| 2021 Liberty League WEST Outdoor Track & Field Championships |
2021 Liberty League EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships |
Host: University of Rochester
Rochester, N.Y. |
Host: Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. |
| Teams: ITH, ROC, RIT & SLU |
Teams: BRD, RPI, UNI & VAS |
| Meet Schedule / Start Time: 1:00 PM |
Meet Schedule / Start Time: 2:00 PM |
| Live Results / Live Video |
Live Results / Live Video |
The 2021 Liberty League Outdoor Track & Field Championships is set for May 8, 2021 with all eight institutions that sponsor the sport competing. This year, the Championships have been split into two regional championships—the West and the East with four schools going to each.
The West Championship will begin on Saturday at 1:00 PM on the campus of the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. with Ithaca College, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and St. Lawrence University joining the Yellowjackets. The East will be in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on the campus of Vassar College. The Brewers will be joined by Bard College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Union College.
Co-Champions will be crowned with the team winners of the West and East garnering the accolades. The last Liberty League Outdoor Track & Field Champions were RPI for the men (11 straight) and Ithaca for the women (2nd consecutive).
Men’s West
The Men’s West Liberty League Championship will feature two teams that are ranked among the top-80 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Outdoor Track & Field Rankings. Ithaca is currently ranked at 29th and the University of Rochester is 71st. A year off from competing didn’t seem to hurt Dom Mikula, the 2019 Liberty League Outdoor Track & Field Field Performer of the Year as well as 2019-20 or Andy Frank, the 2019-20 Liberty League Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. Mikula is second nationally in the pole vault (5.11 meters) and Frank is 25th nationally in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.81 seconds. Frank will also run in a leg of both relays—the 4x100 and 4x400. Nate Oczkowski will also compete in the sprints, with a national ranking of eighth in the 400-meter hurdles (53.67). Luke Tobia will be the anchor for the Bombers in the field events with a top-12 national ranking in the hammer throw (12th; 55.0 meters). He will also compete in the shot put and discus. Jalen Leonard- Osbourne is having a strong rookie campaign with a national ranking in the 100-meter dash (35th, 10.08); he currently paces the Atlantic Region and Liberty League in the event.
Rochester also has a number of athletes ranked nationally in various events this season. The Yellowjackets are headlined by Gabe Lundy and Terry Cook. Lundy is 11th in the 400-meter hurdles (53.98) and Cook is 22nd in the pole vault (4.70 meters). Lundy will also be a key component to Rochester’s relays. Cook will also be featured in the long jump. Ryan Swavely will also be a bright spot for the team in the hammer throw, an event where is ranked 13th nationally with a throw of 54.45 meters. He will also compete in the discus and shot put.
RIT will be paced by Max Gloskey, who is among the top-35 in Division III in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking in a time of 15 seconds even, good for a tie in 33rd. Regioally, Gloskey is ranked fourth in the 110-meter hudles and leads the league in the event. He is also regionally tied for 39th in the 100-meter dash (11.44) and 43rd in the 200-meter dash (23.06). Teammate Justin Jantzi is 41st in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.45. At the championship, Gloskey will take part in the 110-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash and 4x100 meter relay. Gloskey set a championship meet record in the 4x100 meter relay in 2019 with a time of 43.50 seconds. Jantzi will also be part of the 4x100 relay quartet for the Tigers and he will appear in the 4x400 meter relay, 200-meter dash and 100-meter dash.
St. Lawrence will also be competing in the West championship, and they will be led by Jackson Hamilton, Dexter Benkard and Connor Lambert. All four are ranked regionally in individual events and will help the Saints at the championship. Hamilton will be a part of the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters. He’s regionally ranked in both events at 13th with times of 4:02.61 and 15:13.84. Benkard is 15th regionally in the 5,000 meters at 15:15.12. First-year Connor Lambert is also a standout rookie as he is regionally ranked in the javelin (8th, 52.10), long jump (35th, 6.47 meters) and 110-meter hurdles (41st, 17.05). He will compete in the javelin and shot put at the championship.
Women’s West
On the women’s side, it will be a closely contested championship with three of the four teams participating ranked among Division III’s top-40 teams in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Outdoor Track & Field Rankings. Ithaca headlines the quartet as the defending Liberty League Champions are currently second. Rochester is the next team, checking in at No. 29 and the Yellowjackets are followed by St. Lawrence (39). RIT is also ranked at No. 89.
The Bombers will be seeking their third straight Liberty League Women’s Outdoor Track & Field title. Ithaca’s Parley Hannan is the one to beat in the distance events after clocking a Division III-best time of 16:17.94 in the 5,000 meters in her first meet the season. She is also nationally ranked first in the 10,000 meters (34:15.50) and fourth in the 1,500 meters (4:28.68) and will be competing in both events at the Liberty League Championship. Katelyn Hutchison is the Bombers’ top sprinter among Division III, she is 12th in the 400 meters (57.07) and she is 14th in the 200 meters (24.93 seconds). Logan Bruce, Meghan Matheny, Ariyahna Bernard and Sam Healy headline Ithaca’s field competitors. Bruce is 16th nationally in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.60 seconds and 27th in the high jump with a leap of 1.64 meters. Matheny leads the country in the Pole Vault, recording a jump at 3.90 meters and two of her teammates are tied for fifth—Juliann Terry and Sara Altonen at 3.75 meters. Healy and Bernard both compete in the hammer throw and both have nationally ranked marks at 52.30 meters (9th) and 50.91 meters (22nd) respectively. Bernard also competed in the shot put and is currently 23rd in Division III (50.91). Ithaca is also ranked ninth nationally in the 4x400 relay (Kat Gomez, Hutchison, Lindsay Scott and Margaret Nickerson), crossing the finish line in 3:52.28 on May 1st.
Rochester also has a number of competitors ranked nationally in Division III. Michaela Burrell will give Ithaca’s Hutchison some stiff competition in the 200 meters, as she is currently .05 seconds behind her in the 400 meters (15th, 3:50.44). Kristin Hardy (38th, 58.25) and Susan Bansbach (45th, 58.42) will also compete in the 400 meters. Jordan Hurlbut is ranked in the 1,500 meters and 800 meters, crossing the finish line in 4:37.77 and 2:14.41, good for 14th and 22nd nationally respectively. Kari Leap and Grace Messina will lead the squad in the field events. The duo is nationally ranked in the discus with Leap in 15th (42.85m) and Messina in 39th (40.88m). Eileen Bequette will help Rochester in both track and field events. In javelin, she is nationally ranked 29th (39.09m) and she is part of Rochester’s 4x400 relay. The 4x400 quartet is also nationally ranked in the 4x400 relay—Burrell, Bequette, Bansbach and Hardy combined for a time of 3:50.44 on May 1st, which is currently 4th.
RIT is paced by Harley Wilson, who is ranked nationally in the 400-meter hurdles. Her best time of the year was 1:04.04, good for 11th. She currently holds a Liberty League best time in the event (1:09.00 set in 2019. Wilson will be part of both relay teams (4x400, 4x100) for the Tigers. She will be joined by teammates Sydney Burgard, Marissa Dispenza and Colleen Eckl in both events. Their 4x400 is also ranked among the top-26 with a time of 3:58.97 (26th). In the field events, Emily Zebrowski will compete in the hammer throw where she is 26th in Division III with a toss of 50.45 meters.
St. Lawrence’s Kathleen Merchant also has top marks nationally, as she currently has the best throw in Division III in the javelin (46.24 meters). She holds the Liberty League meet record in the javelin (42.56), which she set in 2019. She will also compete in shot put, discus and hammer throw at the championship. Other key athletes for the Saints are Isabel Caprood (200-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay), Olivia Middleton (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump) and Haylei Coolican (3,000 meter steeplechase).
Men’s East
With only one weekend of competition, RPI had a very promising season debut outing at Corltand and the Engineers will look to follow that up with a strong showing at the Championship as they are seeking their 12th straight Liberty League Men’s Track & Field title. Johnny Capobianco is ranked 26th in Division III in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, clocking in a time of 9:31.32. James Zoella is tied for seventh regionally in the pole vault (4.40 meters) and Justin Park is ranked among the top-11 in the javelin with a toss of 50.87 meters. Other key athletes include Patrick Butler, who will compete in five events at the championship—javelin, long jump, triple jump, shot put, 100-meter dash and the 4x400 meter relay and he will be joined by Joey Hinckley, who will individually compete in the pole vault, high jump and both hurdle events (110 meter and 400 meters).
Dante Scott and Andrew Fox are Union’s top athletes and both will be competing in various events at the championship. Fox is regionally ranked in three events, the 400-meter dash (16th, 50.32), the 100-meter dash (39th, 11.44) and the 200-meter dash (48th, 23.14) while Scott is ranked in two events, the triple jump (7th, 13.81 meters) and long jump (38th, 6.44 meters). Ryan Hilliard (400-meters, 4x400 meter relay) and Aiden Rowley (800 meters, 4x400 meter relay) will also look at add points to the Dutchmen’s team total.
Vassar will be led by Ayden Gann in the 800 meters; Gann is currently ranked fourth in the Atlantic Region and tops in the Liberty League in the event with a time of 1:54.76. Gann will also compete in the 4x400 meter relay. The Brewers will also see contributions from Jack Casalino, who is regionally ranked at 17 in the 1,500 meters (4:04.08) and Jake Edington, who is also regionally ranked in the 1,500 at 39 (4:07.29). At this year’s Liberty League championship, Casalino and Edington will compete in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Bard will be represented by Jack Keelan and Quincy Ross at the championship.
Women’s East
Despite only one weekend of competition in 2021, RPI has managed to make some noise on the national scene. The Engineers are ranked 84th in the latest USTFCCCA rankings. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase Isabel Caplazi is among the Division III top-ten, checking in at nine with a time of 11:03.76. Regionally, Michelle Murray (4th; 18:08.13) and Laura Klang (8th; 18:20.78) are among the top-10 in the 5,000 meters and Erin Kelley is 43rd in the 1,500 meters with a time of 5:01.71. Julia Hubbard will compete in the triple jump, 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash and the 4x100 meter relay. In the pole vault, Dayna Moyer is regional ranked (27th) with a jump of 2.80 meters.
Union has quite a few competitors on the regional rankings that will compete at the 2021 Liberty League championship. Four of the five runners that could represent the Dutchwomen in the relays—Allison Maltesta, Caroline Stanton, Stephany Heiberger and Denesha Lafontant are also regionally ranked in individual events. Maltesta is 31st in the 800 meters (2:24.60) and 22nd (4:57.10) in the 1,500 meters. Stanton is ranked in the 400-meter hurdles (26th, 1:11.36), 22nd in the high jump (1.50 meters) and 41st in the 400 meters (1:01.85). Heiberger is 34th in the 100-meter hurdles and 39th in the 100-meter hurdles at 17.09 seconds and 9.98 meters. Lanfontant is among the top-12 in the triple jump at 10.72 meters and the top-42 in the long jump at 4.89 meters.
Sarah Gillooly is one of Vassar’s top athletes, she is ranked regionally in the 800 meters, crossing the finish line in 2:23.05. She is slated to run in the 800 meters and take part in the 4x400 meter relay for the Brewers at the championship. Elsa Erling will also be a distance runner for Vassar. She will be in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. She is regionally ranked in the 1,500 meters (41st, 5:01.26).
Bard will be represented by Natasha Cameron and Chelsea Cai at the championship.