Feb. 19, 2008

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - For their performances at the Iowa State Classic last weekend, Navy men's track & field runner Andrew Hanko (Fr./Montville, N.J.) and Darryl Hunter (Sr./Des Moines, Iowa) have been recognized as the Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week and Field Athlete of the Week, respectively, it was announced by the league on Tuesday afternoon.

Hanko, a two-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week this winter, is the first freshman this year to earn track athlete-of-the-week honors. The product of Montville, N.J., had a tremendous weekend on the track, as he produced the fastest 3,000-meter time in school history by a freshman with a blistering 8:15.58 clocking. His time was more than five seconds faster than Navy's season-best time in the event and only 3.50 seconds off the first-place effort of Daniel Strackeljahn, who surpassed the qualifying standard for the USA Track & Field Championship in the 1,500-meter run last year. One day earlier, Hanko ran the anchor leg of Navy's distance medley relay group that won with a time of 9:52.73, 1.54 seconds ahead of second-place South Dakota's effort.

Hanko is the third Navy runner to earn the league's weekly recognition on the track. John Olsen (Sr./Staten Island, N.Y.) claimed the award on Jan. 8, before Paul Harris (Sr./Fairburn, Ga.) was distinguished on three-consecutive weeks from Jan. 15-29.

Hunter, the only multiple winner of the league's field athlete-of-the-week kudos, uncorked a throw of 55'9" (16.99 meters) in the shot put to place 10th at the Iowa State Classic. He has produced a distance beyond the IC4A standard in each of his six meets during his senior campaign. The Patriot League has recognized the product of Des Moines, Iowa, three times this year and four times during his indoor career.

The Midshipmen will begin the championship portion of their season this Friday through Sunday, when they head to the Patriot League Championship in Lewisburg, Pa. Navy was picked in the preseason to claim a share of the league title with Army, who it defeated in Annapolis earlier this month to capture the N-Star.