Klemic, Bertram Lead NU Men, BU Women to Track Championships
February 20, 2000 | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
BOSTON - Junior David Klemic, who won two events and placed second in another, led Northeastern University to its first America East Conference Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship since 1996 at the Boston Armory. Host Boston University won the women's title for the second-straight year and sixth time in 11 years.
Klemic, who was named the men's meet outstanding performer, won the long jump and the 55-meter dash and placed second in the 200 meters. He also finished fifth in the high jump. His leap of 22'6.25" in the long jump in the first event of the day helped get the Huskies off to a fast start en route to 128.5 points. University of New Hampshire was second with 114.5, followed by University of Delaware with 104. Boston University (85), University of Maine (70), University of Vermont (34) and Towson University (21) rounded out the field.
Klemic added his second championship in the 55 meters with a time of 6.42, the fifth fastest time in the 12-year history of the men's championship. His time of 22.01 in the 200 meters was less than two-tenths of a second off the winning and conference-record time of 21.89 by Carlos Cox of Boston University. The Huskies also received first place performances from Brian McCants, who won the 500 meters in 1:04.38, Leon Danforth, who won the 800 meters in 1:52.22 and Adam Carpenter, who won the triple jump with a conference-record leap of 50'1.75".
New Hampshire's Jamison Whiting established a new mark in the pole vault when he cleared the bar at 16'4.75" to break his own mark set last year.
On the women's side, Boston University senior Christine Bertram won both the women's 500 and 1,000 meter runs to help the Terriers to six individual championships and 163 points. Vermont was second with 122 points while Northeastern, led by the women's meet outstanding performer Nikiya Reid, finished third with 97.5 points. New Hampshire (65), Maine (51.5), Delaware (44) and Towson (15) rounded out the field.
Bertram covered the 500 meters in 1:16.22, the fifth best time in the 11-year history of the women's championship. She won the 1,000 meters in 2:56.27.
The Terriers also received championships from Lauren Warman in the 400 meters (56.96), Kathryn Ireland in the 3,000 meters (9:55.43) and Alicia Heisel in the 5,000 meters (17:46.16). The Terriers' Andrea Stuermer established a new record in the pole vault with a height of 12'1.50".
Reid, who was the outstanding performer at the America East Outdoor Track and Field Championship last spring, won three individual events, including a conference record in the 55-meter hurdles, where her time of 8.08 broke her own mark of 8.17 set in 1998. Her time of 24.99 in the 200 meters was second in conference history, just four one-hundreths of a second off the mark of 24.95 set by Northeastern's Shirley Miller in 1998. She also won the 55 meters in 7:05, the third best time in conference history.
Northeastern's Sherman Hart was named the men's Coach of the Year. Lesley Lehane, of Boston University, was the women's Coach of the Year.
