Men's Track & Field | 5/25/2010 2:17:33 PM

ROCHESTER, NY - Junior pole vaulter Michael Dempsey of the RIT men's track and field team was named the Empire 8 Conference and United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. 

Dempsey will compete at the 2010 NCAA Championships in the pole vault at Baldwin Wallace College on Thursday, May 27 at 5 p.m.  He has the third best leap in the nation during the outdoor season, at 5.10 meters, set at the ECAC Championships on May 13.  Dempsey holds the RIT indoor and outdoor records in the pole vault.  He has not lost a meet during the outdoor season, including a victory in the prestigious Penn Relays on April 23.

Dempsey also finished second and earned All-American honors at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships in March.