Sophomore runs to 10,000m victory to claim first conference title

Caroline McBride's first NE-10 title highlighted Stonehill on Friday afternoon.

LOWELL, Mass. (May 6, 2011) – Sophomore Caroline McBride (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) won the 10,000m title to lead Stonehill College as the Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships got underway this afternoon at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

McBride’s winning time of 39:35.72 brought her across the line 30 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, as she earned her first conference championship with a convincing victory as the top-seeded runner in the event. She turns in her second All-Conference performance of the season, after taking second place in the 5000m run at February’s indoor championship meet. McBride has previously met the qualifying standard for both events at the New England Outdoor Championships next weekend.

Sophomore Olivia Dyson (Reading, Mass./Reading) opened the meet for the Skyhawks with a third-place finish in the javelin, throwing a season-best distance of 127 feet, eight inches as the defending NE-10 champion. Freshman Krista Chauvin (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) followed in sixth place with a throw of 114 feet, 10 inches, and junior Erica Insel (Clinton, N.J./Voorhees), who won the NE-10 javelin title two seasons ago, rounded out the top ten at 101 feet, three inches. Chauvin also placed sixth in the discus throw with a mark of 113 feet, four inches.

Also in the field on Friday, junior Vlada Shelkova (Newington, Conn./Newington) and freshman Angelina Comei (Bradford, Mass./Haverhill) represented Stonehill in the long jump finals. Shelkova placed eighth overall with a distance of 16 feet, 2.5 inches, and Comei finished 12th at 14 feet, 9.75 inches.

Sophomore Katie Bernazzani (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) qualified for tomorrow’s 100m hurdles final with a time of 15.85 seconds in her preliminary heat. She will compete in the championship heat Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

Stonehill, ranked second in this week’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II East Regional index, will begin day two of the championship meet tomorrow morning with the field events at 11:30 a.m.