Edison, NJ - Former All-Americans
Patrick McGrath and Aliann Pompey headline the MAAC's 40th Anniversary Indoor Track and Field teams, released today by the conference as a part of a year-long campaign celebrating the four decades since the MAAC's inception.
A three-time Division I All-American and current Manhattan coach, McGrath is joined on the men's 40th anniversary team by Bruce Philip, Gerry Ryan, David Frazier and Pontus Lundkvist. Manhattan's first female NCAA champion, Pompey is joined on the women's team by Karen Chevolleau, Lisa Daley, Dine Potter and Sophia Tasker Sterling.
Former Manhattan track and field Head Coach Dan Mecca was also honored as one of three 40th Anniversary coaches. During his career, Mecca led the Jaspers to 61 MAAC Championships, 39 Metropolitan Championships and two IC4A Championships. He was named the MAAC Men's Coach of the Year for both the 2012 indoor and outdoor seasons, and was selected for that honor a total of 33 times since 2002. He was also the 2005 NCAA Regional Coach of the Year for men's indoor track & field. Mecca coached several athletes to the NCAA Championships, mentoring five NCAA National Champions, including Pompey.
Men's Indoor Team
Patrick McGrath '95
McGrath represented his native Ireland in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and was a six-time Irish National Champion in the hammer throw, earning a top 50 IAAF world ranking (2004) and a USATF second place finish (2003) in the event. He also participated in the 1999 World Track and Field Championships and the 1998 European Championships. McGrath was a threat in both the hammer and 35-pound weight events, earning All-East recognition eight times, four in each category.
Bruce Philip '89
A four time All-American in track and field, Philip holds the school's indoor records in the 400 meters (46.22), 500 meters (61.2), and the 4x400 relay (3:09.25), as well as the outdoor record for the Distance Medley Relay (9:33.40). In addition, he was a five-time IC4A champion and won 11 Metropolitan Championships.
Gerry Ryan '90
A thrower specializing in both the weight and hammer throw, Ryan earned NCAA All-American status as a senior and was named All-East six times. He qualified for the NCAAs twice and was a four-time Metropolitan Champion, twice for the hammer and twice for the weight.
David Frazier '94
Frazier graduated as the program record holder for the indoor triple jump (53'.75") and long jump (24' 11"), with the triple-jump performance still standing as the school's best. Named All-American after an eight place finish in the triple jump at the 1993 NCAA Indoor National Championships, Frazier was a five-time IC4A Champion and a 12-time Metropolitan Champion.
Pontus Lundkvist '99
One of the top decathletes in program history, Lundkvist finished 12th at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships with 7,227 points. Routinely scoring in six to eight events at the conference meets, he was the IC4A indoor pentathlon and 1999 IC4A outdoor decathlon champion and was a three-time Metropolitan Champion and conference record holder in pentathlon. A standout in the classroom, he won New York Lottery/MAAC Outstanding Student-Athlete Award.
Women's Indoor Team
Aliann Pompey '99
Pompey won the Division I 400-meter dash in 2000. She also holds seven Manhattan records and won eight individual Metropolitan titles. Pompey was named All-East six times, and was selected as one of the top 25 MAAC all-time performers in 2006. She has competed in four Olympic Games, in addition to participating in the World Championships in athletics five times and the IAAF World Indoor Championships on four occasions. She was a gold medalist in the 400-meters at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and a Commonwealth Games silver medalist in the event in 2010. She currently serves as president of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission.
Karen Chevolleau '92
Manhattan's first female runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Chevolleau reached the semifinals of the 55-meter hurdles at the 1993 NCAA Indoor Championships as a graduate student in her final year of eligibility. She set seven school records during her time as a Jasper, including three marks that still stand today.
Lisa Daley '93
Daley set 10 school records (three individual, seven relay) during her time in Riverdale. She was a member of Manhattan's distance medley relay squad that ran a then school-record time of 11:50.73 while winning the gold medal at the 1992 ECAC Indoor Championships. Individually, Daley still holds the school record in the 300 meters (40.30), and she was also the record-holder in the 400 meters (both indoors and outdoors) at the time of her graduation.
Dine Potter '97
The first Manhattan female student-athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. She represented her parents' homeland, Antigua & Barbuda, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, competing in the 4x100 and 4x400. During the games, her team set a new record for Antigua and Barbuda. Potter broke nine Manhattan records and still holds records in the 4x400 (3:39.64) and 4x200 (1:38.25). She was named All-East five times between 1994 and 1997 and won six Metropolitan Championship titles.
Sophia Tasker Sterling '97
Tasker Sterling graduated with school records in the 55-meter dash and 60-meter dash for indoors, along with outdoor records in the 4x100m relay, 4x200m relay and the sprint medley. Tasker Sterling was named ECAC All-East five times, which ranks among the highest totals of a Manhattan College athlete. She notched three Metropolitan victories during her career and recorded a MAAC Championship record of 7.09 in the 55-meters.
To stay up to date with all MAAC 40th Anniversary Teams and information follow @MAACSports on
Twitter,
Instagram, and
Facebook. Join the conversation by using #MAAC40. Anniversary teams for outdoor track and field and cross country will be announced later this summer.
