Monmouth University Selected to Repeat in the 2016 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Preseason Poll
MAAC Sports
EDISON, NJ - Defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's Outdoor Track and Field champion Monmouth University has been named the preseason favorite to repeat according to a vote of the league's 8 head coaches. Monmouth earned a total of 63 points while receiving first place votes from seven of the eight school’s head coaches. In 2015, the Hawks captured their second-straight title at the MAAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Monmouth men’s team recently captured its third consecutive Indoor Track and Field Championship after strong performances by the team in both the track and field events. The Monmouth Hawks won the meet with a score of 170 points. The Hawks were led by Senior Dylan Capwell, who finished the 800 meter with a time of 1:50.71 and was a part of the first place 4x400 meter relay team that also included Eric Kahana, Geordan Ferguson and Malcolm Chavis finishing with a time of 3:18.73. The Hawks captured a new meet record, when Sophomore Brian Sosoo finished the 60 meter dash in a MAAC record 6.71 seconds.
Coming in second for the men’s teams is Manhattan College who received one first place vote and totaled 57 points from the coaches. Rider University finished third in the preseason poll tallying 47 points. Next in fourth place is Saint Peter’s University who received 37 points, followed closely by Iona College coming in fifth place with a total of 36 points. Marist College came in sixth place by receiving 24 points, while Canisius College received 15 points giving them seventh place. In their inaugural 2015 MAAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field season, Siena College rounded out the poll coming in eighth place with a total of 9 points.
On the women’s side, the defending conference champion, Monmouth University has also been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2016 MAAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships according to the unanimous vote of the league's 10 head coaches. Monmouth received a total of 100 points with all ten head coaches selecting the Hawks to finish in first place. Last year, the Hawks claimed their second consecutive MAAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
Last month at the 2016 MAAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, Monmouth’s women’s team finished with a score of 205 points to win the meet. The Hawks had strong performances in multiple events which led them to become the top finisher of the day. In the distance medley relay, the group that included Jenna Cupp, Venesa Dautrache, Kendal Hand and the 2016 MAAC women’s indoor track most outstanding performer, Lindsey Bellaran, finished the event in 11:44.68, which was a new MAAC record.
Coming in second for the women’s teams is Quinnipiac University who received 89 points from the coaches. Rider University was ranked third in the polls with 76 points. Coming in fourth place is Manhattan College with a total of 75 points. Next is Saint Peter’s University in fifth place who received 58 points, followed by Iona College in sixth place with 52 points. Coming in seventh place is Marist College with a total of 39 points, while Niagara University is the seventh place team with 25 points. Finishing out the last two spots are Canisius College and Siena College with 22 and 14 points, respectively.
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Men's Preseason Coaches’ Poll
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1.
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Monmouth (7)
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63
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2.
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Manhattan (1)
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57
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3.
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Rider
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47
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4.
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Saint Peter's
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37
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5.
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Iona
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36
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6.
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Marist
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24
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7.
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Canisius
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15
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8.
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Siena
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9
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Women's Preseason Coaches’ Poll
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1.
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Monmouth (10)
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100
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2.
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Quinnipiac
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89
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3.
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Rider
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76
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4.
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Manhattan
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75
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5.
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Saint Peter's
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58
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6.
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Iona
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52
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7.
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Marist
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39
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8.
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Niagara
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25
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9.
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Canisius
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22
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10.
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Siena
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14
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