the Informer

Since the beginning of the season, Hartford’s indoor track and field team has been training meet after meet to seek glory over their conference rivals toward the end of the season. Last Friday through Saturday, the Hawks competed at the Boston Track Tennis Center in the America East Indoor Track and Field Championship. After a valiant effort, the women racked up 21 points while the men tallied nine overall. Each team came away from the Championship with a ninth place finish.

The talented throwing duo of Diana Kornberg and Brittney Lawson had noteworthy appearances in their respected field events for the women. The junior, Kornberg, had another great outing this season in the shot put, coming within .75 meters of her personal school record. Her throw of 12.25 was the fourth longest heave in the event. The Rhode Island native, Brittney Lawson continued her dominant season in the weight throw with a fourth place standing. Her distance of 15.04 marked the third best of the season.

Two underclassmen runners had a noticeably great day at the America East Championships. Priscilla Appiagyei’s preliminary run earned her a ninth place finish in the 400-meter. The freshman’s time of 58.59 qualified her for the finals, where she finished 8th. Sophomore Niccole Adams contributed to the women’s first points of the meet with great performances in the pentathlon, recording three top five finishes. She finished in fifth place in the 55-meter hurdles, third in the long jump, and second in the shot-put. Her efforts in the pentathlon awarded Hartford a school record 3,071 points and a sixth place standing.

The relay teams for both squads had great performances in the conference championship. Teammates Kaycee Martinez, Nicole McClintock, Ariana Bass and Priscilla Appiagyei raced for a season-best time in the 4×400-meter. The team clocked in at 3:55.87 finishing fifth which awarded the Hawks four points. The men broke two school records in the 4×400-meter relay and the 4×800-meter. Anderson Emerole, Eric Ciccone, Mathew Le and Warren Lane lead the way to a sixth place finish. For the 800 team, Chris Rodriguez, Robert Giuliani, Mike DuPaul and Wayne Lawrence rounded out the top five with a time of 7:52.64.

In three track events, the runners for the men’s side competed well against their inter-conference rivals in Boston, putting down three school records. For the 5,000-meter run, Andrew Chalmers ended his long distance effort with a time of 15:29.15. The run surpassed his previous school record by less than a second. Relay runners Mike DuPaul and Anderson Emerole showcased their speed for the individual track events too. DuPaul’s 800-meter run time of 1:54.45 beat his personal school record for the third time this indoor season. His fifth place finish was the highest standing for the men. Emerole’s final bout in the 400-meter run was good for seventh place, but more noteworthy was his preliminary showing where he finished third, breaking his previously owned school record.

The final standings for the American Conference Championship enshrined the Albany Great Danes, where the men won their fifth consecutive title and the women achieved their first.

With the hawk’s indoor season in their rearview, they look ahead to grand finale. The team will return to Boston on Feb. 26 to compete in the New England Championships.