4x800m squad clocks best time of season for ninth-place finish

Christen Carrier ran a pair of 800m events for the Skyhawks on Saturday.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (May 14, 2011) – Stonehill College, ranked second in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II East Regional index, contested three events Saturday to conclude the New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Southern Connecticut State University.

Stonehill finished in a tie for 30th place in the team standings, with the women’s team championship claimed by the University of New Hampshire.

The Skyhawks logged their fastest time of the season in the 4x800m relay, placing ninth overall to finish just outside the scoring positions in the event. Junior Jill Alves (Whitman, Mass./Whitman-Hanson), senior Lindsey Booth (Franklin, Mass./Franklin), freshman Sarah Biggers (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Lakeland), and junior Christen Carrier (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) combined for a time of 9:32.17 to finish second among Division II entries in the event.

Carrier also competed in the individual 800m race, running a strong 2:16.31 for a 20th-place finish.

Junior Maura Ferrarini (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) placed 13th overall as the top DII finisher in the 3000m steeplechase. Ferrarini logged a career-best time of 11:22.11, cutting more than eight seconds off her qualifying time at last month’s George Davis Invitational.

Junior Kristen Mahoney (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) placed eighth overall in the 10,000-meter run to lead the Skyhawks on their first day of competition Friday, turning in a personal-best 38:16.17 to earn All-New England recognition. 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.

The official field for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be announced on Tuesday. This year’s championship meet will be hosted at California State University, Stanislaus, from May 26-28.