Track Duo Earns NEC Weekly Honors

Two members of the Central Connecticut men's track and field team were honored with Northeast Conference weekly awards, the league announced Tuesday. Freshman Joseph Gioielli claimed NEC Rookie of the Week for his performance at Princeton's Larry Ellis Inviational and sophomore Brian Biekert was named Track Athlete of the Week for his record-breaking steeplechase performance at Princeton.

Gioielli jumped up to second on the Northeast Conference leader board in the 800m run thanks to his latest performance at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational. The first-year Blue Devil won his heat at Princeton by crossing the line in 1:51.33. In addition to coming in well under the qualifying standard for the IC4A Championships in May, Gioielli pulled within 0.20 second of NEC event leader Ford Palmer (Monmouth). The rookie runner earned a bronze medal in the 800m during what was his NEC Championship debut back in February.

Biekert is back in the NEC weekly spotlight for the first time since indoor season. The second-year Blue Devil captured the NEC Track Athlete of the Week award on Jan. 22 for his work in the mile run. Now competing outdoors, Biekert claims the conference's weekly track honor thanks to his sub-9:00 steeple chase. Bierkert surged to the top of the league leader board by completing the 3,000m race in 8:59.11. The time was good enough for the silver medal at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational and will ultimately guarantee Biekert a return trip to Princeton for the IC4A Championships in May. The Blue Devil's latest performance, which ranks 17th overall in the NCAA East Region, was more than 15 seconds better than the IC4A standard.