Men's Track and Field | 2/29/2020 5:04:00 PM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Noah Falasco earned Men's Track Athlete of the Meet after the senior distance runner helped the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's track & field team to a second place finish at the Liberty League Championship. The Engineers women's team had a third place finish in the six-school field.

The Ithaca College men and women earned their third straight championships on Saturday at Gordon Field House on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
 
The Ithaca men trailed Rensselaer by 10 points after Friday's competition (through seven of 17 events), but rallied to win by a final margin of 38.5 points. The Bombers compiled 192 points followed by RPI (153.5), Rochester (132), RIT (98.5), St. Lawrence (44) and Union (37).
 
On the women's side, Ithaca opened up a large early lead Friday and compiled a total of 299.5 points. The University of Rochester (143) placed second followed by RPI (110), RIT (60.50), St. Lawrence (33) and Union (5).
 
ATHLETES OF THE MEET:

• Men's Track Athlete of the Meet: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute senior Noah Falasco was a double-winner, capturing both the mile (4:19.00) and 3,000-meter run (8:30.43). Falasco, who currently holds the top time in Division III in the mile this season, was a repeat champion in the event where he won in 4:14.96 last year.
• Men's Field Athlete of the Meet: Union College junior Dante Scott won the long jump (6.86 meters) while also finishing second in the triple jump (13.93 meters). Scott, who recorded his first Liberty League victory, led all field performers with 18 points. His long jump was a season best while his triple jump was a personal best.
• Women's Track Athlete of the Meet: Ithaca College senior Parley Hannan recorded three dominating performances in three events. Hannan entered the meet having recorded the top times in Division III in the mile, 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter. She did not disappoint, recording meet-record times in the mile (4:53.38) and the 3,000 (9:36.23) while also anchoring the distance medley relay squad to a meet record in 12:30.20. Hannan improved her Division III-leading times in both the mile and 3,000.
• Women's Field Athlete of the Meet: University of Rochester senior Lonnie Garrett was a double-winner, capturing both the long jump (5.58 meters) and triple jump (11.32 meters). Garrett won the triple jump for the third consecutive year and the long jump for the second straight year. Her mark in the triple jump is a season best and also her top mark at the Liberty League Championship. 

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
 
MEN:

• Ithaca sophomores Daniel Monchek (8.55) and Brahm Malcolm (8.60) finished 1-2 in the 60-meter hurdles. Monchek was the top-seeded athlete entering the meet, but qualified second in the prelims.
• RPI senior Zaire Wilson was a surprise winner in the 60-meter dash, recording a personal-best time of 7.03 seconds. Prior to the championship, Wilson's personal best was 7.11 seconds, but he ran 7.08 in the prelims before edging St. Lawrence freshman Michael Corbitt (7.05) in the final.
• Rochester sophomore Dokata Kosi Banchale won the 800 in 1:53.35, edging Union junior David Bates (1:53.62). It was the top time of the season for both runners and may move both into the top 12 nationally in Division III. Banchale's time would have placed him fourth nationally entering the weekend.
• The University of Rochester 4x400-meter relay team consisting of Wells Coalfleet, Gabe Lundy, Mark Westman and Banchale ran to a meet record of 3:20.95. Rochester beat the record of 3:22.51 set last year by RIT.
• RIT senior Jack Smith won the heptathlon with 4,695 points. Smith recorded the top marks in three of the seven events – 60, long jump and pole vault.
• Ithaca sophomore Kasim Cisse edged senior teammate Rob Greenwald to win the high jump. Both athletes cleared 2.01 meters, but Cisse was perfect in his first three attempts.

WOMEN:

• Ithaca freshman Samara Herzog recorded a convincing win in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line in a meet record 8.83 seconds. Herzog beat the record of 8.86 seconds set last year by Kylee Bartlett of Rochester.
• Rochester senior Michaela Burrell, who broke her own meet record in the 60-meter dash prelims (7.67 seconds), edged Ithaca freshman Tia Jones in a photo finish in the final. Burrell shaved a fraction of a second off her meet record, finishing in 7,652, beating Jones (7.655) by a mere three one-thousandths of a second.
• Ithaca senior Sarah Rudge was a repeat champion in the 800-meter run, winning in a record time of 2:14.90. Rudge broke her own record of 2:15.56 while recording a season-best time.
• The 200-meter dash featured a matchup of the top finishers in the 60. This time, Jones came from behind to defeat Burrell in a meet-record time of 25.19 seconds. She beat Burrell's record of 25.47 set last year. Burrell (25.32) was also below her time from last year.
• The University of Rochester 4x400-meter relay team of Burrell, Eileen Bequette, Lauryn Wilson and Susan Bansbach set a meet record in 3:58.91. Rochester, which won by more than five seconds, beat its own record of 4:00.75 set last year.
• RPI sophomores Jacy Scharlow and Maya Verma took the top two spots in the high jump, clearing 1.68 and 1.63 respectively. Scharlow, who currently ranks seventh in Division III this season, cleared 1.68 on her third try, but did not attempt a jump at 1.71 after clinching the win.