Lehigh University Athletics
Trio honored, records fall at league championship
9/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Lewisburg, PA – Sophomore Francis Vincent was named the Men’s Field Athlete of the Meet, senior Justina Barone the Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet, and head coach Matt Utesch the Women’s Coach of the Year, after turning in strong performances at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships on Friday and Saturday. A pair of Patriot League records also fell, as Vincent set a new triple jump mark, and senior Yasmin Deliz broke the women’s shot put record. Barone won a pair of titles at the championships in the hurdles. The senior won the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:00.51 and the 100 hurdles in 14.35. She also placed third in the 100-meter finals with a time of 12.76, just .01 behind teammate Lindsay Hinsch, who finished second. Barone earned another third place finish in the high jump, clearing 5’ 5". "Justina had a fantastic weekend," Utesch said. "When it came time to vote, the other coaches just asked how to spell her name. I don’t think anyone else was even nominated." Vincent, meanwhile, set the league record in the men’s triple jump and finished third in the long jump. His mark of 49’ 6 ½" broke the old record, while his 23’ 5" leap placed third in the long jump. Vincent also earned a second place finish in the men’s 100-meter finals with a time of 10.74 and a fourth in the 200 with his time of 21.83. "Francis was outstanding," noted Utesch. "He set the league record in the triple jump, and the other competitors were complimenting him. He put up quite a performance." Seniors Edann Brady and Yasmin Deliz also earned individual titles for the Mountain Hawk women. Brady and sophmore Deanna Willard placed 1-2 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Brady was the champion in 10:56.73, while Willard placed second at 11:20.06. The Mountain Hawk women have never lost that event since its introduction to the Patriot League. Deliz captured the shot put title with a throw of 46’ 3 ½". Freshman Lauren Barrett beat out Deliz for second place in the javelin. Barrett’s mark of 140’ 4 ½" placed her one spot ahead of Deliz’s 137’ 7 ½" mark. "Yasmin deserves a lot of credit," Utesch pointed out. "She set the school and league marks in the shot put." In the high jump, junior Katie Dukatz placed second, clearing 5’ 7". The Mountain Hawks took spots two thru five in the finals of the 100-meter. Hinsch placed second in the event with a time of 12.75, Barone third, Kimberly Rhodes was fourth at 12.84, and sophomore Jessica McCreary placed fifth at 12.85. "Hinsch had a great weekend as well," said Utesch. "She placed in several different events. And our women’s steeplechasers have never lost under Deb (Utesch) since the league introduced the event." In men’s action, senior Patrick Dugan placed second in the javelin with a toss of 220’ 5". Junior Nick Maiorino and senior Mike Kitchko earned the men a third and a fourth in the hammer throw. Maiorino placed third with this mark of 161’ 4 ½", while Kitchko was fourth at 161’ 1". "Obviously, the men missed George Evans," observed Utesch. "Unfortunately he was injured in spring football and couldn’t compete. Antonio Marino did extremely well. He battled some tough injuries to place in the 110 hurdles." Navy won the women’s team title, with a score of 139. The next three teams all placed within ten points of one another. Army tallied 128 for second place, the host Bucknell was third at 126, and Lehigh was fourth at 118. On the men’s side, 11-time defending champion Army once again took the team title with 188 points. Bucknell was the only other team to finish over 100, with 104. The Mountain Hawks ended up in a tie for fifth with rival Lafayette at 75 points. Utesch was quick to give his athletes and coaching staff credit for his award. "This was the most coordinated team effort we’ve ever had at the Patriot League Championships. We were rolling and people were chasing us. That’s the first time it’s happened and it was great. It’s really a credit to the rest of the coaching staff that our athletes were as prepared as they were." Qualifying athletes will participate at the ECAC/IC4A Championships on May 15-17 at Princeton. For complete results, please For more information, please contact
