Men's T&F Wins Second Straight NEC Outdoor Title

The Central Connecticut men's track and field team won the 2015 Northeast Conference Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Emmitsburg, MD on Sunday. The title is the second consecutive outdoor championship for the Blue Devils, who scored 170.5 points to edge LIU Brooklyn by 9.5 points and earn the victory.

CCSU compiled 122 points over 15 events, recording 10 top-three finishes on the second and final day of competition on Sunday. The Blue Devils earned big points as a team in the 1,500 meter run, 5,000 meter run, 3,000 meter steeplechase and javelin throw to secure the victory. In those four events alone, Central scored 65 of their 122 points on day two and had multiple athletes finish in the top-eight scoring positions.

2015 NEC Outdoor Track Results

The 2015 NEC Indoor Track and Field MVP, Patrick Hubbell, picked up where he left off at NEC meet's and led the way for the Blue Devils in the 1,500 meter run. The senior earned a gold medal in the event and scored 10 points for CCSU after her crossed the finish line at 3:56.87. Sophomore Derek French followed closely behind Hubbell in the same event, picking up four points for the team with a personal-best time of 4:01.62.

In the 5,000 meter run, sophomore Tyler Raymond finished second in a field that saw four Blue Devils finish in the top-eight. Raymond earned eight points for CCSU after crossing the finish line with a personal-best time of 15:03.67. He was followed by sophomore Ryan Hertzog in fourth, Hubbell in fifth and sophomore Colin Sauter in eighth. Hertzog picked up five points coming in at 15:19.90, Hubbell snagged four points with a final time of 15:24.88 and Sauter secured one point logging a time of 15:49.80.

A pair of freshmen, Austin Trainor and Alex Norstrom, recorded second and third place respective finishes to pace CCSU in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Trainor picked up eight points for the Blue Devils after he crossed the finish line at the 9:35.05 mark and Norstrom earned six points for the team, turning in a time of 9:40.86. Both of the rookie's times also qualified them for the NEICAAA Championships next weekend at MIT. Senior Joey Farrington also scored for Central in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. The veteran finished seventh overall, earned two points and ran a time of 10:04.20.

Sophomore Jeremy Willis, freshman Tyler Latham and sophomore Zach Torro all scored for Central in the men's javelin throw. Willis led the way and tallied eight points for CCSU, earning the silver medal after he launched the javelin to a personal-best mark of 61.25 meters. Latham joined Willis on the podium with a third place finish. The rookie fired the javelin to 58.30 meters to pick up six points for the Blue Devils. Torro rounded out the scoring with two points after finishing seventh overall with a personal-best mark of 51.41.

Senior standout Jordan Watkins edged SFU's Nicholas Conway by two-hundredths of a second in the 110 meter hurdles finals on Sunday to claim the gold in the event. Watkins crossed the finish line at 14.38 to earn an important 10 points for the Blue Devils. Freshman multi-event athlete, Latham, also ran in the event finals and finished fifth with a personal-best mark of 14.82 to earn four points for the team. Both times also qualified the pair for the NEICAA Championships next weekend.

Senior Ryan Budd recorded a top-three finish for Central in the 400 meter hurdles finals. Budd turned in a new collegiate personal-best time of 54.02 to pick up six points for CCSU and a bronze medal in the event. Watkins and sophomore Brian Beckwith finished right behind Budd with fifth and seventh place respective finishes. Watkins came in with a personal-best time of 55.52 and Beckwith logged a personal-best time of 56.55.

Freshman Sam Borecki had an excellent day in his first ever NEC Outdoor Championship meet on Sunday. The rookie won the pole vault event, clearing a new personal-best height of 4.60 meters on his first attempt and earned 10 points for the CCSU team score.

Michael Ficorilli earned his first collegiate NEC medal with a third place overall finish in the hammer throw. The senior hurled the hammer to 48.51 meters on his third attempt to earn the bronze and pick up six big points for the Blue Devils team score.

The Blue Devils scored 170.5 to earn the victory and beat runner-up LIU Brooklyn by 9.5 points. The Blackbirds were second with 161 points followed by host Mount St. Mary's in third with 99 points. Fairleigh Dickinson took fourth with 94 points followed by Sacred Heart (87) and Wagner (85.5). Saint Francis U (80), Bryant (29), and Saint Francis NY (9) finsihed seventh, eighth and ninth respectively to round out the nine team field at the championship meet.

In addition to the team title, freshman Tyler Latham was tabbed the 2015 NEC Men's Rookie of the Meet.

The Blue Devils will return to action with the New England Championships next weekend on May 8 and 9. The two-day regional meet is being held at MIT in Cambridge, MA.