NEW ORLEANS – Four members of the Allegheny women's track and field team have been named All-Great Lakes Region by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the 2016 outdoor campaign.
The Gator honorees include seniors
Alyssa Brindle and
Alexis Preston, and the junior duo of
Jenna Farruggia and
Natasha Brigham.
Brindle anchored the Gators' distance contingent to close out a stellar four-year career in the Blue and Gold. The veteran earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors in a pair of events, placing second at the conference championship in the steeplechase and third in the 1,500, while she posted a total of four first-place finishes and seven top-three finishes. She ran a career-best 1,500 at the NCAC Championships with a time of 4:42.00, the sixth-fastest mark in program history, before setting a school record in the steeplechase with a winning time of 10:58.32 at the Allegheny Gator Invite. In her final season, Brindle completed the All-NCAC trifecta, after also earning the honor by placing ninth at the 2015 NCAC Cross Country Championship, and taking third in the mile at the 2016 NCAC Indoor Championship.
Preston earns her second All-Great Lakes accolade of the year, after also being honored during the 2016 indoor campaign. The senior from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania owned the Gators' top performances of the season in both the 400 and 800, and earned a total of five first-place finishes on the year. In the 400, Preston broke the one-minute mark for the first time in her career at the NCAC Championships, where she placed fifth in a time of 59.98, the top mark for a Gator in three seasons. Her top 800 performance of the year came at the Ohio Wesleyan All-Great Lakes Elite Meet on May 19, when she capped off her career with a time of 2:16.55, the third-fastest mark by an NCAC athlete this season.
Farruggia owned the Gators' top performances in the javelin during the 2016 outdoor campaign, and turned in a total of eight top-three finishes and two wins. Her top performance in the event came at the Carnegie Mellon Invite on Mar. 25, when she uncorked a throw of 40.36 meters, which was the top throw of the season by an NCAC athlete, the 30th-best mark of the season in Division III, and the fourth furthest throw in program history. Farruggia, who placed fourth in the javelin at the NCAC championship, was also a strong performer in the discus for the Gators, with her season highlighted by a career-best throw of 37.54 meters at the NCAC Championships, the sixth-best mark in team history.
Brigham joined Farruggia in forming a potent one-two punch in the javelin. The Harborcreek, Pennsylvania native earned All-NCAC honors in the event for the second straight season after a second-place throw of 37.92 meters at the conference championship, one of six top-three finishes on the year. Her top throw of the season came at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic on Apr. 17, when she threw a career-best 39.21 meters, the second-best effort by an NCAC athlete on the season behind only Farruggia. She opened the campaign by placing first at the William and Mary Tribe Invitational on Mar. 19, while she closed out her junior year by placing second at the All-Great Lakes Elite Meet on May 19 with a throw of 38.67 meters.
To be selected All-Region, an athlete must be ranked in the top-5 of an individual event in the region, or be part of a top-3 relay team.
