Edison, NJ - NCAA champions Jake Freeman and Aliann Pompey headline the MAAC's 40th Anniversary Outdoor Track and Field Teams, released today by the conference as part of a year-long campaign celebrating the four decades since the MAAC's inception.
Freeman, the only eight-time All-American in the history of the Manhattan track and field program, is joined on the men's team by Christer Hagberg, Pontus Lundkvist, Milan Jotanovic and Hayden Clarke. Pompey, who was also named to the
MAAC's 40th Anniversary Indoor Team in July, is joined on the women's team by LaCole Fields, Tiffanie Poole Gentles, Stefanie Allen and Tiina Magi.
Men's Outdoor Team
Jake Freeman '04
Freeman won a pair of NCAA championships at Manhattan, the 2003 indoor weight throw and the 2004 outdoor hammer throw. He also captured four consecutive IC4A titles in the hammer throw and was the NCAA record holder in the event. Freeman finished third in the hammer throw at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships. He was named Manhattan's Athlete of the Decade in 2010.
Christer Hagberg '98
A three-time All-American, Hagberg was seventh in the discus at the 1997 NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming an All-American for the first time in his career. He followed that by gaining All-American honors in the weight throw at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Championships and again at the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he finished fourth in the discus.
Pontus Lundkvist '99
One of the top decathletes in program history, Lundkvist finished 12th at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships with 7,227 points. He routinely scored in six to eight events at the conference meets, and earned both the IC4A indoor pentathlon and IC4A outdoor decathlon championships. Lundqvist was a three-time Metropolitan Champion and the conference record holder in pentathlon. A standout in the classroom, he won New York Lottery/MAAC Outstanding Student-Athlete Award.
Milan Jotanovic '08
A five-time All-American in the shot put, Jotanovic earned a top three showing in the event at both the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The first-ever Jasper to register a toss of 20 meters or better, he holds the outdoor school mark with a throw of 20.04. He is a seven-time NCAA Championship participant, a seven-time Met Champion and six-time IC4A Champion.
Hayden Clarke '17
Clake earned two trips to the NCAA East Regionals in the long jump during his 2016 and 2017 outdoor campaigns. He is a two-time MAAC outdoor champion in the event, earning the conference's Most Outstanding Field Performer award at the 2016 MAAC Outdoor Championships after recording the conference's championship long jump record (7.59 meters). In addition to his outdoor accolades, Clarke was a two time IC4A indoor champion in the long jump.
Women's Outdoor 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.
LaCole Fields '00
Fields set four Manhattan records in the shot put and weight throw during her career, and still holds the indoor mark in the shot put (15.01 meters). She was named All-East 14 times and won a total of 13 individual MAAC championships. During the 2000 outdoor season, Fields captured the MAAC title and scored at the ECAC Championships in the shot put, discus and hammer throw.
Tiffanie Poole Gentles '00
Poole Gentles earned All-East honors four times, both as an individual and a relay runner. She and her teammates set the school's outdoor 4x400-meter record in 1997, defeating Maryland, St. John's, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Villanova at the Penn Relays with a time of 3:39.64. Poole Gentles also took home a Metropolitan title as a member of the 4x400 squad, and qualified individually for the U.S. Junior Nationals. She continues to hold the school's indoor 200-meter record (24.22) and the indoor 4x400 record (3:41.01).
Stefanie Allen '03
Allen on a school record 17 MAAC titles during her illustrious track and field career in Riverdale. A standout sprinter, she captured the 200-meter dash at the MAAC outdoor meet all four years, and three times during indoor seasons, along with three 100-meter championships and two 55-meter titles. In 2001, she was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the MAAC Outdoor Championships after winning the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 100-hurdles, before repeating in all three a year later.
Tiina Magi '07
Magi holds school records in the triple jump (indoors and outdoors) and high jump (outdoors) at the time of her induction. She was Manhattan's first-ever NCAA Championships qualifier in the triple jump, and also won an ECAC title in the event. Magi regularly contributed points in all four jumping events, as well as the javelin, at the MAAC Championships.
The MAAC 40th Anniversary Indoor Track and Field Team was
announced on July 23, while the cross country honorees will be released on August 27. To stay up to date with all MAAC 40th Anniversary Teams and information follow @MAACSports on
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