Najem, Kolacz Earn LEC Awards

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. 6/10/2010 - The Little East Conference office announced its annual men’s outdoor track and field award winners this afternoon after a vote by the conference coaches. Keene State College Peter Najem (Derry, N.H.) and junior Bryan Kolacz (Brentwood, N.H.) repeated as the Track and Field Athlete of the Year, respectively.

Najem became the first runner in Keene State history to earn a pair of All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Championship since Scott Hatch received two citations in 1988. The Derry, N.H. product stood among the nation’s elite runners on the All-America awards podium for his performance in the 800-meter run (7th, 1:53.95) and the 1,500-meter run (8th, 3.52.54). Najem established a new program standard in the 800 at the Oneonta State May Meet with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of one minute, 50.79 seconds. He swept the 800 and 1,500-meter races at the New England Division III Championships, as well as, capturing the 800-meter at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championship and the 1,500-meter at the New England Alliance/Little East Championship. Najem is the first student-athlete since the Little East began sponsoring the men’s outdoor track and field major awards program in 2008 to repeat as the conference’s top track athlete.
 
Kolacz is making his third consecutive appearance on the men’s outdoor track and field major awards program and second-straight as the top field athlete. The Brentwood, N.H. native earned his second All-America honor in the hammer event at the NCAA Division III Championship with a season-best throw of 60.12 meters. Kolacz tuned up for the national meet by capturing the hammer event at the New England Open Championships (57.73m), Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championships (57.25m), and New England Alliance/Little East Championships (57.98m). His mark at the conference championship established a new meet record. The 2008 Rookie of the Year also claimed the Little East championship in the shot put (13.93m) and the discus throw (42.90m). Kolacz also competes on a national level in the classroom, earning District All-America, first-team recognition. Kolacz was selected as the field athlete of the week three times on the season.