SOMERSET, N.J. (Dec. 5, 2012) – The Northeast Conference released its weekly award winners with Saint Francis U picking up two laurels for the first week of competition.
 
Maura Jones (Frostburg, Md./Mountain Ridge) was named the NEC women's track athlete of the week, while Ryan Steinbugl (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) was chosen as the NEC men's rookie of the week.
 
Jones opened the 2012-13 indoor campaign in mid-season form. The senior sprinter raced to an easy victory in the 500-meter dash at the 12th annual Bucknell Bison Opener. Jones clocked in at 1:17.01, which is 0.02 off of the time she produced to take third place in the 2012 NEC Indoor final. Flying around the track at Bucknell, Jones did not let another competitor finish within one full second of her.
 
Jones was also on the SFU relay team that won the 400-meter race with a time of 4:01.11 at Bucknell.
 
Steinbugl's first career collegiate performance was of championship caliber. The rookie pole-vaulter cleared 4.50 m (14' 9”) to finish third amongst collegiate entrants at the 12th annual Bucknell Bison Opener. The Red Flash rookie is only one of 25 NCAA Division I vaulters to have cleared that height thus far this season. Had he been around to pole vault 4.50m at the 2012 NEC Outdoor Championships, he would have finished in a first-place tie with conference champion Tom FitzSimons.
 
SFU returns to action on Jan. 5 at the Penn State Relays.