Chamberlain, Fitter Receive Major LEC Awards

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. –The Little East Conference announced its annual women’s outdoor track and field major award winners this afternoon after each coach casted a vote. Keene State College junior Allison Chamberlain (Scarborough, Maine) was named the Track Athlete of the Year and freshman Maggie Fitter (Branford, Conn.) was selected as the Rookie Track Athlete of the Year.

Chamberlain is making her second straight appearance as the top women’s outdoor track athlete in the conference circuit. The Scarborough, Maine product qualified to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships in the 800-meter run and the 1,500-meter run events, but was unable to compete due to suffering an injury. Chamberlain only needed her third meet of the season to post a national qualifying standard in the 800. She completed the course at the prestigious Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton University in a time of two minutes, 10.61 seconds. Chamberlain dominated the 1,500-meter event throughout her junior season, recording an NCAA provisional qualifying mark three times on the campaign. She tripped the timer at the UMass Lowell Invitational at four minutes, 26.55 seconds to register her fastest time of the year. Chamberlain won the individual title in the 1,500 at the New England Alliance/Little East Championship, UMass Lowell Invitational, and Jim Sheehan Invitational. In addition to her titles at the conference championships, she became the first student-athlete in the history of the meet to complete the 400-meter dash in under 58 seconds (57.94). Chamberlain was recently named to the District Academic All-America Team. 

Fitter is the first Owl to be named the top rookie track athlete since the Little East began sponsoring the women’s outdoor major awards program in 2008. The Branford, Conn. product primarily competed in the 800-meter event and the 4X400-meter relay. Fitter established a new conference championship meet record in the 800, when she crossed the finish line in a winning time of two minutes, 18.31 seconds. She matched her season-best performance at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championships, clipping the clock at two minutes, 15.54 seconds. Fitter also ran a leg of the victorious 4X400-meter relay to help Keene State finish second at the Little East Championships. She was honored as the top rookie track athlete of the week twice on the season.