Central Islip, N.Y. - Saint-Jacob Diodonet (West Milford, N.J.) of St. Thomas Aquinas College and Simone Grant (Bronx, N.Y.) of University of the District of Columbia have been selected as the East Coast Conference Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year, as voted on by the conference's coaches.
Diodonet wins his second ECC major honor of the year in his freshman season after also winning the ECC Indoor Athlete of the Year honor. During the outdoor season, Diodonet ranked in the top 10 in the East Region in five different events. His best event was the 400m dash, where he led the East Region and ranked in the top 40 nationally with a time of 47.84 seconds. Diodonet also was first across the finish line in the 400 at the ECC Championship, setting a new meet record of 48.99. He was dominant in the 400 throughout the season, as well, winning the event at the Greyhound Invitational and Rider Invite, while placing second at the Miami Hurricane Invitational. Other events that Diodonet ranked among the top 10 in the East Region included the 100m dash (fifth - 10.96), 200m dash (third - 21.79), 4x100m relay (fourth - 42.54), and the 4x400 relay (7th - 3:26.37).
Like Diodonet, Grant makes it a sweep of the ECC major awards on the year (she shared the indoor honor with Chelsea Hayward of Roberts Wesleyan) and also repeats as the ECC Outdoor Athlete of the Year. Grant ranks in the top five in the East Region in three individual events and in the top three as part of two relay teams. Her best event is the long jump, which she paces the region in with a mark of 5.76m. She's also fourth in the 400m dash with a time of 56.74 seconds and fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 25.00. Grant was at her best during the ECC Championship, earning All-Conference honors in five different events, to also win the Most Outstanding Athlete of the ECC Women's Championship Meet. She won the long jump (5.72m) and 4x400m relay (3:59.61), came in second in the 4x100m relay (48.43) and 200m dash (25.18), and finished fourth in the 100m dash (12.45).
Molloy's Conor Gallagher (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) earned the Most Outstanding Athlete of the ECC Championship Meet on the men's side. Gallagher earned All-Conference First Team honors in three different events. He was first across the finish line in the 1,500m run in a time of 4:01.95 and finished second in both the 800m run (1:59.94) and 5,000m run (15:51.21).
Roberts Wesleyan's Merl McGinnis earns the Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year honor after the Redhawks won both ECC Championship Meets for the second consecutive year.
In addition, the ECC also announces the All-Conference finishers from the championship meet. The top two finishers in each event were named First Team All-Conference, while the third and fourth place finishers earned Second Team All-Conference distinction. A list of all winners can be found below.
2016 ECC Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference
Men's First Team
100 meter dash - Winslow Dorsainvil, St. Thomas Aquinas & David Donovan, Roberts Wesleyan
200 meter dash - Yanni Agrotis, Molloy & Saint-Jacob Diodonet, St. Thomas Aquinas
400 meter dash - Saint-Jacob Diodonet, St. Thomas Aquinas & Stefan Adams, LIU Post
800 meter run - Matthew VanDeMortel, Daemen & Conor Gallagher, Molloy
1,500 meter run - Conor Gallgher, Molloy & Thomas Rodger, Roberts Wesleyan
5,000 meter run - Michael Scott, LIU Post & Conor Gallagher, Molloy
10,000 meter run - Jeremy Rushok, Daemen & Joshua Johnson, Roberts Wesleyan
110 meter hurdles - Jonas Gage, Roberts Wesleyan & Kevin Drummon, Molloy
400 meter hurdles - Dylan Beslter, St. Thomas Aquinas & Devin Pettaway, LIU Post
3,000 meter steeplechase - Brian Michels, Molloy & Matt Watson, Roberts Wesleyan
4 x 100 meter relay - St. Thomas Aquinas (Travis Abelard, Winslow Dorsainvil, Ricardo Reid, Saint-Jacob Diodonet)
4 x 400 meter relay - LIU Post (Stefan Adams, Kasim Thomas, Wayne Harris, Kyle Ward)
4 x 800 meter relay - St. Thomas Aquinas (Dylan Bestler, Vincent Vazquez, Joseph Lipari, Ryan Gasser)
High Jump - Aaron McGinnis, Roberts Wesleyan & David Donovan, Roberts Wesleyan
Pole Vault - Sean LeDuc, Roberts Wesleyan & Frankie Schiavone, St. Thomas Aquinas
Long Jump - Aaron McGinnis, Roberts Wesleyan & David Donovan, Roberts Wesleyan
Triple Jump - Aaron McGinnis, Roberts Wesleyan & Justin Brown, St. Thomas Aquinas
Shot Put - Liam O'Connor, Queens & Angel Alers-Rosario, Queens
Discus - Angel Alers-Rosario, Queens & Liam O'Connor, Queens
Hammer - Angel Alers-Rosario, Queens & Mitchell Jurius, Roberts Wesleyan
Javelin - Malcolm Shaw, Roberts Wesleyan & Zach Laird, Daemen
Men's Second Team
100 meter dash - Niko Jemmison, Daemen & Yanni Agrotis, Molloy
200 meter dash - Nico Fratto, Molloy & David Donovan, Roberts Wesleyan
400 meter dash - Parris Strickland, Roberts Wesleyan & Ricardo Reid, St. Thomas Aquinas
800 meter run - Aaron Bellomo, Roberts Wesleyan & Nigel Cordulla, Daemen
1,500 meter run - Aaron Bellomo, Roberts Wesleyan & Keith Pease, Roberts Wesleyan
5,000 meter run - Kevin Roginson, Daemen & Luke Jackson, Roberts Wesleyan
10,000 meter run - Jamer Linares, St. Thomas Aquinas & Carl Daigler, Roberts Wesleyan
110 meter hurdles - Skandal Delince, Queens
400 meter hurdles - Skandal Delince, Queens & Frankie Schiavone, St. Thomas Aquinas
3,000 meter steeplechase - Justin Bender, Roberts Wesleyan & Erik Johnson, Roberts Wesleyan
4 x 100 meter relay - Molloy (Yanni Agrotis, Tyler Capozzoli, Kevin Drummond, Nico Fratto)
4 x 400 meter relay - Queens (Michael Camacho, Skandal Delince, John Martinez, Jacob Lascano)
4 x 800 meter relay - Daemen (Nigel Cordulla, Lucas Canales, Jacob Pronti, Matthew VanDeMortel)
High Jump - Paris Strickland, Roberts Wesleyan
Pole Vault - Aaron McGinnis, Roberts Wesleyan & Robert Scribner, Roberts Wesleyan
Long Jump - Nico Fratto, Molloy & Travis Whitfield, Queens
Triple Jump - Desmond Guidroz, Molloy & Skandal Delince, Queens
Shot Put - Hayden Jurius, Roberts Wesleyan & Zach Laird, Daemen
Discus - Nico Fratto, Molloy & Hayden Jurius, Roberts Wesleyan
Hammer - Hayden Jurius, Roberts Wesleyan & Liam O'Connor, Queens
Javelin - Mitchell Jurius, Roberts Wesleyan & Nico Fratto, Molloy
Women's First Team
100 meter dash - Chelsea Hayward, Roberts Wesleyan & Terrilyn Britton, Queens
200 meter dash - Chelsea Hayward, Roberts Wesleyan & Simone Grant, Dist. Columbia
400 meter dash - Jerily Benjamin, Dist. Columbia & Kristina Button, Roberts Wesleyan
800 meter run - Gabriela Sloezen, St. Thomas Aquinas & Kristen Borriello, St. Thomas Aquinas
1,500 meter run - Rachel Hutchinson, Roberts Wesleyan & Kristen Borriello, St. Thomas Aquinas
5,000 meter run - Elizabeth Stirling, LIU Post & April Sablan, Roberts Wesleyan
10,000 meter run - Amy Trabert, Daemen & Kaitlin O'Grady, St. Thomas Aquinas
100 meter hurdles - Stacy-Ann Rowe, Dist. Columbia & Damira Banks, Queens
400 meter hurdles - Brianna Calderon, Roberts Wesleyan & Damira Banks, Queens
3,000 meter steeplechase - Cecelia Pfleging, St. Thomas Aquinas & Addison Sgroi,, Roberts Wesleyan
4 x 100 meter relay - Roberts Wesleyan (Danielle Budd, Kathleen Amstad, Kristina Button, Chelsea Hayward)
4 x 400 meter relay - Dist. Columbia (Marlena Wright, Jerily Benjamin, Jasmine Walker, Simone Grant)
4 x 800 meter relay - St. Thomas Aquinas (Kristen Borriello, Gabriela Sloezen, Meaghan Ventarola, Patricia Nersten)
High Jump - Saida Burns-Moore, Dist. Columbia & Myla Somerville, Dist. Columbia
Pole Vault - Kyra Kress, Daemen & Molly Luger, Roberts Wesleyan
Long Jump - Simone Grant, Dist. Columbia & Brittany Okon, Dist. Columbia
Triple Jump - Saida Burns-Moore, Dist. Columbia & Saralee Martelly, Queens
Shot Put - Katherine Mollahan, St. Thomas Aquinas & Brittany Sepe, Molloy
Discus - Brittany Sepe, Molloy & Emily Johnson, Daemen
Hammer - Brittany Sepe, Molloy & Danely Rodriguez, Queens
Javelin - Kristina Button, Roberts Wesleyan & Tiara Goode, Dist. Columbia
Women's Second Team
100 meter dash - Kathleen Amstad, Roberts Wesleyan & Simone Grant, Dist. Columbia
200 meter dash - Kathleen Amstad, Roberts Wesleyan & Terrilyn Britton, Queens
400 meter dash - Danielle Budd, Roberts Wesleyan & Ronsheica Trotman, Queens
800 meter run - Patricia Nersten, St. Thomas Aquinas & Emilee Durso, Roberts Wesleyan
1,500 meter run - Rachel Prutsman, Roberts Wesleyan & Mackenzie Donahue, Daemen
5,000 meter run - Ashley Cheff, Daemen & Brittany Ward, Roberts Wesleyan
10,000 meter run - Veronica Stauffer, Roberts Wesleyan & Kellie Lawton, Roberts Wesleyan
100 meter hurdles - Saralee Martelly, Queens & Brianna Calderon, Roberts Wesleyan
400 meter hurdles - Saralee Martelly, Queens & Meaghan Ventarola, St. Thomas Aquinas
3,000 meter steeplechase - Hannah Putman, Roberts Wesleyan & Kymberly Johnson, Queens
4 x 100 meter relay - Dist. Columbia (Stacy-Ann Rowe, Jerily Benjamin, Jasmine Walker, Simone Grant)
4 x 400 meter relay - Roberts Wesleyan (Danielle Budd, Brianna Calderon, Chelsea Hayward, Kristina Button)
4 x 800 meter relay - LIU Post (Elizabeth Stirling, Kaitie Schillaci, Clara Fischer, Talya Williams)
High Jump - Kristina Button, Roberts Wesleyan & Saralee Martelly, Queens
Pole Vault - Nicole Hein, Molloy
Long Jump - Katherine Dovi, Roberts Wesleyan & Saida Burns-Moore, Dist. Columbia
Triple Jump - Kristina Button, Roberts Wesleyan & Breanna Lyn, St. Thomas Aquinas
Shot Put - Tajah Franklin, Dist. Columbia & Ellory Roberts, Daemen
Discus - Kelsey Barnes, St. Thomas Aquinas & Ellory Roberts, Daemen
Hammer - Renee Lustin, Queens & Ellory Roberts, Daemen
Javelin - Brittany Sepe, Molloy & Aaliyah Holt, Roberts Wesleyan
