FIGHTING TIGER MEN’S TRACK & FIELD TIES FOR 2ND AT NJCAA NATIONALS

The SUNY Cobleskill men’s outdoor track & field team posted the best finish the program’s history at the 2008 NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships hosted by SUNY Delhi in Delhi, NY over the weekend. The Fighting Tigers scored 116 points to tie for second place among 23 teams competing in the event.

Cobleskill had seven team members earn NJCAA All-American honors as the Orange & Black won two individual and one relay event national championships. The Fighting Tiger 4 X 800 Meter Relay of freshman Joseph Appah, Manhattan, NY, Fredrick Douglas Academy, senior Eric Graber, Troy, NY, Lansingburgh High School, freshman Richard Garnett, Yonkers, NY, Roosevelt High School, and freshman Emille Barnett, Huntington, NY, John Glenn High School, posted a program record of 7:50.63 to capture the national title in the event and earn all of the relay’s participants NJCAA First Team All-American honors. Individually Emille Barnett won the 800 Meters in a time of 1:56.41 to collect First Team All-American honors as did senior jumper Kevin Amilcar, White Plains, NY, White Plains High School, who won the Long Jump with a mark of 6.88 meters. Freshman multi-event performer Aldin Gomez, Westbury, NY, Westbury High School, earned Second Team NJCAA All-American Team honors by placing second in the Decathlon with 5196 points to go with a third place finish in the Triple Jump with a mark of 13.49 meters and a sixth place finish in the Long Jump with a leap of 6.48 meters.

The Fighting Tiger received multiple individual scoring efforts from: senior sprinter David Suarez, Hauppauge, NY, Hauppauge High School, to place fifth in the 100 Meters with a time of 11.20 seconds and eighth in the 200 Meters with a time of 23.07 seconds, freshman hurdler Jon Figueroa, North Branch, NY, Sullivan West High School, who placed seventh in the 110 Meter Hurdles in 16.38 seconds and seventh in the 400 Meter Hurdles with a time of 57.84 seconds, freshman distance runner Kevin Wippel, Pine Bush, NY, Pine Bush High School, who placed fifth in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase with a time of 10:07.00 and sixth in the 10,000 Meters with a time of 35:20.34, senior thrower Joe Valentin, Swan Lake, NY, Liberty High School,  who placed fourth in the Hammer Throw with a toss of 42.11 meters and fifth in the Discus with an effort of 38.43 meters and freshman multi-event performer Kameron Whittmeyer, Yorkshire, NY, Pioneer High School, who placed fifth in the Pole Vault with a vault of 3.75 meters and eighth in the Decathlon with a score of 4718 points.

Additional scoring performances we posted by: freshman sprinter Leon Thompson, Manhattan, NY, Walton High School, who placed fourth in the 400 Meters with a time of 49.48 seconds,
freshman sprinter, Brad Boice, Cambridge, NY, Cambridge High School, who placed fifth in the 400 Meter with a time of 50.31, senior sprinter Carlton Wildman, Huntington, NY, John Glenn High School, who limped his way to seventh place in the 400 Meters with a time of 1:19.35,

freshman distance runner Nick O’Neil, Ballston Spa, NY, Ballston Spa High School, who finished third in the 1500 Meters with at time of 4:12.29 and senior multi-event performer Chris Torres, Middletown, NY, Minisink Valley High School, who placed sixth in the Decathlon with 4868 points. Eric Graber also scored individually placing fourth in the 800 Meters at 1:57.99 while Richard Garnett finished sixth in the 1500 Meters with a time of 4:16.68.

The Cobleskill scoring was rounded out by the 4 X 100 Meter Relay of Leon Thompson, Brad Boice, Jon Figueroa and David Suarez who placed third overall with a time of 42.59 seconds.

The Fighting Tigers had entered the competition ranked third in the year’s final NJCAA Division III National Poll.

MEN’S TEAM RESULTS:
1. Harper Community College                        143
2. SUNY COBLESKILL                                 116
2. College of DuPage                                       116
4. SUNY Delhi                                                    86
5. Bergen Community College                          77
6. Alfred State College                                      75
7. Middlesex Community College                     54
8. Kingsborough Community College               40
9. Gloucester Community College                    32
10. Mohawk Valley Community College          19
11. Erie Community College                 17
12. Bronx Community College                          15
13. Finger Lakes Community College              14
14. Herkimer Community College                    11
15. Montgomery Community College               10
15. Nassau Community College                        10
17. Community College of Rhode Island            8
18. Thaddeus Stevens College                            6
19. Northern Essex Community College            5
20. Cumberland Community College                  2
21. Roxbury Community College                        1
22. Queensborough Community College            1                                 
23. Joliet Junior College                                      0