Maine Duo Sweeps Men's Weekly Indoor Track & Field Honors

Track & Field

Jake Leithiser set a Maine record in the heptathlon on his way to earning Performer of the Week honors.

Maine Duo Sweeps Men's Weekly Indoor Track & Field Honors

Updated: December 11, 2012 2:12 pm (ET)
by America East Communications

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In Maine’s first meet of the 2012-13 indoor track & field season, a pair of Black Bears have earned America East weekly honors on the men’s side. Jake Leithiser has been named the Performer of the Week for Track, while teammate Justin Gagne takes home Field Performer of the Week honors. For the women, Hartford’s Tiffany Harrison has earned Track Performer of the Week honors and New Hampshire’s Rosemary Read gets the nod as the Field Performer of the Week.

Leithiser (Old Town, Maine) takes home weekly honors after a record-breaking performance in the heptathlon. The sophomore broke the Maine record in the event, notching 4,767 points to come in first at the Black Bears’ season opening meet versus New Hampshire. Leithiser’s score in the heptathlon is tops in the America East this season and currently ranks as the eighth-best score in the country. As a part of his win, Leithiser won the 1000 meter run and placed second in the 55 meter dash. In addition to his strong performance in the track portion, Leithiser also was first in the long jump and second in the high jump. Maine beat New Hampshire 102-89.

Gagne (Biddeford, Maine) also found his name in the Maine record books at the end of the day. The junior’s shot put toss of 55’7.5” places him top ten in Black Bear history for that event. Gagne’s throw is also the top distance in the America East this year. In addition to his standout performance in the shot put, Gagne also placed fourth in the weight throw.

Harrison (Bloomfield, Conn.) is qualified for the New England Championship meet after her performance at the Harvard Open. The sophomore won the 500 meter dash with a time of 1:17.46. That time is currently the second-best in the conference. In addition to her win in the 500 meter, Harrison also anchored the 4x400 relay quartet which finished third and ran a 7.60 in the prelims for the 55 meter dash, a personal best.

Read (West Greenwich, R.I.) also had a qualifying effort over the weekend, as she won the weight throw with a distance of 53’10.5” to secure a spot in the ECAC/IC4A Championship. The senior’s throw is also currently the top distance in the America East. Read’s efforts helped New Hampshire beat Maine 109-80.

In other action over the weekend, Stony Brook opened up its 2012-13 indoor track & field slate with a meet at Fordham. Sophomore Lamar Hayes (Voorhees, N.J.) won the long jump and finished third in the 200 meter dash to lead the men while freshman Sara Conway paced the women with a second-place high jump finish and fourth-place showing in the long jump.

This will be the final action for America East indoor track & field teams in 2012, as competition will again pick up after the first of the year. UMBC will be the first team back to action, as it will take part in the Penn State Relays on Jan. 5. Binghamton will resume its schedule Jan. 12 at the West Point Invitational. The remaining America East schools will kick off their 2013 action the following weekend.

2012-13 Indoor Track & Field Performers of the Week

Dec. 4 – Men’s Track Performer of the Week: James Anderson (New Hampshire); Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Colby Cunningham (Vermont); Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Mercedes Jackson (UMBC); Women’s Field Performer of the Week: Brittany St. Clair (Vermont)

Dec. 11 – Men's Track Performer of the Week: Jake Leithiser (Maine); Men's Field Performer of the Week: Justin Gagne (Maine); Women's Track Performer of the Week: Tiffany Harrison (Hartford); Women's Field Performer of the Week: Rosemary Read (New Hampshire)

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