Skyhawks post six first-place finishes and a program record to kick off outdoor schedule

Christen Carrier captured first-place finishes in two events.

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (March 27, 2011) – Stonehill College opened the outdoor schedule with a strong performance at the BSU Bears Track & Field Invitational on Saturday at Bridgewater State University.

The Skyhawks claimed victories in six events, collected 22 top-five finishes, and saw a program record fall in the first meet of the season as freshman Meaghan Olin (Goshen, N.Y./Goshen) set a new mark in the pole vault.

Olin cleared nine feet to capture the first individual victory of her rookie season, toppling the previous Stonehill mark of eight feet set by teammate Emily Cure at last spring’s Holy Cross Invitational, and now owns both the indoor and outdoor program records after posting a leap of nine feet, 5.75 inches at the Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Championships in February. Joining her with a field victory Saturday was junior Vlada Shelkova (Newington, Conn./Newington), who turned in a distance of 16 feet, three inches to take first place in the long jump.

Junior Christen Carrier (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) was a double winner for the Skyhawks on the track, including an individual first-place finish in the 800m run in 2:28.47 as Stonehill claimed the top four spots. Freshmen Elizabeth LaRegina (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) and Sarah Biggers (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Lakeland) finished within a half-second of each other to take second and third, senior Lindsey Booth (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) placed fourth, and freshman Melissa Ulcena (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) took sixth.

Katie Bernazzani led three Skyhawk finishers with a victory in the 100m hurdles.

Carrier, LaRegina, senior Danielle Wheeler (Carmel, N.Y./Carmel), and junior Susan O’Connell (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) combined to win the 4x400m relay in 4:22.53, edging the host Bridgewater State squad by less than a second. Junior Jill Alves (Whitman, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) also battled for a victory in the 1500m event, running a 4:53.41 to win by 0.14 seconds, while junior Maura Ferrarini (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) and sophomore Kristen Veit (Easthampton, Mass./Holyoke Catholic) also posted high finishes in third and fourth place.

Sophomore Katie Bernazzani (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) led three Skyhawks in the 100m hurdles, winning the event in 15.75 seconds ahead of sophomore Sarah Burke (South Yarmouth, Mass/Dennis-Yarmouth), who placed second in 16.06 seconds, and freshman Katie Polakowski (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex), finishing fourth in 16.85 seconds. Polakowski and Burke also turned in top-five finishes in the 400m hurdles, Polakowski second in 1:09.17 and Burke fourth in 1:14.94.

Freshman Krista Chauvin (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) claimed three top-five finishes in throwing events in her first outdoor meet, finishing second in the discus (116’3”) and the javelin (124’1”) and fourth in the hammer (106’1”). Sophomore Olivia Dyson (Reading, Mass./Reading) finished third in the javelin at 122 feet, seven inches.

Stonehill returns to action on Saturday when the Skyhawks compete at the Bryant University Invitational beginning at 10 a.m.