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Little East Announces 2012 Women's Indoor Track & Field Awards
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University
of Southern Maine nearly swept the 2011-12 Little East women's
indoor track and field major awards program this afternoon, placing
four of the six end of the season trophies on its mantle. Junior
Molly Carl (York, Maine) was selected as the Track Athlete of the
Year, while freshman Hannah Wiley (Arundel, Maine) was chosen as
both the Rookie Track and Field Athlete of the Year. George Towle
was selected as the Coach of the Year by his peers to complete the
Huskies honorees. Keene State College junior Janel Haggerty
(Guilford, Conn.) was tabbed as the Field Athlete of the Year, and
Eastern Connecticut State University won the annual Team
Sportsmanship Award to complete the program.
Carl is just the second Southern Maine women's indoor student
athlete to be recognized as the top track athlete and first since
Emily Artesani in 2009. The junior from York, Maine made her debut
at the 2012 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Indoor Track and
Field Championship this past winter, competing in the mile. Carl
covered the Charles Benson Bear Recreation and Athletic Center
track in a time of five minutes, 18.41 seconds in her preliminary
heat. Carl advanced to the national championship meet after
becoming the first Huskies runner to break the five-minute barrier
(4:59.52) at the New England Open Championships. She also broke the
Southern Maine record in the 3,000-meter run at the New England
Alliance and Little East Championship, crossing the finish line in
a winning time of 10 minutes, 15.17 seconds. Carl also posted the
fastest time in the mile (5:13.22) at the regional meet. She was
named the Little East Track Athlete of the Week four times during
the 2011-12 season.
Haggerty is the second Owl to earn the conference's top field
athlete award, joining former standout Crystal Blamy (2008). The
Guilford, Conn. product shattered the Keene State program-record
for the pentathlon at the 2012 New England Division III
Championship. The junior from Guilford, Conn. totaled 3,139 points
to best the three-year record of 2,758 points set by Vanessa Ward.
Haggerty raised her point total by capturing both the 800-meter run
(2:25.28) and high jump (5-1.75) events to record a third place
finish. Two weeks later, she earned All-Eastern College Athletic
Conference (ECAC) Division III honors in the pentathlon event with
a fourth place finish (3,121). Haggerty was the runner up at the
New England Alliance and Little East Championships in the high jump
after clearing 1.58 meters.
Wiley is the first Little East men's and women's indoor track and
field student-athlete to sweep the rookie awards program. The
Arundel, Maine product is the first Southern Maine women's athlete
to be named the Rookie Track Athlete of the Year. Wiley made her
first appearance at the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Indoor
Track and Field Championship this past winter, competing in the
400-meter dash. The lone first-year to race in the 400-meter dash
posted a time of 57.70 seconds in her preliminary heat. Wiley
qualified for the national championship based on her converted time
of 57.27 seconds (56.87 seconds 200-meter dash banked track) at the
New England Open Championships. She geared up for the national meet
by earning All-ECAC honors in the 400-meter dash, when Wiley
crossed the finish line in third at 57.09 seconds. She made an
immediate impact at the 2012 New England Alliance and Little East
Championship meet, finishing second in the 55-meter hurdles (8.59),
200-meter dash (26.03), and 600-meter run (1:37.68). Wiley's
well-rounded performance helped Southern Maine sweep the team
titles for the 12th consecutive campaign.
Wiley is the fourth Husky to be selected as the Little East Rookie
Field Athlete of the Year and first since Christina Massey in 2010.
She qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in the triple
jump event. Wiley covered 11.10 meters in the preliminary round to
place 14th overall in the national field. Wiley established a new
Southern Maine record in the triple jump, when she recorded a leap
of 11.64 meters at the New England Division III Championship on
February 18, 2012. Wiley captured the New England Alliance and
Little East Championship in the triple jump (11.01), while placing
second in the long jump (5.36 meters). She registered her top
performance in the long jump at the ECAC Championships, finishing
third with a leap of 5.41 meters. Wiley was selected as the
conference's Rookie of the Week three times, while earning the
Rookie Field Athlete of the Week honor six times.
Towle is making his fourth appearance as the top Little East
women's indoor track and field coach. Under his watchful eye, two
Southern Maine student-athletes competed at the NCAA Division III
Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship at Grinnell
College. The Huskies powered their way to the program's 12th
consecutive New England Alliance and Little East Women's Indoor
Track and Field Championship on February 11, 2012. Southern Maine
broke four school records en route to placing eighth among the
schools that participated in the New England Division III
Championships. Towle mentored four student-athletes on the Little
East Winter All-Academic Teams.
Formed in 1986, the Little East serves as New England's premier
athletic conference for public institutions in NCAA Division III.
Featuring 19 championship sports, the Little East sponsors quality
competition in every season for our student athletes. Our eight
state colleges and universities dedicate themselves to an ongoing
fulfillment of the Division III mission of passion, responsibility,
sportsmanship, and citizenship.
