The men’s track team dominated the competition this past week, cruising to their 15th straight NJAC Championship by posting a score almost 80 points higher than the next best school.
Senior Chris Medina continued his strong season, posting the best time for the 200 meter ar 22.13 seconds, where he was one of three Lions in the top five. He also placed second in the 60 meter, with a time of 6.94.
The distance events treated the College very well, with the team taking multiple one-two finishes. Sophomore Dominic Tasco and freshman Erik Moutenot took first and second in the 800 meter with scores of 1:54.29 and 1:54.51, respectively.
“We’re a talented bunch throughout all of the events which helped us claim the NJAC title,” Tasco said. “With the guys who qualified for ECACs, we have a chance to go after the ECAC title as well. These past few meets we were at have given us confidence to achieve our goals we’ve set for the meets to come. We just have to carry this confidence with us throughout the week in our practices and give it everything we’ve got when it’s time to compete.”
The 5,000 meter was full of more Lion domination as three Lions finished in the top three spots. Junior Mark Sidebottom took first with a time of 15:42.29, and senior Donald Docimo and junior Alex Matteson finished second and third, respectively.
Junior Julio Alorro took first in the pole vault with a height of 4.75 meters, while freshman James O’Connor and sophomore Scott Lisa took first and second in the high jump, respectively.
Overall the men’s team dominated, scoring 218.5 points to second place Ramapo’s paltry 141.5.
“Our team is deep,” Tasco said. “Teams in the conference may have one individual who can score for their team, while we have three or four runners in the same event who have the ability to score. These points add up, which makes us a powerful team in the conference.”
The women’s team unfortunately lost the meet, snapping their own 14-year NJAC winning streak. Nevertheless, the team posted some good individual numbers.
Much like the men’s team, the women’s team put up some very solid distance numbers, with junior Cathy Goncalves leading the way in the 3,000 meter with a 10:16.41 time, followed by sophomores Megan Flynn and Julie Jablonski, who finished second and third, respectively.
“There wasn’t much competition in the 3K so my teammates and I worked together to control the pace and sweep the race with a one-two-three finish,” Goncalves said. “Our main goal was to obtain as many points as possible for our team.”
The team might have lost the NJAC for the first time in a while, but they aren’t dwelling on the loss.
“Although our 14-year streak was broken this past weekend, we aren’t dwelling on the loss,” Goncalves said. “We have a relatively young team and by continuing to build on our experience, we look forward to retrieving our title again in the spring.”
Now both teams are looking forward to the ECAC Championships and Division III Championships in successive weeks. The women’s team is looking for some redemption from the loss this weekend.
“Last year, the women’s team won the indoor ECAC championships, so we’re looking forward to defending our crown,” Goncalves said. “We hope to remain focused and not let the loss of NJACS affect the rest of the championship season.”
The men’s team is hoping for much of the same, and hope that their success against bigger schools and Division I teams this year will guide them to some more victories.
“Being able to compete in meets at the New York Armory and Boston have really helped the team prepare for future meets,” Tasco said. “These venues are filled with competition from all types of schools from all divisions. Competing in these meets have helped simulate what it will be like in championship season when we compete in ECACs and Nationals, where we will see the top Division III athletes come together. It forces us to rise to the occasion.”
