INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: Suffolk Sweeps Second-Ever GNAC Championships at BU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Courtesy of Suffolk Athletics Communications

BOSTON – Suffolk men's indoor track & field captured the inaugural Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship two years ago and got the jump done again on Sunday as the Rams coasted past is five conference counterparts to hoist the trophy for the second time in as many years the event has been held Sunday evening at Boston University's Track & Tennis Center. 

Over the course of the day, Suffolk claimed all but three of the individual titles and both of the relay events to win 11 of the 16 events there held for a team total of 234 points, 142 more than runner-up Colby Sawyer. The Rams rewrote six GNAC Championship records and 31 posted personal-bests.  

A trio of Rams captured multiple individual titles in Selvin Backert, Cole Bolduc, Matyas Csiki-Fejer and Brady Sorenson. 

Just as well, Suffolk women's indoor track & field upstaged its runner-up finish from the inaugural conference championship as the Rams captured the 2022 GNAC title Sunday at BU's Track & Tennis Center.  

The Rams dethroned the first-ever league champion Emmanuel with 162 team points, 45 more points than the Saints, to grab the program's first women's indoor championship.  

In the process of hoisting the team title, Suffolk saw 13 individuals and both relay teams earn a spot on the podium highlighted by five individual champions and six second-place showings. The blue-and-gold not only put together 28 personal records in the title performance, but rewrote one GNAC Championship record as well.  

Men's Recap
Csiki-Fejer left Comm Ave as the most decorated Ram with three crowns and all-league honors. The senior captain remains the only student-athletes in the history of the GNAC Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships to win the mile and the 3000 as he displaced his own records in both events.       

In the mile, Csiki-Fejer paced the 18-runner field and easily crossed the finish line in first with a time of 4:24.08. His performance was 3.29 faster than what he clocked two years ago and nearly 17 seconds better than runner-up troy Hendricks of Saint Joseph's Maine. Nic Malm, Csiki-Fejer's classmate and co-captain, rounded out the podium with a 4:42.90, good for third. Luke Sikora narrowly missed the top three with a fourth-place performance with a personal-best time of 4:43.43. Hunter Toyoda, Jadan Wenceslao and Thomas Fidrocki were in the field as well. 

In the 3000, Csiki-Fejer coasted to a first-place finish with a time of 8:59.39, 11.59 faster than his outing in 2020. Not only did he top the podium in the event, but he led a Suffolk heavy field where the Rams swept all three spots on the steps with Tim Barry (9:19.09) and Thomas Novy (9:25.49) grabbing second and third, respectively, with personal-best efforts. Suffolk swept the 3000 podium at GNACs for the first time in program history. Connor Hayward (9:30.49) and Jacob Dubin each logged personal records as well. Malm ran the event also.   

Csiki-Fejer rounded out his day as the anchor of the conference champion Distance Medley Team comprised of by his fellow members of the Class of 2022, Malm, Arthur Lacerda and Toyoda. The group combined for a time of 11:16.02. The Rams have been the only team to capture the even at the league championships.  

Sorensen made the most of his indoor debut with a pair of league titles to his credit. He dashed in the 60 with a meet record-7.21 to become the first Suffolk student-athlete to garner the title in the event. The sophomore also leaped his way to a GNAC crown in the long jump. He leaped 6.66 meters to become the first Ram to win the event at the league tournament. Carter Nevulis joined Sorensen on the podium in third with a jump of 6.37.  

Nevulis managed to grab a GNAC title of his own in the 60m hurdles with a meet-record dash of 8.92. The freshman also had a standout showing in the triple jump with as he finished third behind three leaps good for 12.30 meters. 

Bolduc ran his way to a conference crown in the 400 behind a meet-best time of 50.78. Robert Solari was right on his heels in second finishing the half lap in 51.40. The pair were crucial cogs in the 4x400 relay championship team. The pair were joined by Selvin Backert and Joshua Durand to assure that Suffolk be the only team to own a GNAC crown in the event.  

Solari's day was hectic as the senior also competed in the 200 and high jump. He finished second in both events. Eduardo Silva joined Solari on the high jump podium in third. 

Backert, meanwhile, grabbed a GNAC title of his own with a meet record time of 2:03.39 in the 800. His performance made him the first Suffolk student-athlete to win the event. Justin Turner was 3.32 behind Backert to be runner-up in the 800.  

Tim Barry and Novy rounded out the Rams' runners with a one-two finish in the 5000. Barry clocked a 15:55.54 with Novy producing a 15:57.62. 

Suffolk swept the podium in the weight throw. Michael Balestra repeated as champion with a 15.15-meter toss. Matthew Smith (12.03) and Frank Irizarry (11.94) each produced personal-best throws to take second and third, respectively.  

Eddie McCarthy had a stand-out showing in the shot put as he became the first Ram to earn a place on the podium with a second-place performance of 11.22 meters. 

Riding the momentum from the championship, the Rams that qualified for regionals will compete at New England Division III Regionals next weekend, Feb. 25-26 at the Virtue Field House on the campus of Middlebury in Middlebury, Vermont. 

Women's Recap
Caitlyn Filloramo lobbed a GNAC-best weight throw to top the podium. Her toss of 12.63 was 0.31 better than reining champion Caileigh Blackmer of Emmanuel. Sophomore Leah Doucot found her way on the podium at her first GNACs as well with a third-place showing of 11.41.  

Allison Rodrigues repeated as the league's shot put champion with a 10.67-meter throw. Filloramo narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place performance behind a 9.72-meter toss.  

In the jumping events, Grace Danehy made Suffolk history as the first Ram to capture the high jump. She cleared a personal-best 1.51. Nicole DiBenedetto finished in the same spot (third) with the same height (1.46) that she did in 2020.  

Lauren Wood jumped to a second-place showing in the long jump. She became the first blue-and-gold student-athlete to earn a place on the podium in the long jump after jump 4.87 meters. She was joined in the event by Lucia Seide, Julia Hunt, Grace Danehy, and Grace Dreher, all of who leaped personal bests.  

Rams runners were responsible seven of Suffolk's podium finishes. Klaudia Rushi highlighted the group with a first-place performance in the 60-meter hurdles where Catherine Madden slid into second. 

Amanda Walden claimed second in the 60-meter dash and 200, respectively, while Skyler Spanbauer took third in both the mile and 3000.  

Jocleyn Trisciak's 400 time of 1:04.54 put the sophomore into second. Suffolk has taken second in the event in both years the championship has taken place.  

Suffolk rounded out the day with a with the best 4x400 relay team comprised of Alicia Bibi, Emily Concepcion, Kylie Norelus and Erika Penney. That foursome became the first relay team in the Rams record book to win the event.  

The foursome of Sarah Lawton, Spanbauer, Rushi and Alyssa Rodriguez, meanwhile, ran to a second-place showing in the Distance Medley Relay. That group was the first Suffolk quartet to compete in the event and did so in podium finish fashion.  

Suffolk now will send the student-athletes who qualified to Middlebury, Vermont, next weekend, Feb. 25-26 for the New England Division III Regionals.