for a tie for second place with Westfield State.
In league scoring, UMass Dartmouth placed second in the men's meet, totaling 128 points, while Keene State finished second in women's totals with 124 points.
USM senior Peyton Dostie led the way for the Huskies, claiming three individual conference titles and anchoring the winning 4x100-meter relay team to close out her remarkable LEC career. Dostie was again unreachable in the hurdle events, sweeping both the 100-meter and 400-meter varieties for the third straight year. Her 100-meter time of 14.67 set a new LEC record, and she topped the 400-meter race in 1:03.70. The senior also topped the conference field in the high jump, clearing 1.59 meters. In the 4x100, Dostie teamed with juniors Nicole Kirk and Deonna DaSilva and sophomore Liz O'Neal to set a new school record for the second straight week, besting the field in 48.73.
For the men, USM's Jamie Ruginski kept with his championship ways, taking Alliance and LEC titles in the triple jump with a leap of 15.37 meters to easily set a new conference record. The senior All-American also earned the crown in the long jump, reaching 7.08 meters. Ruginski was also the difference-maker in the Huskies' winning 4x400-meter relay team, joining with freshman Cory Dyer, senior Kevin Desmond and junior Jeremy Collins to notch a come-from-behind Alliance victory in 3:20.12.
Keene State saw an outstanding day from senior thrower Benjamin Keach, who was crowned LEC and Alliance champion in three of four events. Keach began the day with a winning 55.79-meter strike in the javelin, and followed with victorious marks of 15.46 meters in the shot put and 44.72 meters in the discus. Hayden Patterson was the additional event winner for the Owls, taking the 5,000-meter run in 15:51.07.
Five Owls in the women's meet topped their events individually. Freshman Dominique Pascoal started her conference career off strong, winning the javelin throw with a hurl of 36.10 meters. Juniors Kait Wheeler, Lauren Markoe and Lindsay Szuch claimed titles in the 1,500-meter (4:47.62) ,800-meter (2:22.02) and 5,000-meter (18:25.34) runs, respectively, while the KSC 4x800-meter relay team also reigned victorious in 10:14.17.
In addition for Southern Maine, Kirk claimed an individual Alliance and conference win in the 100-meter dash, tripping the timer in 12.76. She also placed second in the 200 in 26.06. Junior Brooke Davis took the 3,000-meter steeplechase crown in 11:42.46, with senior Tayla Robbins winning the 10,000-meter run in 41:37.07. In the field, sophomore Molly Gibeault earned the pole vault crown with a height of 3.27m, while classmate Ashley Belanger set a new conference record in the shot put, tossing 12.49m to top LEC scoring. Junior Sabrina Sodders topped the discus with her distance of 34.39 meters.
The Huskies claimed an additional eight titles in men's scoring, including a meet record 8:00.37 performance by the 4x800-meter relay team of senior Conor Sullivan, sophomore Roger Charest, and juniors Jonathan Clement and Dan Webb. Sullivan and Webb each earned individual titles, as Webb claimed the 400-meter dash in 49.35 and Sullivan the 800-meter run in 1:57.64. Collins was victorious in the 400 Hurdles, crossing the line in 53.93, while teaming with Webb, sophomore Zach Miller and senior Sheldon Allen to claim the 4x100-meter relay title in 42.28, a new meet standard. Allen was also an individual winner, claiming the 110 Hurdles in 15.43. In the field, freshman Ron Helderman topped the pole vault at 4.50 meters. Finally, junior Chris Dunn took the steeplechase crown, finishing in 9:50.70.
For Rhode Island College, senior Daria Brayboy earned a new LEC record, winning the triple jump with a distance of 11.49 meters. She was joined by teammates Autumn Wosencroft, with a time of 57.13 in the 400-meter dash, and Destinee Barrett, who topped the hammer throw with a toss of 48.30 meters, as event champions. For the men, junior Steven Vazquez was the high jump champion, leaping 2.06 meters, while classmate Edward Cummins won the hammer throw with a distance of 56.82 meters.
In men's scoring, UMass Dartmouth picked up xx individual victories. Junior Michael Vaz took the 10,000-meter run in 33:04.70, and senior Eric Karstunen tripped the time at 4:07.71 in the 1,500-meter run. In the sprints, junior Brandon Jarousky stepped onto the scene with an Alliance and conference winning time of 22.62 in the 200-meter dash. For the Corsair women, the 4x400-meter relay team brought in the lone win, crossing the line in 4:02.50.
In addition to Driggers, two additional individuals notched top finishes for their respective teams. Junior All-America Hulerie McGuffie reclaimed the 200-meter dash for the UMass Boston women, winning in 25.45, freshman Dominic Nda earned his first conference and alliance titles for the UMass Boston men, speeding across the line in 10.97 in the 100-meter dash.
Little East Conference
Men's Results
1. U. of Southern Maine – 188
2. UMass Dartmouth – 128
3. Keene State College – 97
4. Rhode Island College – 90
5. UMass Boston – 72
6. EASTERN CONN. – 57
Little East Conference
Women's Results
1. U. of Southern Maine – 203
2. Keene State College -- 124
3. UMass Dartmouth – 111
4. Rhode Island College – 68
5. EASTERN CONN. – 61
6. UMass Boston - 44
New England Alliance
Men's Results
- Bridgewater State U. – 163
- U. of Southern Maine – 141.5
- Westfield State U. – 141.5
- Worcester State U. – 90
- UMass Dartmouth – 73
- Keene State College – 59
- Rhode Island College – 53
- Fitchburg State U. – 48
- UMass Boston – 31
10. EASTERN CONN. – 11
11. Massachusetts Maritime Academy – 7
New England Alliance
Women's Results
- U. of Southern Maine – 145
- Westfield State U. – 108.5
- Bridgewater State U. – 108.5
- Worcester State U. – 103
- Keene State College – 84
- UMass Dartmouth – 82
- Rhode Island College – 61
- Fitchburg State U. – 58
- EASTERN CONN. – 37
10. UMass Boston – 24
11. Massachusetts Maritime Academy – 4
