The College of New Jersey swept both the 2004 Women's and Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships at the 168th Street Armory on February 22. TCNJ has swept every indoor championship since the conference began conducting the meet in 1998.

The Lions totaled 209 points on the men side as they captured eight of the 18 events contested. Rowan was second with 86 points followed by Montclair State (57 points), Kean (46 points) and New Jersey City (44 points), Richard Stockton (40 points), William Paterson (38 points) and Ramapo (25 points). On the women’s side, TCNJ, which took first-place honors in 10 events, more than doubled second-place finisher New Jersey City (260 points—95 points), with Richard Stockton (79), Kean (26), Rowan (22), William Paterson (19), Montclair State (17) and Ramapo (6) rounding out the team scoring.

Kean junior Mario Santivanez and New Jersey City University senior Diana Lawson were named the Gerrity Award winners as the Most Outstanding Male and Female Athletes, respectively. Santivanez easily won the 5,000 meters a he posted a time of 15:18.74, over 47 seconds ahead of the next finisher. Santivanez also placed second in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:50.12. Meanwhile, Lawson, a former NCAA Division III national champion, added to her already long list of achievements. She broke both of her NJAC Championship records as she won the 55 Meters (7.13) and 200 meters (24.77) while also helping the Gothic Knights’ 4x200 relay team to victory with a new meet record time of 1:41.04.

Richard Stockton senior Kim Marino was selected as the Outstanding Female Field Athlete with Male honors going to Chris Tranchina from The College of New Jersey. Marino, the reigning NCAA Division III indoor champion in the pole vault, surpassed her own NJAC mark in the event as she recorded a height of 4.09 meters (13-feet, 5-inches) breaking the mark of 3.97 meters she set last year. Tranchina won the 35-pound weight throw with a toss of 14.45 meters and finished second in the shot put.

Outstanding Track Athletes of the Year went to Montclair State senior Ed Hamilton and TCNJ senior Beth Vesey. Hamilton won the 400 meters with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 49.17 and helped the Red Hawks’ 4x400 relay team to a first-place showing with a time of 3:20.49, almost eight seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Vesey set a new NJAC meet record as she won the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:41.49, which broke former teammate Claire McGuire’s mark of 4:41.74 set in 2001.

All totaled eight new meet records were established — all on the women’s side. In addition to efforts by Lawson, Vesey, Marino and the NJCU relay squad, Montclair State sophomore Hashan Johnson broke her own record in winning the long jump (5.51 meters/18-feet, 1-inch) while Jessica Caccamo of Richard Stockton set a new standard in the weight throw (13.79 meters), which was conducted on February 20.

New Jersey City University head coach Mark Griffin was selected as the NJAC Women’s Coach of the Year after leading his Gothic Knight squad to the second place team finish with five event winners. Montclair State University head coach Gerald "Bennie" Benson, who passed away on Friday from a heart attack at the age of 36, was posthumously named the men’s Coach of the Year as his Red Hawk team took three first-place honors.