NECC Track Team Completes Great First Season
In its inaugural year, The Northern Essex Community College track team hit the ground running producing a national champion and two All Americans in the process. Under the direction of head coach Dawn Caputo and assistant coach Christopher Allen, Freshman James Mwangi became the first student in NECC's history to become a national champion when he won the 400 meters at the 2006 NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track Championship in May. His time was 49.16 seconds. He was also named All American. The 20-year-old Weymouth High School graduate currently lives in Haverhill with his parents. A track stand-out in high school, he was unaware of the college's attempt to launch a track team until he saw a poster recruiting runners. Laura Rudd of Amesbury was also named All American and set a new NECC record when she ran 44:20:36 in the 10,000 meter. Also on the team were Crystal Burgess of Lowell; Shana Blaney of Salisbury; Joel Nunez of Haverhill; Steven Battle of Amesbury; Thomas Bennett of Methuen; and Joe Reardon of Chester, N.H. For more information on the track team or NECC sports, contact Sue MacAvoy, NECC Athletic Director at 978-556-3820 or smacavoy@necc.mass.eduWith campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence and extension sites in Andover and Methuen, Northern Essex Community College is a state-assisted college, offering over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of non credit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Close to 11,000 students ranging from recent high school graduates to workers employed locally attend classes days, evenings, and weekends. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts.