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Widener's men's track & field team notched four victories, including three individual triumphs, and pulled away in capturing the Middle Atlantic Conference Indoor Championship in Bethlehem, PA.
It is Widener's 14th MAC Indoor championship and first since a run of six straight culminated in 2002. The men's outdoor team has won 13 conference titles with the last coming in 2006.
Freshman Ryan Chance (Glassboro, NJ) continued his dynamic season in being named Rookie of the Year. He won the triple jump at 14.17 meters to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championships and the long jump by covering 6.79 meters. He also closed second in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.10 seconds.
Senior James Green (Lansdale, PA) captured the shot put a third straight year, tying his own meet record with a throw of 15.62 meters and also provisionally qualifying for nationals. He is the two-time defending MAC champion in the outdoor shot put.
The men's 4x200-meter relay team also was victorious, stopping the clock in 1:33.18. The squad consisted of senior Bernard Innocent (Fairfax, VA), junior Robert Innocent (Fairfax, VA), freshman Nicholas Dolhancryk (East Lansdowne, PA) and sophomore Sean McCarthy (Ellicott City, MD).
Dolhancryk's day was just getting started as he closed second in the long jump at 6.75 meters and also the triple jump at 12.81 meters.
The men's distance medley relay team ended second in 10:42.48 and was comprised of Ryan Gallagher (Langhorne, PA), fellow freshman Tevin Wood (Baltimore, MD), Dennis Conn (Morton, PA) and fellow sophomore Michael Garrity (Braircliffe, PA). The latter two also would not be done as Conn finished second in the 800-meter run at 1:57.83 and Garrity was right behind him in 1:58.39.
Robert Innocent ended second in the 200-meter dash in 23.51 seconds and third in the 55-meter dash in 6.70 seconds. Jacob Munick (Narbeth, PA) finished third in the weight throw at 16.03 meters and fellow senior Kyle McCandless (Bath, PA) was third in the pole vault at 3.81 meters.
The men closed championship Saturday by taking third in the 4x400-meter relay in 3:37.78. The team was made up of Wood, freshman Dimming Jones (Philadelphia, PA), senior Marc Bandola (Clarksburg, NJ) and freshman Ray Johnson (Mays Landing, NJ).
Widener ended with 143 points and DeSales was second at 108 points.
Vince Touey, in his 23rd year with the program, was named Coach of the Year. It is his 10th championship with the men's indoor team and 16th combined. That also includes four with the men's outdoor team, one with the women's indoor squad and one with the men's cross country unit.
Senior Nikita Halteman (Hatfield, PA) repeated as women's indoor shot put champion, easily winning at 12.05 meters. She also captured the weight throw by covering 14.57 meters, winning by more than a half meter.
Sophomore Abby Schaffer (Easton, PA) continued her impressive debut season for the Pride, taking the pole vault at 3.81 meters to break the meet record. Sophomore Brooke McDonald (Drexel Hill, PA) finished second at 3.20 meters.
Junior Valisha Andrus (Pemberton, NJ) was second in the 55-meter dash in 7.57 seconds, despite running the best time in preliminaries at 7.59 seconds.
The women's 4x400-meter relay team ended third in 4:19.74.
Widener made great strides this season, ending fifth with 63 points after finishing seventh in 2009. Messiah won with 147 points.
Both teams return to action Friday at the ECAC Championships in Northampton, MA.
