Gators Take Fifth Straight Conference Title

May 4, 2007

NCAC Championships Final Results
Day 2 Photo Gallery

DELAWARE, Ohio – The Allegheny College Gators won their fifth consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference crown, and a league record eighth overall, out-distancing the field at the 2007 NCAC Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University. Devin Cruea (Geneva, Ohio/Geneva) was named the Field Event Performer of the Year with head coach Bill Ross being named Coach of the Year.

The Gators scored 211 points in the event, 18 points ahead of host Ohio Wesleyan University. Wabash (110), Wittenberg (79) and Wooster (67) rounded out the top five in the event.

The first event of the day for the Blue and Gold was in the hammer throw, where the Gators took second, third and fifth, with Pat Confer (Bradford, Pa./Bradford) placing second with a toss of 156-8 while Cruea set a personal best with a toss of 149-6, while Frank Tupta (University Heights, Ohio/Hawken) also set a personal record by placing fifth with a toss of 129-11.

Bobby Campbell (West Newbury, Mass./Pentucket Regional) took first in the javelin, becoming the fifth Gator in school history to accomplish the feat, as the five athletes have combined to win 12 championships, including a run of nine straight years, in the 21 years of the league.

At the same time the javelin was being contested, Joe McMahon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) led the field with a jump of 45-1, five inches further than the second place thrower, with teammate Matt Yurky (Homer City, Pa./Homer Center) placing eighth with a top leap of 42-8.75.

Following the completion of the field events, the meet took a turn for the running events, and were led off by the 3,000-meter steeple chase, where Matt Smith (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) took third overall in a time of 9:48.77, his second best time in the event this season.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Jeremy Walker (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield), Chas Moore-Seymore (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis), Josh Brannan (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) and McMahon followed by taking second overall in a time of 43.17.

Ryan Place (Meshoppen, Pa./Elk Lake) defended his 2006 championship in the 1,500-meter run by breaking the tape in a personal-best time of 3:55.50, less than a half second off of the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying time. Teammate Ben Mourer (Chicora, Pa./Karns City) earned All-NCAC honors by taking third overall in a personal-best time of 3:59.43 while freshman Ryan Hanson (Presto, Pa./Chartiers Valley) placed sixth overall, also running a personal-best time, 4:02.45.

Yurky, after his eighth place finish in the triple jump, placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.80, before the sophomore took sixth in the 400-meter hurdles in a personal best time of 57.09.

Alex Gorski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) placed eighth in the 400-meter dash, running a personal-best time of 51.26.

Brannan, who ran the third leg on the 4x100-meter relay, took second in the open 100-meter dash with a time of 11.22, with Moore-Seymore and McMahon placing seventh and eighth in times of 11.38 and 11.42, respectively. Later Brannan and Moore-Seymore took fourth and sixth, respectively in the 200-meter dash, the former with a time of 22.57 and the latter in 23.60.

In the 800-meter dash, the Gators’ Garret Piispanen (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument) and Craig Ball (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) took second and third, respectively, behind the indoor NCAA Division III runner-up in the event. Piispanen ran the two-lap race in a season-best time of 1:55.41, while Ball’s time of 1:55.82 was a new personal best for the junior.

Chris Corkins (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads), the winner of the 10,000-meter run from the day before, placed third in the 5,000-meter run on Friday, running to a time of 15:25.95 with teammates Mourer (15:37.60) and Matt Hoy (Moon Twp., Pa./Moon) (15:45.67) placing fifth and seventh, respectively.

The Gators placed fifth in the 4x400-meter relay, the final event of the day, with the team of Piispanen, Ball, Ben Eyer (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Central) running the mile in a time of 3:26.85.

Printable Version