Blake And Staff Named NEC Men's Outdoor Track And Field Coaching Staff Of The Year
The honor is the fourth in 10 seasons for the Blue Devils
For the fourth time in 10 seasons, Eric Blake and his men's outdoor track and field coaching staff have been tabbed as the Coaching Staff of the Year within the Northeast Conference. The Blue Devils coaching staff is comprised of Associate Head Coach Nicole Dumpson-Jackson, assistant coaches Tyler Raymond, Ryan Budd and Amanda Powlen, and volunteer coaches Katie Stevens and Stanley Elysee.
The honor comes following the Blue Devils dramatic championship victory the first weekend of May. Competiting in a steady rain on their home campus, the Blue Devils erased a massive deficit on the final day of competition to capture the NEC Championship. The championship marks the fifth time the Blue Devils have won the crown, earning titles in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Blake was named as the Coach of the Year three consecutive seasons in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The award was changed to Coaching Staff of the Year in 2019.
Six Blue Devils won individual titles during the championship, highlighted by Most Outstanding Track Performer (Distance) James Sillivan's victories in the 5000m and 10,000m races. The Blue Devils captured the 4x800 relay title, paced by 800m champion Gabriel Kwarteng, in the final event of the meet to jump to the top of the team standings. Tyrone Mack captured the shot put with a personal-best throw and was Most Outstanding Field Performer (Throws) while Max Czarnecki took home Most Outstanding Rookie with a win in the 400m hurdles.
