Burnett, Desjardins, Kondracki & Coaching Staff Receive Major Awards; Seven Other Eagles Honored

WATERVILLE, Maine – The 2018 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Women's Outdoor Track and Field postseason awards have been released. The coaching staff and 10 athletes have been honored.

Husson sophomore Leah Desjardins (Poland, Maine) has been selected as the North Atlantic Conference(NAC) Women's Track & Field Track Athlete of the Year, while Eagle senior Faith Burnett (Wethersfield, Conn.) was tabbed Field Athlete of the Year and freshman teammate Allison Kondracki (Mashpee, Mass.) earned Rookie of the Year honors. Lyndon senior Abby Salvadore (Portsmouth, N.H.) was voted the Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, while Husson's Kate Goupee was chosen as Coach of the Year and eight women's track and field student-athletes were named to the Sportsmanship Team to headline the 2018 All-Conference announcement.

NAC All-Conference "Athlete of the Year" selections are determined by a vote of the conference coaches.

	Desjardins, the 2017 NAC Rookie of the Year, has claimed NAC Track Athlete of the Year after an incredible sophomore campaign. She was called upon to compete in multiple events at the conference championship this season including the 100m, 200m, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay and the high jump, while being a part of scoring 46 points on the day for the 2018 Champion Eagles. The second-year runner earned three first-place scoring finishes in the 100 (12.77), 200 (27.10), and 4x100 (52.75). She claimed the title of NAC Champion and set a new meet record in the 100-meter dash. She and her teammates earned second-place points in the 4x400 (4:21.79), while she also ventured into the field events and took second overall in the high jump (1.43m). During the 2018 season, Desjardins qualified for the New England Championships in the 100, 200 and 4x100. She was honored as the NAC Track Athlete of the Week once this year.
	Burnett has had another impressive year, earning her NAC Field Athlete of the Year honors. The senior scored 26 points at the 2018 NAC Championship, helping lead her team to the NAC Title. At the conference meet, she started the day scoring second-place points in the shot put with a New England qualifying mark of 11.23m. She then competed in the discus taking second overall, while setting a new personal record with a heave of 31.41m. To finish the day, she claimed NAC Champion honors in the hammer with a toss of 41.48m, setting another personal record and a New England qualifying mark.
	Kondracki has made an immediate impact on both the Husson squad and the conference, earning her NAC Rookie of the Year. She claimed NAC Champion honors with a first-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:10.57, which set a new conference record, personal record and school record for Husson. The rookie then took second in both the long jump (4.95m) and the triple jump (9.96m). To finish the day, she ran the third leg on the second-place scoring 4x400 relay team. She and her teammates ran a season best 4:21.79, shaving nine seconds off of their fastest time. At the championship meet, she was involved in 34 points to add to the Husson team score.
	Salvadore is being recognized for excelling academically and athletically throughout her undergraduate experience, while serving as a role model in both the classroom and while competing. She is one of the top students in the Mathematics major at Lyndon, while being named to the President's List seven times during her tenure. She was most recently honored with the Green and Gold Award at the Hornets' athletic banquet, signifying that she has the highest GPA of all Lyndon female student-athletes. Salvadore is a member of the Sports Medicine Club and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as the SAAC representative to the Student Government Association. The dual-sport athlete, women's basketball, has also spent time volunteering with the Special Olympics. She claimed second-place honors at the 2018 NAC Championships in the javelin with a New England Qualifying mark of 36.35m. The senior scored 13 of her team's 18 points at the conference meet, as she also competed in the shot put (9.45m) and the discus throw (30.17m). Salvadore earned one NAC Field Athlete of the Week honor this season.
	Goupee's squad claimed their second NAC Championship Title this season after scoring 207 points, 40 points more than the runner up. The fifth-year mentor saw her student-athletes score first-place points in eight events and second-place points in seven events, while her team scored points in 17 out of the 19 total events. Notably, three of Goupee's Eagles, Leah Desjardins, Faith Burnett and Allison Kondracki earned NAC Track and Field major honors this season. This is her third NAC Coach of the Year honor, as she was voted coach of the year by her peers in 2015 and 2017.

The NAC Women's Track & Field Sportsmanship Team is reserved for those who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees are individuals who have positively affected the track and field culture and environment and whose behavior clearly demonstrates sportsmanship and integrity that go beyond the competition rules and etiquette. The following eight individuals have been selected to the NAC Women's Track & Field Sportsmanship Team, Castleton senior Christiana Carmichael(South Burlington, Vt.), Colby-Sawyer senior Sarah Redman (Alfred, Maine), SUNY Delhi sophomore Ashley Magnifico (Bayport, N.Y.), UMaine-Farmington sophomore Katie LeBlanc(Saco, Maine), Husson junior Jessica Dessert (Lebanon, N.H.), Johnson senior Elizabeth Tapia (Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin), Lyndon sophomore Jessica Hillman (Gardiner, Maine), and UMaine-Presque Isle junior Chenoa Jackson (Wilten, Maine).

The first-place and second-place finishers in each event at the NAC Championship have earned NAC All-Conference Team honors.

2018 NAC Women's Track & Field All-Conference Team

100 MeterLeah Desjardins, Sophomore, Husson (12.77)
Madeeah Oranchak, Sophomore, SUNY Delhi (12.83)

200 MeterMadeeah Oranchak, Sophomore, SUNY Delhi (26.64)
Leah Desjardins, Sophomore, Husson (27.10)

400 MeterCarlie Reen, Freshman, Castleton (1:03.42)
Amanda Martin, Junior, Colby-Sawyer (1:04.18)

800 Meter

Laura Pulito, Senior, UMaine-Farmington (2:22.71)
Lydia Maier, Freshman, Castleton (2:24.18)

1500 Meter

Laura Pulito, Senior, UMaine-Farmington (5:05.00)
Olivia Ridley, Sophomore, UMaine-Farmington (5:07.28)

5000 MeterOlivia Ridley, Sophomore, UMaine-Farmington (18:45.97)
Katie LeBlanc, Sophomore, UMaine-Farmington (19:34.19)

100 Meter HurdlesShari Rainville, Junior, Colby-Sawyer (16.89)
Haley Kennedy, Junior, Castleton (17.78)

400 Meter HurdlesAllison Kondracki, Freshman, Husson (1:10.57)
Emily Maier, Sophomore, Castleton (1:10.82) 

3000 Meter SteeplechaseAlison Fairbairn, Sophomore, Colby-Sawyer (12:57.82)
Amanda Boyd, Freshman, Colby-Sawyer (12:58.64)

4x100 Meter RelaySUNY Delhi (52.14) – Ashley Maginfico, Sophomore; Arielle Moheimani, Freshman; Jaylynn Sheppard, Freshman; Erica Cornmire, Freshman 
Husson (52.75) – Shea Curley, Junior; Arianna McKinnon, Sophomore; Tamara Rodriguez, Junior; Leah Desjardins, Sophomore

4x400 Meter RelayCastleton (4:19.33) – Christiana Carmichael, Senior; Carlie Reen, Freshman; Lydia Maier, Freshman; Haley Kennedy, Junior
SUNY Delhi (4:21.62) – Ashley Magnifico, Sophomore; Susan Hoskins, Sophomore; Madeeah Oranchak, Sophomore; Arielle Moheimani, Freshman

High JumpLisa Pawlowski, Sophomore, Husson (1.48m)
Leah Desjardins, Sophomore, Husson (1.43m)

Pole VaultMaddie Page, Freshman, Husson (2.88m)
Jessica Dessert, Junior, Husson (2.73m)
Shari Rainville, Junior, Colby-Sawyer (2.73m)

Long JumpNia Fraser, Sophomore, Colby-Sawyer (5.01m)
Allison Kondracki, Freshman, Husson (4.95m)

Triple JumpAmanda Martin, Junior, Colby-Sawyer (10.46m)
Allison Kondracki, Freshman, Husson (9.96m)

Shot PutEmmani Robinson, Senior, Colby-Sawyer (12.40m)
Cheyenne Weaver, Sophomore, SUNY Delhi (11.38m)

Discus ThrowIssy Capozzi, Freshman, Husson (31.98m)
Faith Burnett, Senior, Husson (31.41m)

Hammer ThrowFaith Burnett, Senior, Husson (41.48m)
Diana Echols, Sophomore, SUNY Delhi (39.72m)

Javelin ThrowBrianna Hake, Senior, Castleton (40.98m)
Abby Salvadore, Junior, Lyndon (36.35m)

Track Athlete of the YearLeah Desjardins, Sophomore, Husson

Field Athlete of the YearFaith Burnett, Senior, Husson

Rookie of the YearAllison Kondracki, Freshman, Husson

Senior Scholar Athlete of the YearAbby Salvadore, Senior, Lyndon

Coach of the YearKate Goupee, Fifth Season, Husson

Sportsmanship TeamChristiana Carmichael, Senior, Castleton
Jessica Dessert, Junior, Husson
Jessica Hillman, Sophomore, Lyndon
Chenoa Jackson, Junior, UMaine-Presque Isle
Katie LeBlanc, Sophomore, UMaine-Farmington
Ashley Magnifico, Sophomore, SUNY Delhi
Sarah Redman, Senior, Colby-Sawyer
Elizabeth Tapia, Senior, Johnson