Stonehill Opens Season at UMass Boston Invitational


Senior captain Chelsea Bishop provisionally qualified for nationals today with her 17:44.28 first-place finish in the 5000-meter run.

Gray, Pierson set school records in 200-meter dash and shot put

Bishop provisionally qualifies for nationals in 5000-meter run

BOSTON, Mass. (December 7, 2013) – The Stonehill College women's track and field team opened its indoor season today at the UMass Boston Indoor Invitational, hosted by UMass Boston at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center.

Senior captain Chelsea Bishop (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) highlighted Stonehill's performance by provisionally qualifying for nationals in the 5000-meter run with her first-place finish in 17:44.28. Classmate Emily Regan (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) was just three seconds shy of accomplishing the same feat, as she placed second overall in 17:51.74.

Sophomore Jordan Gray (Warwick, R.I./Toll Gate) was one of two Skyhawks to set school records at today's event, as she placed first overall in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.88 seconds. Gray was one of three Skyhawks to finish in the top four of the event, with junior Maria Curit (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) following Gray in second place, clocking in at 26.24, and classmate Leanne Kent (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic) taking the fourth spot in 26.45.

Katie Polakowski (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) also registered a 13th place finish, as the senior finished the race in 27.12 seconds, and classmate Amanda Egesi (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) placed 20th overall in 27.42. Gray's record narrowly topped Angela Miller's 25.92 mark from the New England Championships on February 27, 2009.


Junior Maria Curit placed second overall in the 200-meter dash today with a time of 26.24.

In the 60-meter dash, Egesi placed fifth overall with a time of 8.02 seconds after an 8.08 second effort in the preliminary round.

Polakowski also placed first overall in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.25 seconds, followed by sophomore Jeana Esernio (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) in second place with a time of 9.40.

Sophomore Trisha Pierson (East Hanover, N.J./Hanover Park) set a school record in the shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 11.75 inches, breaking the previous record of 37 feet, 9.25 inches set by Krista Chauvin at the Harvard Open on December 11th, 2010. Pierson's effort was good for fourth place, while freshman Nicole Gilcoine (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) placed fifth with a throw of 36 feet, 11.75 inches.

Stonehill's 4x400 meter relay team of Gray, as well as classmates Kent, Esernio and junior Curit placed first overall, putting forth an impressive effort of 4:03.91. Gray completed the opening leg in 59.7 seconds, followed by Kent in 61.9, Esernio in 63.5, and Curit in 58.6.

Gray, Curit and Kent also excelled in the 400 meter dash, placing second, third, and sixth respectively. Gray clocked in at 57.95 seconds, followed by Curit in 58.06 and Kent with a time of 1.02.90.

Curit also posted a second place finish in the long jump, finishing second overall as she cleared 17 feet, .5 inches. Comei placed seventh, as she cleared 16 feet, .5 inches, and freshman Amy Lamontagne placed tenth, clearing 15 feet, 5 inches.

Three Skyhawks also finished in the top five in the 1000-meter run, led by senior Melissa Ulcena (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) in second place with a time of 3:11.64. Ulcena was followed by sophomore Molly Hellman (Rumson, N.J./Rumson-Fairhaven Regional) in fourth with a time of 3:15.98, and freshman Nicole Ambrosecchio (Stamford, Conn./Westhill), who placed fifth in 3:19.14.


Gray

Junior Emily Anderson (Machester, Conn./Manchester) placed second overall in the 3000 meter run, followed by classmate Brianna Venturo (Taunton, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy), and freshman Alexandra Grimaldo (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough). Anderson clocked in at 10:35.32, while Venturo and Grimaldo finished in 10:41.31 and 11:00.08, respectively.

Junior Sarah Wilson (West Suffield, Conn./West Suffield) took the top spot in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:19.51, besting the second place finisher by more than ten seconds.

Freshman Margaret Lepley (Lynn, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) was Stonehill's top finisher in the weight throw, with a toss of 40 feet, 2 inches, followed by sophomore Jenn Tenczar (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee), whose throw reached 38 feet, 6.75 inches. Gilcoine placed 17th in the event with a distance of 32 feet, 3.75 inches.

Sophomore Stephanie Fitzgerald (Coventry, R.I./Coventry) was Stonehill's top finisher in the triple jump, placing sixth and clearing 33 feet, 8.75 inches. Lamontagne placed ninth with a distance of 32 feet, 9.75 inches.

Following today's meet, Stonehill is off for over a month before it returns to action on January 18th at the URI Sorlien Invitational, hosted by the University of Rhode Island at the Mackal Fieldhouse in Kingston, Rhode Island.

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