Springfield, Mass. -- May 5, 2011 --Nickel Hay was selected Team MVP for 2010-2011 at last night's Springfield College men's track and field team banquet. At the same time, captains for the 2011-2012 season were selected. They will be Kevin Coyle and Kyle Brown. Hay, a senior from Norwalk, Conn., has been considered the rock of this year's squad, and a very positive influence throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons to date. A business management major, Hay, a sprinter, was named All-New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference at this past weekend's NEWMAC Championship meet at the Coast Guard Academy. Springfield finished second at that meet.
Other awards were also presented at the banquet. The Bearcat Award (Most Improved) was won by the threesome of Matt Peabody, a junior distance runner from Portland, Me. (sport management); Ryan Ux, a sophomore thrower from Nashua, N.H. (sport management); and Brian Fuller, a senior distance runner from Ludlow, Mass. (applied exercise science).
The Riggie Award (Rookie) was also given to a threesome of Sean Nunan, a sophomore hurdler from Clinton, Conn. (physical education); Parker Ashton-Young, a freshman thrower from Tolland, Conn. (recreation management); and freshman William Ferguson, a freshman high jumper from Lake Hopatcong, N.J. (applied exercise science).
The Bunion Award (Unsung Hero) was divided up three ways -- going to Chris Quetant, a senior sprinter from Milford, Conn. (sport management); Kevin Behlmer, a senior hurdler from Attleboro, Mass. (business management); and Ryan O'Connell, a sophomore middle-distance man from Middleboro, Mass. (recreation management).
The Coaches Award for Outstanding Achievement went to Coyle, a junior jumper from Bradford, N.H. (sport management), who won a National Championship in the long jump at the NCAA Division III Indoors at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
Finally, as mentioned, next year's co-captains were also named at the banquet. They were Coyle and Kyle Brown, a junior jumper from Concord, N.H. (applied exercise science).
Ken Klatka, just inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in October, 2011, enters his 37th season as head coach of the men’s track and field program in 2012-2013. He ranks among the nation’s most successful coaches, with an overall record of 442 wins, 144 losses, and two ties for an impressive .753 winning percentage. Under his direction, Kevin Coyle '12 won the 2011 Division III Indoor Long Jump National Championship.
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