Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Long Island Blackbirds swept the Northeast Conference Track Athlete of the Week awards this week, with junior Jessie Gaines taking home the women's award and senior Julius Mutekanga taking home the men's.

 

Gaines is looking to grab her third consecutive NEC 60-meter hurdles title, and showed possibility at the NYC Gotham Cup, where she clocked in at 8.61. The time qualified her for the ECAC/IC4A meet and now puts her at the top of the conference leaderboard. The junior also competed in the 60-meter dash, running a 7.74.

 

Mutekanga took the top spot in the 500-meter dash, running a 1:02.59. The Uganda native was the NEC Champion in the event in 2008, and sits poised for another possible win as last week's mark was the best in the NEC so far this season. Mutekanga was also a member of the 4x800-meter relay team that set a new school record at the NYC Gotham Cup with a 7:51.49.

 

Long Island is back in action on Jan. 21 at the Great Dane Classic at the Armory in New York, N.Y.