TROY, N.Y. - Five Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes have been selected for weekly awards in track & field, the Liberty League has announced. RPI swept the three awards on the men’s side with Adedeji Akindele-Alo, Mike Cipollone and Alex LeBlanc earning Track, Field, and Rookie Performers of the Week, respectively. Marion Albert and Connor Ahlborn were tabbed as the women’s Track Performer and Rookie of the Week.
Akindele-Alo, a senior who hails from Bronx, N.Y., won the 55-meter hurdles in an NCAA Provisional time of 7.74 to lead RPI to victory at the 13-team Smith College Invitational. This is the second weekly honor for the Harry S. Truman High School graduate, who has a victory through three of four meets this season.
A native of Swan Point, Md., Cipollone helped Rensselaer to victory after capturing the high jump in a distance of 1.90 meters. He has now placed in the top-five in his event through each of the team’s four meets. Cipollone is a graduate of McDonough High School.
LeBlanc, a freshman out of Ashburnham, Mass., won the pole vault with a jump of 4.42 meters. The Oakmont Regional High School graduate has now posted three wins through four meets this season, including back-to-back victories to open the season.
On the women’s side, Albert, who hails from Norwich, Vt., picked up her third Track Performer of the Week honor after breaking the school and facility record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.36. The Hanover High School graduate also ran a 57.5 split time to help the 4x400 relay team to a win with a time of 4:03.78. Albert’s victories helped the women’s team win the 18-team Smith Invite with 154.50 points.
Ahlborn, a native of Falls Church, Va., won the weight throw with a distance of 14.59 meters. She also finished third in the shot put with a distance of 11.16 meters. This is the second Rookie of the Week for Ahlborn, who is a graduate of the Peddie School.
The indoor track teams return to action on Saturday when they travel to Canton, N.Y., to compete in the Liberty League Championships, hosted by St. Lawrence.
