Stonehill Records Fall at Joe Donahue Games


Junior Maria Curit set a school and meet record in the 400-meter dash tonight with a time of 56.85 seconds.

Curit sets school, meet records in the 400-meter dash

BOSTON, Mass. (January 24, 2014) – The Stonehill College women's track and field team returned to action tonight at the Joe Donahue Games, hosted by Northeastern University at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

Junior Maria Curit (Biddeford, Maine/Biddeford) was one of three Skyhawks to break school records at tonight's event, as she claimed the top spot and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.85 seconds, the 11th fastest time in the country to date. Curit's effort not only broke her own Stonehill mark of 57.15 seconds set at the New England Championships last February, but she also set a new meet record. The junior excelled in the 200-meter dash as well, as her fifth-place finish in 25.88 seconds tied the school record set by sophomore Jordan Gray (Warwick, R.I./Toll Gate) earlier this season.

Gray finished right behind Curit in the 200-meter dash, placing sixth in 26.11 seconds. The sophomore also registered a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter dash, earning a time of 57.83 seconds.

Senior Katie Polakowski (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) placed second overall in the 60-meter hurdles, setting a new school record of 9.03 seconds while also qualifying for the New England Championships in late February.

Rounding out Stonehill's record-setting performances tonight was senior captain Angelina Comei (Bradford, Mass./Haverhill), who placed eighth in the triple jump with a distance of 36 feet, 2.75 inches. Comei also finished seventh in the high jump after clearing five feet, one inch.

Junior Sarah Wilson (West Suffield, Conn./Suffield) and senior captain Elizabeth LaRegina (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) placed third and fifth, respectively, in the 800-meter run, and both qualified for the New England Championships as well. Wilson clocked in at 2:16.92, while LaRegina was less than a tenth of a second behind in 2:16.98.


Senior Angelina Comei also set a school record in the triple jump with a distance of 36 feet, 2.75 inches.

Stonehill's 4x400 meter relay team of sophomore Leanne Kent (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic), Gray, Polakowski, and Curit claimed the top spot tonight, finishing first among a field of Division I squads with a time of 3:57.71. Kent ran the opening leg in 62.1 seconds, followed by Gray with a split of 57.2 seconds, and Polakowski with a time of 60.1 seconds, before Curit ran the anchor leg in 58.1 seconds.

Stonehill also registered a third place finish in the distance medley relay, as the team of LaRegina, Wilson, junior Brianna Venturo (Taunton, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy), and senior captain Chelsea Bishop (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) clocked in at 12:16.55. LaRegina completed the opening 1200-meter leg in 3:42.9, Wilson followed that up by running the 400-meter leg in 61.7 seconds, Venturo finished the 800-meter portion in 2:22.3, and Bishop closed it out by running the mile leg in 5:08.6.

Venturo was Stonehill's top finisher in the 1-mile run, as she placed 15th overall with a time of 5:13.54, while freshman Alexandra Grimaldo (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) placed 30th in 5:20.07.

Senior captain Amanda Egesi (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) narrowly missed out on qualifying for the New England Championships in the 60-meter dash, as she finished in 7.98 seconds, placing sixth.

Stonehill will be back at the University of Rhode Island next weekend for the second time in three weeks, as the Skyhawks are set to compete in the URI Coaches Tribute Meet, hosted by Rhode Island at Mackal Fieldhouse.

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