March 25, 2009

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Following a record-breaking indoor season, Stony Brook University's track & field teams are ready to begin their outdoor seasons this weekend. The Seawolves' first meet will be the Monmouth Invitational in West Long Branch, N.J. on Saturday. Stony Brook enters the outdoor season having been picked eighth in the preseason America East coaches' poll.

After becoming the first Stony Brook student-athlete to ever compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships, sophomore Lucy Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand) will be looking for a return trip to the national scene. Having set records in three distances and winning two America East titles during the indoor season, Lucy will be focused on qualifying in the 1,500-meter.

Nursing injuries during the indoor season, Lucy's twin sister Holly Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand) will be trying to make a return trip to the NCAA Outdoor Regionals, having qualified in the 1,500 and 5,000-meter last season. The women's team should also get solid efforts from junior Laura Huet (Carrickmines, Ireland), senior Rosanna Peralta (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), sophomore Carolina Cortes (Woodmere, N.Y.), freshman Kristal Conklin (Middletown, N.Y.) and sophomores Jacqueline Kehoe (Katonah, N.Y.) and Ruth Gillespie (Carrickfergus, Ireland).

On the men's side, the trio of juniors Daire Bermingham (Portmarnock, Ireland), Alex Felce (Stroud, England) and Tim Hodge (Tawa, New Zealand) all set school records and won America East titles last season and will lead the Seawolves in the distance events. Hodge and Felce also qualified for the NCAA Regionals in their sophomore seasons.