Liberty League announces 2017 Men’s Indoor Track & Field award recipients
2017 Liberty League Men's Indoor Track & Field Awards
Track Performer of the Year: Ben Fazio, Sr., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute senior All-American Ben Fazio has been selected as the Liberty League Track Performer of the Year for the indoor track and field season. Fazio earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships after finishing fourth in the 3,000-meter event. Fazio also anchored the RPI distance medley relay squad to a national championship, marking the first time an RPI relay squad has won a national title. He was also selected as the Liberty League and NYSCTC Track Athlete of the Meet and the Atlantic Region Runner of the Year. A three-time selection as Liberty League track athlete of the week, Fazio captured Liberty League championships in both the 800 and mile.
Field Performer of the Year: Michael Pesanello, Sr., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI senior Michael Pesanello was selected as the Liberty League Field Performer of the Year. The Liberty League Field Performer of the Meet, Pesanello captured the weight throw while finishing third in the shot put at the league championship. He was also victorious in the weight throw at the NYSCTC Championship, the Utica Invitational 4 and the Tufts Final Qualifying Meet. Pesanello was a three-time selection as Liberty League field performer of the week.
Rookie of the Year: Daniel Giuliano, Fr., Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology first-year athlete Daniel Giuliano was selected as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year for the indoor track and field season. Giulano was victorious in the long jump at the Liberty League Championship with a mark of 6.93 meters. He also ran the first leg of the victorious 4 x. 200-meter relay team squad which won in 1:31.38 and edged second-place RPI (1:31.40) by two one-hundreths of a second. Giuliano also finished third in the 60-meter hurdles at the league championship and won the long jump at the RIT Tiger Invitational in January. He had season-best times of 7.32 seconds in the 60-meter dash, 8.59 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles and 23.53 in the 200-meter dash.
Coaching Staff of the Year: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Colin Tory, Head Coach
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute head coach Colin Tory and his coaching staff have been selected as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year for the indoor season. Tory guided his squad to Liberty League and NYSCTC Championships while placing 12th at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship. Tory and his staff coached the distance medley relay squad to a national championship while also producing an individual All-American in Ben Fazio (fourth in 3,000 meters) and an NCAA qualifier in Grant O'Connor (13th in the 5,000 meters).
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM (Event Champions at Liberty League Championship)
5,000 – Sean O’Connor, RPI, 15:05.44
Mile – Benjamin Fazio, RPI, 4:21.14
400 – Harrison Stivers, St. Lawrence, 50.67
60-Hurdles – Alex Jonson, RPI, 8.48
60-Dash – Matthew Lienhard, RIT, 7.00 (MR)
800 – Benjamin Fazio, RPI, 1:57.41
200 – Dale Kelly, RPI, 22.39 (MR)
3,000 – Grant O’Connor, RPI, 8:37.41
4x200 – RIT, 1:31.38
DMR – RPI, 10:31.70 (MR)
4x400 – RPI, 3:25.86
Weight Throw – Mike Pesanello, RPI, 16.95m
Pole Vault – Austin White, RIT, 4.40m
Long Jump – Daniel Giuliano, RIT, 6.93m
High Jump – Terrence Lawrence, RPI, 1.98m
Triple Jump – Nicholas Ng, RIT, 13.56m
Shot Put – Benjamin Mountain, Union, 14.51m
(MR) denotes Liberty League Meet Record