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BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn track & field program is readying for the biggest weekend of the outdoor track season, as the Blackbirds will head to host-school Monmouth for the 2013 Northeast Conference Outdoor Championships, in West Long Branch, N.J. on Saturday.
Flashing back to last season, the 2012 NEC Championships had strong Blackbirds' presence, with the women earning second place with 146 points and the men also grabbing second with 138 points.
The women will look to de-throne Monmouth who received its fourth consecutive title last season, while the men are also looking to prevent the Hawks from their fifth top finish.
Women's Preview
The women's track & field team looks solid in the hurdles and relays, with various field events also for the Blackbirds' taking.
Both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams own the fastest times in the NEC so far this season. The 4x100 meter squad of freshman Anise Cuffee, sophomore Bryanna Williams, freshman Ja'Mesha Richard, and freshman Josephine Watson has a .39 second advantage on the second fastest opponent this season.
The 4x400 meter relay team of freshman Alea Stevens, sophomore Katrina Anderson, freshman Josephine Watson, and sophomore Shakia Williams will also look to score top points in the event, clocking in with the fastest time of 3:50.85 in the conference.
Similar to last season, the women look to prevail in the 100m hurdles by taking the top two spots at the championships. Freshman Shanice Grant has shown her abilities, earning two NEC Rookie of the Week awards for her performances in the hurdles and high jump. In the 100m hurdles, Grant raced to the top time on the NEC performance list of 14.06. She will also look to add major points in the heptathlon.
Richard holds the second fastest time in the 100 meter hurdles and will look to add some points in the 100 meter dash. She'll be joined in the 100m by sophomore Bryanna Williams, who has the fourth fastest time in the league this season.
Grant will look to score points in the high jump, with the second best jump this season, while senior Jasmine Carter holds the second-best mark in the triple jump this season with a leap of 11.61m. Another athlete who could score valuable points for LIU is freshman Kyaira Wright-Harmon, who is a threat to place in both the high jump and long jump.
Men's Preview
The Blackbirds hold some of the best marks in the NEC this season, and have enough experience in both field events and on the track, to make a serious grab for the team title.
Sophomore Brendon Rodney leads LIU in the 100 and 200 meters, recording the fastest time in both events in the entire NEC this season. Rodney recorded a 10.52 in the 100, while finishing with a time of 20.99 in the 200.
The Blackbirds hold four of the other top ten spots in the 100m, and could dominate the event. Sophomore Mikhail Williamson is not far behind Rodney, clocking in at 10.75 for the fourth-fastest time in NEC. Senior Brian Richards and junior Eric Williams are also in contention with their times of 10.79 and 10.83, respectively.
In the 400 meter hurdles, freshman Jonathan-Mica Petit-Homme looks to be in perfect striking position to grab gold with his time of 52.62, recorded at the Florida Relays.
In the field events, the Blackbirds look solid with the top marks earned this season in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump. Sophomore Kemar Lewis recorded a 2.08m in the high jump. In the league, Richards owns the best long jump mark at 7.28m and teammate Wilmot Stubblefield shines with the best mark of 15.03m in the triple jump. Sophomore Vihn Le will also look to contribute points in the triple jump, securing the fourth-best jump in the conference this season.
The 4x100 meter squad consisting of graduate student Nickolei Mahlung, Richards, Rodney, and sophomore Mikhail Williamson will look to repeat last year's first place finish, having already recorded the fastest time in the conference this year. The 4x400 meter relay team of junior Kervin Morgan, Rodney, Roberts, and Petit-Homme is also looking to take the top spot with the best time this season.
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The 2013 NEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships kick off Saturday, May 4 with the track events starting at 8:45 a.m. and the field events at 9:45 a.m. A majority of the preliminary events will take place on the first day, with the finals concluding Sunday afternoon. For more information on the championships, including event schedule, directions, past results and ticket prices, visit the NEC Championship Information Page.