BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn men's outdoor track & field team took home two of the top three weekly honors in the Northeast Conference, it was announced by the league office Monday. Sophomore Collin Sewell was named the NEC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, while junior Clinton Belle was named the NEC Men's Field Athlete of the Week. They are the first weekly honors for the Blackbirds in the outdoor season, and the first weekly honors for both Belle and Sewell.

Sewell lowered his league-leading 400m dash time while also helping the Blackbirds to a pair of IC4A Championship qualifying relay times at the Duke Invitational. Sprinting his way to a gold medal, the sophomore shaved nearly one-half second off his prior 400m seasonal best. He crossed the line in 47.16, topping all 70 entrants on hand in Durham. As a result, Sewell ranks sixth overall on the list of IC4A Championships qualifiers in the 400m. With Sewell running the second leg of the 4x400m relay, the Blackbirds clocked in at 3:10.62 to win the competition. Sewell also occupied the No. 2 spot on LIU's 4x100m relay, which finished in 41.00. Both relay performances lead the NEC.  
 
Belle broke LIU Brooklyn's shot put record and catapulted himself atop the NEC leader board in the process. The Brooklynite added 28 centimeters to his previous personal record while competing at the Duke Invitational. He put the shot 15.97m (52' 4.75") to earn a top-8 finish in Durham. That mark automatically qualifies Belle for the IC4A Championships and moves him past Bryant freshman Christopher Fasano for first place in the NEC. Prior to his trip to Duke, Belle sat second on the conference's performance list and trailed Fasano by a 14-centimeter margin.

Up next, the Blackbirds head to Philadelphia, Pa., to take part in the prestigious Penn Relays, taking part April 25-28 at historic Franklin Field.