Two local athletes earn Empire 8 honors for Utica College.
By: Michael Spellman
Updated: January 17, 2012
Senior Hurdler Joe Pruckno (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and Freshman Lauren Delude (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) earned Empire 8 Conference Athlete of the week honors.
Senior hurdler Joe Pruckno (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) of the Utica College men's track and field team was named the Empire 8 Conference Track Athlete of the Week and the College's Male Athlete of the Week after posting a winning performance at the RIT Tiger Invitational on Saturday.
Pruckno, who was an All-American selection last Spring, won the men's 60 meter hurdles after finishing with an ECAC qualifying time of 8.31 on Saturday. He also won the prelims with a qualifying time of 8.50.
Pruckno, the program's first automatic All-American selection, began the season with a second place finish after posting a time of 8.41 in the 60 meter hurdles at the Cornell Relays on Dec. 4. At the St. Lawrence Holiday Relays he recorded a finishing time of 8.36 in the 60 meter hurdles, good enough for a first place finish.
Freshman Lauren Delude (Herkimer/Herkimer, NY) was named the Empire 8 Conference Track Athlete of the Week and the College's Female Athlete of the Week after posting two wins and one second place finish at the RIT Tiger Invitational on Saturday.
DeLude won the 60 meter dash and the 200 meter race. She posted an ECAC qualifying time of 8.03 in the 60 meter dash and she added an ECAC qualifying time of 26.77 in the women's 200 meter dash. She also qualified for ECAC's in the women's long jump after notching a leap of 5.32 meters.
She also recorded three victories in her second collegiate meet on Dec. 10 at St. Lawrence University. In the season opener at Cornell University she placed fourth in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.96 and fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 5.45 meters.
Senior hurdler Joe Pruckno (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) of the Utica College men's track and field team was named the Empire 8 Conference Track Athlete of the Week and the College's Male Athlete of the Week after posting a winning performance at the RIT Tiger Invitational on Saturday.
Pruckno, who was an All-American selection last Spring, won the men's 60 meter hurdles after finishing with an ECAC qualifying time of 8.31 on Saturday. He also won the prelims with a qualifying time of 8.50.
Pruckno, the program's first automatic All-American selection, began the season with a second place finish after posting a time of 8.41 in the 60 meter hurdles at the Cornell Relays on Dec. 4. At the St. Lawrence Holiday Relays he recorded a finishing time of 8.36 in the 60 meter hurdles, good enough for a first place finish.
Freshman Lauren Delude (Herkimer/Herkimer, NY) was named the Empire 8 Conference Track Athlete of the Week and the College's Female Athlete of the Week after posting two wins and one second place finish at the RIT Tiger Invitational on Saturday.
DeLude won the 60 meter dash and the 200 meter race. She posted an ECAC qualifying time of 8.03 in the 60 meter dash and she added an ECAC qualifying time of 26.77 in the women's 200 meter dash. She also qualified for ECAC's in the women's long jump after notching a leap of 5.32 meters.
She also recorded three victories in her second collegiate meet on Dec. 10 at St. Lawrence University. In the season opener at Cornell University she placed fourth in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.96 and fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 5.45 meters.
