Bridgewater, NJ - The Wagner College women's and men's track & field programs were awarded three weekly Northeast Conference (NEC) awards for performances at the UCF Knights Invite from Friday, March 22 to Saturday, March 23 in Orlando, FL.
Senior Anthony Bentivegna was named as the first 'Track Athlete of the Week' of the 2024 NEC Outdoor Track & Field campaign.
At the UCF Invite, Bentivegna placed first out of 53 finishers in the 5000m run. The Staten Island native finished the event in 15:02.42, beating second-place Zach Fenton of West Florida by just under one second. Bentivegna's time is the best in the NEC by 54.5 seconds.
During the indoor season, Bentivegna was tabbed to one NEC Track Athlete of the Week honor. This occurred back when Bentivegna placed third in the same event at the Terrier Classic on Friday, January 26 to Saturday, January 27. There, Bentivegna clocked a time of 14:27.5.
Along with Bentivegna, the freshman duo of Jack Mason and June Fernandez were named the conference's 'Rookie of the Week' for their respective teams.Â
At the UCF Invite, Mason completed a mark of 7.14m in the long jump to place sixth, out of 36 athletes, in the event. Mason would finish in second out of all freshmen who competed. Mason has the top long jump mark in the conference and currently holds the 97th best mark in the national rankings.
During the 2023-24 indoor season, Mason received five Rookie of the Week honors with one Field Athlete of the Week nod.
Freshman June Fernandez participated in the 200m dash, finishing in 27th out of 100 participants, with a time of 24.82. Placing her third out of all freshmen. Fernandez's time in the 200m dash is the best time in the conference,
During the 2023-24 indoor season, Fernandez earned four Rookie of the Week awards with one Track Athlete of the Week honor.
Along with Bentivegna, Mason, and Fernandez, senior Jason Marchese, graduate student Dominic Palermo, junior Kharlin Watkins, junior Ruth-Ann Chambers, and junior Gia Comerford were all named as NEC Prime Performers.
Next up for the Seahawks, the Wagner College track & field program will split again as some members will head to the Princeton Invite from Friday, March 29 to Saturday, March 30. Meanwhile, other members of the program will travel to West Long Branch for the Monmouth Invite from Friday, March 29 to Saturday, March 30.
