Washington Heights, NY

"I was able to focus and put everything together today,” claimed Baldwin, a 5'11 product of Trenton Central High School, who was named Women's Most Valuable Athlete of the meet. "My coaches helped me relax and gave me a chance to take it event-by-event. It's a tremendous feeling to break four records in my last indoor championship.”

Most remarkably, Baldwin broke the women's long jump record (held by CCNY All-American Robyn McCarthy from 1998 at 5.64m) by nearly 0.79 meters, coming in at a current National Division III high of 6.23m. Of course, she also won the 55-meter hurdles for the fourth straight season at 8.02, while adding the 55 dash title in 7.16. But Baldwin was the most proud to win the 4x400 meter relay in a record 3.52.41.

Actually, CUNYAC records were set in 12 of the 13 women's events. Lehman sophomore Alecia Watson (Bronx, NY) set a new mark in the triple jump (11.84m) and teammate Michelle Barnwell (Brooklyn, NY) won the 400 meters in 56.25 seconds. Baldwin, Watson, Barnwell and freshman Livangah Pitts (Bronx, NY) later teamed for the record breaking 1,600 meter relay, overshadowing a wonderful performance from York (Kenya Benjamin, Tolulope Ojo, Shakima Thomas and Daphine Wilson) coming in at 3:54.80. Both relays qualified automatically for the NCAA Championships. The other records setters were Benjamin (Richmond Hill, NY) in the 1,500 meters in 4:58.82, Medgar Evers' Amanda David (Brooklyn, NY) with a hurl of 11.65 meters in the shot put and the Lightning's Martinia Heath (Bronx, NY), who set the bar in the high jump at 1.65 meters.

"The team exceeded my expectations today,” said Lehman head coach Lesleigh Hogg upon winning the school's fourth consecutive CUNYAC women's indoor title. "I thought that we would score 30 less points. If we can perform at that level next week at the ECAC's, then we give the school a legitimate shot at doing damage with six NCAA individual qualifiers in nine events.”

Lehman's six potential NCAA participants and York's relay give the league ten women packing their bags for DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana on March 14-15.

The men's team championship was a closer competition, with Hunter earning the school's first championship in four years, after winning the first four CUNY titles from 1996-99, with 118 points. York (85 points) finished atop a three-way race for second place, beating Medgar Evers (72) and CCNY (68). The Hawks scored 25 points alone in the 5,000 meter run with freshman Omri Holzman (Tel-Aviv, Israel) netting ten points for the win in 17:12.45. Hunter freshman Chris LeGuillow-Hawkins won two events in his first CUNY's, the 55m hurdles (8.35) and the triple jump (13.09m).

"We have a very young, yet very balanced team,” said legendary Hunter head coach Ed Zarowin. "To be honest, it was disappointing for about six weeks, from the end of finals to the beginning of classes in February with the bulk of the team not being around, so it is a very nice ending.”

York freshman Michael Brown (Brooklyn, NY) won the 800 meters in 2:00.17 and took the silver medal in the 400m (49.97) to lead the Cardinals, while Medgar Evers' junior Michael Coddett (Brooklyn, NY) was named Most Valuable Athlete on the men's side after being the only man to win two events and score points in four on the day.

Coddett, a native of Guyana, won the shot put (11.79m) and the weight throw (10.16m). The junior field specialist also took third in the triple jump and fifth in the high jump for the Cougars.

Complete Women's Team Scoring: Lehman 195, York 116, Medgar Evers 45; Brooklyn, CCNY, Hunter, Bronx, Kingsborough, Queensborough - no team scores.