Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany's Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Roberto Vives announced on Friday, Sept. 14 that 35 student-athletes have joined the Great Danes program for the 2007-08 academic year. Five of the newcomers hail from Capital Region high schools.
The Great Danes welcome former Bay Shore High School standout Laura Cummings, who has transferred from the University of North Carolina. Cummings, a five-time high school national champion in the two-mile run, 3,200-meter relay and distance medley relay, placed fourth and was a two-time finalist at the Footlocker National Cross Country Championships. Cummings holds personal-best times of 2:10 (800-meters), 4:30 (1,500), 4:48 (mile), 9:42 (3,000), 10:38 (two mile), 10:35 (3,000-meter steeplechase), 18:08 (5,000) and 22:02 (6,000). Also joining the Great Danes is Allison Hazlett from Mary Washington University and Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. Hazlett has recorded PRs of 18:35 over 5K and 38:39 over 10K.
“We are very excited about these two new member of the cross country and distance program,” said head cross country and distance coach Craig McVey. “We expect both to help the women's program rise to an entirely new level.”
Leading an outstanding crop of freshman women in this year's recruiting class are Tiffany Sprenkels of Howe Sound Secondary School in Squamish, British Columbia and Christen Griffin of Maurice J. McDonough High School in Waldorf, Md. Sprenkels recently won the Canadian Junior National triple jump title with a personal-best leap of 39-feet, 5-inches. Sprenkels will also compete in the long jump where she was the bronze medalist at the 2006 Canadian Junior Championships. Griffin is a six-time Maryland state champion in the 55- and 100-meter high hurdles, 300-meter intermediate hurdles, and the 4x100-meter relay.
Kadine Johnson will add depth to an already strong throwing group. Johnson, who hails from New Rochelle, N.Y., is a four-time all-state shot put thrower with a top mark of 44-feet, 6.25-inches. She will also compete in the hammer (136' 1”), weight throw (44' 2.75”) and discus (123' 10”) events. Corrine Stepney-Porter from Staten Island's St. Peter's School for Girls will join the middle distance runners. Stepney-Porter was All-Eastern State in the 800-meters this past winter where she placed fourth in a time of 2:16.09. She has also posted times of 1:34.57 over 600-meters and 57.91 in the 400-meters. Jessica Antoniades from St. Anthony's High School in Huntington, N.Y., placed fourth at the New York State Championships in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.27.
Rebecca Kelly of St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip, N.Y., will bring her talents to both the sprint and hurdles. Kelly has posted a personal-best of 58.75 in the 400-meters. She also ran 64.09 to qualify for the New York State Championships in the 400-meter hurdles. Joining the Great Danes from the Capital District are Laura Bolognino of Colonie Central High School and Sarah LaPierre of Lansingburgh High School. Bolognino is an All-American in the 4x400-meter relay, running her split in 58.8 seconds. LaPierre is a two-time state qualifier in the 55-meter (7.46) and 100-meter (12.47) dashes.
Leading the 13-member class that will be joining the men's program is Wilfredo de Jesus Elias of Arroyo, Puerto Rico. Last June, de Jesus Elias was the bronze medalist in the hammer throw at the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He holds the junior national records for Puerto Rico in both the weight throw (73-feet, 4.5-inches) and hammer throw (207-feet, 2-inches).
Danny Avery, from Miramar Everglades High School in Cooper City, Florida, is one of the top-ranked high hurdlers in the nation, with a personal-best time of 13.94. Michael Dempsey from Gates Chili High in the Rochester area, is a two-time New York state championship runner-up and is the meet record holder in the pole vault at the prestigious Glenn D. Loucks Games in White Plains, N.Y.
The men also add sprinter Torshiro Jenkins from St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip, N.Y. Jenkins has personal bests of 6.70 (55-meters), 10.84 (100-meters), 21.84 (200-meters) and 34.97 (300-meters). Anthony Collica, a transfer from St. Francis College and a St. Joseph by the Sea High School graduate, will add depth in the high jump with a personal best of 6-feet, 5.25-inches.
"We are excited about this recruiting class," Vives said. "The newcomers will strengthen the areas where we need help after we graduated some tremendous athletes in 2007. They add depth where it was needed and will help keep the teams strong."
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2007-08 University at Albany Women's Track & Field
Name Event Hometown (High School/Previous College)
Sandy Antenor Jumps/Sprints Suffern, N.Y. (Suffern)
Jessica Antoniades Sprints Hauppauge, N.Y. (St. Anthony's)
Laura Bolognino Sprints Albany, N.Y. (Colonie Central)
Danielle Broeker High Jump Oswego, N.Y. (Oswego)
Laura Cummings Distance/Steeplechase/XC Bay Shore, N.Y. (Bay Shore/University of North Carolina)
Bausha Elliott Throws Canandaigua, N.Y. (Canandaigua)
Kristin Grab Distance/XC Tamarac, N.Y. (Tamarac)
Christen Griffin Hurdles/Multis Waldorf, Md. (Maurice J. McDonough)
Allison Hazlett Distance Pittsburgh, Pa. (Mount Lebanon/Mary Washington University)
Kadine Johnson Throws New Rochelle, N.Y. (New Rochelle)
Rebecca Kelly Sprints/Hurdles Bayport, N.Y. (St. John the Baptist)
Sarah LaPierre Sprints Troy, N.Y. (Lansingburgh)
Lesan Mattis Sprints Brooklyn, N.Y. (Benjamin Banneker Academy)
Brianna McNamee Distance/XC Newfane, N.Y. (Newfane)
Kristin Mun Distance/Steeplechase/XC Pearl River, N.Y. (Pearl River)
Alexandra Panos Mid-Distance/XC Bay Shore, N.Y. (Bay Shore)
Jessica Panos Sprints/High Jump Bay Shore, N.Y. (Bay Shore)
Denise Parker High Jump East Islip, N.Y. (East Islip)
Corrine Porter-Stepney Mid-Distance Staten Island, N.Y. (St. Peter's)
Arielle Roberts Sprints Albany, N.Y. (Shaker)
Tiffany Sprenkels Triple/Long Jumps Squamish, British Columbia (Howe Sound)
Jessica Thornton Sprints Hartford, Conn. (Sports & Medical Sciences Academy)
2007-08 University at Albany Men's Track & Field
Name Event Hometown (High School)
Daniel Avery Hurdles/Jumps Cooper City, Fla. (Everglades)
Fred Casimo Jumps/Hurdles Cohoes, N.Y. (Shaker)
Anthony Collica High Jump Staten Island, N.Y. (St. Joseph's by the Sea/St. Francis College)
Wilfredo de Jesus Elias Throws Arroyo, Puerto Rico (Natividad Rodriguez Gonzalez)
Michael Dempsey Pole Vault Rochester, N.Y. (Gates Chili)
Duane Harper Sprints Brooklyn, N.Y. (Samuel J. Tilden)
Torshiro Jenkins Sprints Brentwood, N.Y. (St. John the Baptist)
Mohamed Kanu Hurdles White Plains, N.Y. (Fordham Prep)
LeVar Nero Mid-Distance Baldwin, N.Y. (Baldwin)
Kevin O'Riley Multis/Jumps Rochester, N.Y. (Gates Chili)
James Christian Palicka Hurdles/Multis New York, N.Y. (Fordham Prep)
Alfred Pryor Jr. Hurdles/Sprints Bronx, N.Y. (Evander Childs)
David Rothman Distance/XC Oceanside, N.Y. (Oceanside)
