Fortugno, Turner Named SCIAC Men's Track & Field Athletes of the Year
University of La Verne track & field standouts Marcus Fortugno and Paul Turner earned 2012 Southern California Intercollegiate Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors as announced by the league office on Tuesday. Fortugno was named SCIAC Men's Track Athlete of the Year while teammate Paul Turner was selected as SCIAC Men's Field Athlete of the Year in a vote among league coaches.
MARCUS FORTUGNO - SCIAC MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Fortugno won conference titles in the 200 and 400 meter dash events while also anchoring the winning 4 x 100 meter relay at the SCIAC Championships on April 28 to give him five individual SCIAC titles in his career. A senior from Glendora, Fortugno currently ranks No. 2 nationally in the 400 and No. 7 in the 200.
A three-time All-American, Fortugno set a SCIAC meet record, school record and personal best in the at the SCIAC Championships with a time of 21.31 in the 200 on April 28. His 47.39 clocking in the 400 at the conference meet was also a season best. For his efforts at the conference championships, he was named SCIAC Athlete of the Week on May 3.
Fortugno, who has earned the University of La Verne's Anthony P. Scafani Male Athlete of the Year award, additionally ran a personal best in the 100 meters in April with a time of 10.76 which stands .003 off the La Verne school record.
PAUL TURNER - SCIAC MEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
A junior from Indio, Turner dominated the horizontal jumps in the conference, going unbeaten in the SCIAC dual meets in both the long jump and triple jump events en route to winning both at the SCIAC Championships.
The highlight of Turner's season came on March 3 when he leaped a school record and national leading mark of 50-9 ½ in the triple jump. That distance ranks No. 13 in NCAA Division III history and No. 2 all-time in SCIAC history. He was named SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week on March 7.
In winning both the long jump and triple jump events at the conference championships, Turner now has a total of six SCIAC individual crowns for his career. The reigning national champion in the long jump, he posted a season best of 23-10 ½ in the long jump at the SCIAC Championships which tops the conference and ranks among No. 12 in Division III this season.
Led by Fortugno and Turner, the Leopard men's track & field team has been ranked as high as No. 7 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Top 25 Poll. The duo will next be competing at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held in Claremont May 24-26.
