Vetere and Batiste Win Track and Field Weekly Awards

Duo honored after Navy Five-Team Meet on Saturday.


Austin Batiste


Jan. 15, 2013




CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Sophomore pole vaulter Mark Vetere and freshman sprinter Austin Batiste (Long Beach, CA/Valley Christian) have received Patriot League Track and Field weekly honors. Vetere was named the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week and Batiste is the Patriot League Rookie of the Week. The awards are sponsored by M-F Athletic.

The duo helped Navy take first place at the Navy Five-Team Meet on Saturday at the Wesley A. Brown Field House. Navy bested VCU, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Mount St. Mary's and American.

Vetere won the pole vault with an indoor personal best height of 16-4¾ (5.00m). Vetere won the pole vault for the second time this season and he has surpassed the IC4A Championship qualifying height in all three of his competitions.

Vetere's height of 16-4¾ ranks No. 1 on the Patriot League performance list this season and is tied for seventh place on the Coach Stephen Cooksey era performance list at Navy (1989-Present).

Vetere won the pole vault at the indoor and outdoor league championships last year, earning league rookie of the meet honors at each competition. This is Vetere's first weekly award from the Patriot League.

Batiste was a double winner at the Navy Five-Team meet, taking first place in the 200m (21.91) and the 400m (48.99). The race victories were the first two in Batisite's young career and he qualified for the IC4A Championship with his times in both events.

Batiste is ranked No. 1 in the Patriot League in both the 200m and the 400m this season and his times in the two events rank fourth (200m) and ninth (400m) on the Cooksey era performance lists.

Batiste, along with pole vaulter Jaie Maness and Jeremy Granderson (jumps), is the third Navy plebe to earn rookie of the week honors from the conference this season.







Navy will host Temple, Delaware State and McDaniel on Saturday at 11:00 AM in a four-team meet at the Wesley A. Brown Field House.