Feb. 22, 2015
Complete Results
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy men's track and field team recorded its highest ever team total (228.5 pts) en route to its third consecutive Patriot League Indoor Track and Field championship on Sunday at Wesley A. Brown Field House. Navy totaled nine all-league members on the final day.
Navy overwhelmed the nine-team field, tallying 228.50 points for first place. Bucknell and Boston University finished in second and third with 146.25 and 136 points, respectively. Army (104), Lehigh (101), Holy Cross (27), Lafayette (21.25), American (10) and Colgate (6) rounded out the field.
"This was by far our best overall team performance I have seen in awhile," 2015 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year Stephen Cooksey said. "Our backend guys continued to compete at a high level to give our team a well-rounded performance."
Navy collected nine all-league performances, recording five first-place finishes and four second-place marks on day three. The Mids captured individual crowns in the 60m, 200m, 400m, 500m, pole vault, weight throw and the 5000m overall.
Junior Jordan Sator-Francis (Jonesboro, Ga.) shined the brightest, recording two first-place finishes for 20 team points. Sartor-Francis' 200m dash first-place time of 21.01 broke a Patriot League (21.68; Sartor-Francis, 2/23/14), program (21.48; Clay Stackhouse, 1/20/89) and field house record (21.11; Reggie Dixon, 12/4/10). The junior sprinter then had a photo-finish first-place dash in the 60m (6.87), edging out Army's Jose Santana by 0.01 seconds.
Junior Austin Batiste (Long Beach, Calif.) redeemed last season's indoor second-place performance in the 400m dash with a first-place finish, crossing the tape at 48.53. Batiste edged out his counterpart David Lagerberg from Boston University by 0.01 seconds.
In the 500m run, sophomore Nate Gainey (Ellicott, Md.) surprised his own coach with a first-place time of 1:04.73. Gainey entered the league championship with the fifth-fastest time amongst league runners.
"Gainey was one of our many athletes that picked up more points that we had expected heading into the final day and we could not have been more proud," said Cooksey.
Navy pole vaulters senior Mark Vetere (Andover, Mass.) and junior Jiles Maness (Winston Salem, N.C.) flip-flopped their results from last season's championship, as Vetere finished ahead of Maness. Vetere placed first with a mark of 16ft-8.75in (5.10m), while Maness grabbed second with a mark of 16ft-2.75in (4.95m).
Senior captain Tom Buffone (Freehold, N.J.) carried over his first-place performance in the weight throw from yesterday with a second-place finish in the shot put. Buffone's mark of 55ft-6.5in (16.93m) is a career best.
Navy then grabbed two second-place finishes in distance events, the 1000m and 3000m runs. Senior Brian De La Mora (Davis, Calif.) recorded a career-best time in the 3000m, shaving of three seconds for a second-place time of 8:14.82. Junior Steve Schroeder (Monticello, Ill.) earned second-team all-league laurels in the 1000m run with a time of 2:26.15.
Navy will have a week off to prepare for the 2015 IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championship. The three-day meet will begin on Friday through Sunday.
Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Stephen Cooksey, Navy
Patriot League Champions (All-Patriot League First Team)
Jordan Sartor-Francis 60m, 200m Dash
Austin Batiste 400m Dash
Nathan Gainey 500m run
Mark Vetere Pole Vault
Tom Buffone Weight Throw
Sam Peckham 5000m
Patriot League Runners-Up (All-Patriot League Second Team)
Stephen Schroeder 1000m
Brian De La Mora 3000m
Jiles Maness Pole Vault
Thomas Buffone Shot Put
Cody Parker High Jump
Lucas Stalnaker 5000m
Tyler Russell Heptathlon
Patriot League Standings
1) Navy 228.50
2) Bucknell 146.25
3) Boston U. 136
4) Army 104
5) Lehigh 101
6) Holy Cross 27
7) Lafayette 21.25
8) American 10
9) Colgate 6
