May 3, 2009
Junior Doug Caves (Oxford, MA) was named the Men’s Athlete of the Year as UMass Lowell placed second at the Northeast-10 Conference Men’s Track and Field Championship Saturday at the Cushing Field Complex.
The honor marked the second time in three years Caves received a major honor from the NE-10. In his freshman season (2006-07), he was named the Co-Male Indoor Athlete of the Year.
UMass Lowell compiled 150 points and placed second to Southern Connecticut (208 points), which won its seventh straight NE-10 outdoor title. Stonehill scored 115 points to place third and was followed by Saint Rose (61), American International (44) and Bentley (37). Assumption (3) and Pace (3) rounded out the field.
Caves was honored for thus far a spectacular season, in which he ranks fourth among NCAA Division II leaders in the 400 meter dash with a time of 46.77. On Saturday, he nearly equaled the feat, winning the 400 in 46.91 seconds, among the fastest times in UMass Lowell history.
The time also set a new Cushing Field Complex facility record, surpassing Caves’ previous mark of 47.91 seconds, achieved in 2007.
Senior Andrew Grange (Methuen, MA) placed second with a time of 47.00 seconds.
Led by Caves, UMass Lowell won four events. Sophomore Cory Murray (Methuen, MA) won his fourth shot put title and second for the outdoor season, with a throw of 49 feet, 5.75 inches.
Junior Justin Oliver (Lowell, MA) captured the 400 meter hurdles and was among two River Hawks in the top three places. He posted a time of 54.76 seconds while sophomore Matt Blazon (Lowell, MA) placed third in 55.39 seconds.
Oliver also led UMass Lowell’s 4X400 meter relay team to second place with a time of 3:17.99. Joining him were freshmen Mark Paquette (Dracut, MA) and Jeff Wundt (Southwick, MA) and junior Robert Liekweg (Salem, NH).
Individually, Liekweg placed third in the javelin with a distance of 168’ 4.0’’ while Wundt placed fourth in the 200 meter dash in 22.32 seconds.
Senior Rex Radloff (Dedham, MA) won the 1,500 and led three UMass Lowell runners in the top five places. Radloff ran the course in 3:57.81 while senior Joey DeWitt (Ellsworth, ME) placed second in 3:59.44 and freshman Jeff Veiga (Lowell, MA) fifth in 4:04.66.
Senior Jack Kilcommons (South Boston, MA), freshman Giovanni Frias (Lawrence, MA) and junior William Nguidjoi (Lawrence, MA) each finished as the runner-up in their events. Kilcommons placed second in the 10,000 meters in 33:06.27 while Frias took second in the high jump (6’ 4.0’’) and third in the 110 meter hurdles (16.01).
Nguidjoi placed second in the triple jump (45’ 1.5’’).
Other results included that of sophomore Greg Wilson (Chelmsford, MA), who placed third in the 5,000 meters (15:27.94); freshman Danny Wang (Haverhill, MA), who took fourth in the 800 meters (1:56.13); and freshman Sam LeBeau (Auburn, MA) who placed fourth in the pole vault (168’ 4.0’’).
UMass Lowell enters the New England Championship Friday and Saturday at UMass Amherst.
