Thomas Claims Three Awards at the NEC Outdoor Championships; Hillian Named Men’s Outstanding Track Performer

5/7-8/05 -- Freshman Aisha Thomas (Jefferson City, Mo.) was tabbed Most Valuable Performer, Most Outstanding Track Performer and Rookie of the Meet, and the men’s team captured second overall at the Northeast Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Emmitsburg, Md. this weekend.

After being named NEC Indoor Rookie of the Meet, Thomas earned the outdoor honors by winning the 100-meter dash Sunday with an NEC record time of 11.66 seconds. That broke her own meet record of 11.95 seconds, which she set Saturday in the preliminaries.

Thomas continued to build on her impressive outing by capturing the title in the 200-meter dash (23.79) and helping the 400 and 1,600-meter relay teams to second-place finishes.

The men’s squad took second place for its best finish in the outdoor meet in school history. Junior Michael Hillian (Voorhees, N.J.) was tabbed Most Outstanding Track Performer by winning the 200-meter dash (21.08), the 400-meter dash (47.99) and anchoring the first-place 400 and 1,600-meter relay teams.

The 400-meter relay team that finished in 41.51 seconds was made up of Hillian, and seniors Antonio Thomas (Baltimore, Md.), Jeremy Bascom (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Dave Crichlow (Lakewood, N.J.). The 1,600-meter squad consisted of Hillian, Thomas, senior Allandro Pierre (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and junior Bryan Steele (Gaithersburg, Md.).

Steele continued his stellar career by taking home the title in the 400-meter hurdles (53.18), an event he already has qualified for at the NCAA East Regionals a third straight year. He placed second in the 110-meter hurdles (14.51) and closed third in the 400-meter dash in 48.04 seconds.

Senior Shaun Johnson (Ontario, Canada) took the title at the 100-meter dash in 10.72 seconds just ahead of Bascom, who crossed the line in 10.73 seconds. Bascom also finished fourth in the 200-meter dash in 21.57 seconds.

In addition to Thomas, senior N’Kelle Anderson (Forestville, Md.) performed well for the women. She captured the title in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:01.09 and ran on both second-place relay teams.

The 400-meter squad, which closed in 47.68 seconds, was run by Anderson, Thomas freshman Crista Strachan (Grand Bahama, Bahamas) and junior Eva Terry (Germantown, Md.). The 1,600-meter squad, which consisted of Thomas, Anderson, Strachan and sophomore Janel McFarlane (Kensington, Md.), crossed the line in 3:50.55.

Many Blackbirds will compete in the ECAC/IC4A Championships in Princeton, N.J. on Saturday and Sunday.