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North Andover, MA — It's a three-peat.
For the third time in as many seasons, the Wagner men's track and field team has earned a spot on top of the Northeast Conference. Compiling 166 team points, the Seahawks captured the 2023 Northeast Conference (NEC) Outdoor Men's Track and Field Championship, which was held on the campus of Merrimack.
The Seahawks' dominant stretch has bled into the indoor circuit, as well. Claiming the 2023 title in Staten Island to make it an indoor three-peat, Wagner has swept both the indoor and outdoor track and field titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and have brought home six straight trophies.
Central Connecticut finished in second place with 141 total points, while Saint Francis U placed third with 135 points. Rounding out the top four was host team Merrimack, which totaled 100 points.
Wagner, which was in the driver's seat after Saturday's opening day with 58 points and a comfortable 15-point cushion over Central Connecticut, tacked on 108 more points after striking gold in four events on Sunday's final day.
Highlighting the day was senior Michael Pepe and rookie Julio Martinez, who were tabbed the Most Outstanding Field Performer (Throws) and the Rookie of the Meet, respectively. Pepe, who previously earned points in the hammer throw and the shot put on Saturday, won the discus in impressive fashion after hitting an NEC Championship record-breaking mark of 55.83m. Martinez, who cleared 4.65m in the pole vault, landed on top of the podium in the event.
Two more Seahawks tacked on gold medals to their resumes. Junior Dominic Palermo turned in the fastest time in the 3,000m steeplechase in NEC Championship history and took top billing after clocking in at 9:07.69, which is nearly one second faster than the previous record of 9:08.66, set by Saint Francis U's Brian Sell in 2001. Sophomore Jason Marchese rounded out the first-place performances with a victory in the 400m hurdles.
Wagner hauled in three more runner-up performances in freshman Dario Sina (javelin), junior Luke Cunningham (1500m) and Jean Uminski (5000m).
Runner-up Central Connecticut did most of its damage on the track on Sunday. Junior Jake Ireland hauled in two first-place finishes in both the 1500m and the 800m, while junior Edward Williams Jr. (110m hurdles) and sophomore James Sullivan (5000m) earned runner-up honors in their respective events.
FDU's Salif Mane put a bow on yet another impressive championship weekend by taking home the NEC Most Outstanding Field Performer (Jumps) for the second straight season. The junior racked up a combined 24 points in both the field and on the track to garner Most Valuable Performer (MVP) accolades. Placing fifth in the 100m, Mane made it back-to-back sweeps in the horizontal jumps after he won both the long jump and the triple jump.
Saint Francis U's Julian Saunders was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer in the sprints to round out the award winners. Going one-two in the 100m and the 200m, respectively, the sophomore helped the 4x100m relay team strike gold.
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS:
Most Valuable Performer (MVP): Salif Mane, FDU
Most Outstanding Track Performer (Sprints): Julian Saunders, Saint Francis U
Most Outstanding Track Performer (Distance): Jean Uminski, Wagner
Most Outstanding Field Performer (Throws): Michael Pepe, Wagner
Most Outstanding Field Performer (Jumps): Salif Mane, FDU
Most Outstanding Rookie Performer: Julio Martinez, Wagner
FINAL STANDINGS
| 1. |
Wagner |
166 |
| 2. |
Central Connecticut |
141 |
| 3. |
Saint Francis U |
135 |
| 4. |
Merrimack |
100 |
| 5. |
Sacred Heart |
70 |
| 6. |
LIU |
69 |
| 7. |
FDU |
56 |
| 8. |
St. Francis Brooklyn |
44 |
| 9. |
Stonehill |
37 |