Mahoney claims All-New England eighth-place finish in 10,000m run; Bernazzani improves own 100m hurdles mark

Kristen Mahoney ran a personal-best time in the 10,000m run.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (May 13, 2011) – Junior Kristen Mahoney (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) logged an eighth-place finish in the 10,000-meter run to lead Stonehill College, ranked second in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II East Regional index, as the Skyhawks opened competition at the New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Southern Connecticut State University on Friday.

Katie Bernazzani took nearly a second off her own 100m hurdles record.

Mahoney clocked in at a personal-best 38:16.17 to earn All-New England honors as the Skyhawks’ top finisher in Friday’s events. She cut eight seconds off her qualifying time at last month’s Tufts Snowflake Classic to pick up a point toward Stonehill’s team total. Sophomore Katie Bernazzani (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) also ran a career best in the 100m hurdles, finishing in 15.20 seconds to lower her own program record of 15.29 seconds, set just two weeks ago at Stonehill’s home Skyhawk Invitational. Bernazzani placed 17th overall in the preliminary heats to finish outside the qualifying spots for tomorrow’s final.

Senior Amanda Tripodi (Darien, Conn./Darien) was the Skyhawks’ top finisher in the 5000m run, leading four Stonehill runners in the event. Tripodi placed 16th overall in 18:26.15, and freshman Emily Regan (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) also finished in the top 20, placing 19th in 18:32.62.

Sophomore Caroline McBride (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) finished just behind her in 22nd with a time of 18:34.46, followed by sophomore Kristen Veit (Easthampton, Mass./Holyoke Catholic) in 18:39.36 for 24th place overall.

Freshman Katie Polakowski (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) also competed in the 400m hurdles in her first outdoor championship meet, having met the New England qualifying standard at last weekend’s Northeast-10 Conference Championships. Polakowski placed 26th overall in the preliminary heats in 1:08.96.

The championship meet concludes tomorrow at Southern Connecticut with events beginning at 10:00 a.m. The University of New Hampshire currently leads the women’s team standings with 38 points.