Emmitsburg, MD -- It wasn't the record point total they posted in 2009, but it was more than enough to secure a second consecutive team title. Monmouth scored 214.50 points to top the team standings at the 2010 Northeast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships presented by Road Runner Sports.
Long Island took second place, tallying 137.50 points. Central Connecticut State (79) edged meet host Mount St. Mary's (78.50) by one-half point for third place.
Winning its sixth NEC crown in seven years, Monmouth has made a habit of piling up points in the throwing events. Junior Vincent Elardo made sure that trend didn't change.
Elardo won three of the four throws on his way to capturing two major post-meet awards - NEC Most Outstanding Field Performer and NEC Most Valuable Performer (MVP). After winning the shot put and hammer throw on Saturday, Elardo threw 48.13m (157' 11") to capture gold in Sunday's discus competition. The Hawks picked up a total of 22 points in the event.
Elardo shared the post-meet spotlight with his head coach Joe Compagni who secured the NEC Coach of the Year award.
Running in front of his home crowd, Mount St. Mary's junior Chadwich Brown claimed the NEC Most Outstanding Track Performer award. The sprinter posted IC4A Championship-qualifying times in both the 100m (10.71) and 200m (21.65) dashes. He placed second in the former and landed a gold medal in the latter.
Long Island's Nickolei Mahlung ran 10.68 to squeak past Brown and earn the moniker of "Fastest Man in the NEC."
Freshman Brian Richards made a significant contribution to the Blackbirds' second-place point total. On his way to capturing the meet's Most Outstanding Rookie Performer honor, Richards won the long jump (7.50m) and took second behind Brown in the 200m dash (21.71).
Final Team Standings (21 events scored)
1. Monmouth, 214.50
2. Long Island, 137.50
3. Central Connecticut State, 79
4. Mount St. Mary’s 78.50
5. Sacred Heart, 74
6. Robert Morris, 59.50
7. St. Francis (NY), 57
8. Saint Francis (PA), 47
9. Bryant, 24
Fairleigh Dickinson, 24
Wagner, 24
