NEC Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship Tournament Central

EASTON, Mass. (February 17, 2023) - The Men's and Women's Track and Field teams will be competing in the Northeast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship this weekend, February 19-20 at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island, New York

This will be the Skyhawks first time competing in the NEC Championship, and one of the first Stonehill athletics teams to do so. Previously, the Skyhawks were a part of the NE-10 Conference, where the women's team placed fourth place with 73 points. 

Stonehill will have a majority of their runners competing in distance events, including the 4000m and 500m race, with a mix of hurdlers and field events, the women look to have athletes competing in each event at the meet.

"It should be a good meet for us, first year in the NEC so still kind of feeling out the process there," said Stonehill Track and Field Heach Coach, Michael Delgado. "We have some familiarity with a lot of the teams, we've got a few teams in the region, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut, and Merrimack who we see fairly regularly at New England Championships and, and other meets in New England. But the rest of it is kind of an unknown. We can see what the teams look like on paper, but this'll be for the first time seeing most of those other teams at the championship."

In the distance category, the team has a solid roster competing for the Skyhawks: 

Senior Victoria Lombardi will be competing in two distance events in the meet. Having made a mark in her cross country career, she will be competing in the 3000m race, previously having her best time of 10:36.34 at the University of Massachusetts Flagship Indoor Invitational, having the 12^th best time in the conference. She will also be competing in the 5000m race, earning her best time at the Riverhawk Invitational in 18:09.44, having the fifth-best time in the conference. 

Senior Elizabeth Marshall has competed on the championship stage many times before. She will be competing in a handful of distance races, including the 800m race, having her best time of 2:23.99 earned at the URI Coaches Invitational, having the 14th-best time in the conference. She will also be competing in two relay events, the 4000m distance medley relay in leg two, and the 4x400m relay in leg six. 

Senior Jillian Callahan is a veteran of the championship stage and will be competing as a part of the distance squad. She will be running in the 5000m race, having her best time at the NEICAAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, crossing the finish line in 19:19.01, and having the 16th-best time in the conference. 

Senior Rebecca Erhard will be competing for the distance squad during her last championship meet. She will be running in the 5000m race, previously having her best time at the Riverhawk Invitational, crossing the finish line in 18:14.88, having the sixth-best time in the conference. 

Sophomore Emma Lawrence will be competing in various distance events for the team. Having shined in her cross country career, she will first be competing in the 800m race, having hit her best time at the Riverhawk Invitational in 2:20.88, having the seventh-best time in the conference. She will also be racing in the 4000m distance medley relay in the third leg, and the 4x400m relay in the eighth leg. 

For the distance squad, the team has two freshmen competing:

Freshman Jordan Malloy, who had just won NEC Rookie of the Week, has made her mark on the program so far, showing she is an asset to the teams she competes on. Malloy will be competing in the One Mile run, she has clocked in at 5:07.82 at the NEICAAA Indoor Track & Field Championship, having the sixth-best time in the conference. In the 3000m race, her best time was achieved at the Riverhawk Invitational, where she finished at 10:22.42, having the fifth-best time in the conference. Lastly, Malloy will run in the 4000m Distance Medley Race. 

Freshman distance runner Emily Young will be competing in one of her first championships meets. She will be racing in the 3000m distance run, clocking in her best time of 10:25.30 at the Riverhawk Invitational, having the 12th-best time in the conference. She will also be running in the fourth leg of the 4000m distance medley relay.

In the short-distance category, the Skyhawks have a few athletes competing:

Junior Kaytlin Encarnacao has shined throughout the season. She will be competing in the 500m race, grabbing her best time at the URI Coaches Invitational, with a time of 1:18.18, having the third-best time in the conference. She will also be running in leg two of the 4x400m relay. 

Junior Caroline Surrette will be competing in two races at the championship meet. First, she will be running in the 500m race, clocking her best time of 1:22.37 at the URI Coaches Invitational, having the 13th-best time in the conference. She will also be competing in leg five of the 4000m distance medley relay. 

Senior Jenna French will be competing in various events for the Skyhawks. First, she will be running in the 500m race, hitting her best time of 1:21.46 at the URI Coaches Invitational, having the 12th-best time in the conference. Next, she will be competing in the 4x400m relay, racing in the fifth leg. And lastly, she will be running in the 4000m distance medley relay in the sixth leg. 

Sophomore Madison Rousseau has competed in various short-distance races and has made strides during this season. First, she will run in the 200m race, having her best of 26.07 earned at the URI Coaches Invitational, having the 13th-best time in the conference. Next, the sophomore will be racing in the 60m hurdles event, also earning her best time of 9.04 at the URI Coaches Invitational, having the third-best time in the conference. She will also be running in the sixth leg of the 4x400m.

Junior Cassidy Becker will be competing in a handful of events at the championship meet. She will be competing first in the 60m hurdles, where she has previously received a time of 9.59 at the URI Coaches Invitational, having the 14th-best time in the conference. She will also be running in the seventh leg of the 4x400m relay. Becker will also be competing in the high jump field event, where she has snagged a height of 1.50m at the URI invitational as well, having the 14th-best distance in the conference.

The Skyhawks have two short distance first timers competing in a collegiate championship event:

Freshman Aneka Andrews will be stepping up to the starting line, where she will be competing in two events. The freshman will be competing in the 60m hurdles, where she has received her best time at the Suffolk Relays with a time of 9.78, having the 18^th best time in the conference. She will also be competing in the first leg of the 4x400m relay as well. 

Newcomer freshman Grace Tyrrell will also be running in the 500m race as well, having her best time of 1:22.03 at the Riverhawk Invitational, having the 14th-best time in the conference. Tyrrell will also be competing in the 4x400m relay in the fourth leg.

In the field events category, the team has multiple Skyhawks competing. 

Having one Skyhawk competing in the pole vault event, Senior Haley Lightbody looks to continue to make her mark at the championship meet. Competing in a single field event, Lightbody will be competing in the pole vault event, where she has hit her best height of 3.21m at the URI invitational, having the 10th-best height in the conference.

In the throwing events, the Skyhawks have a couple of athletes competing:

Senior thrower Kaley Enright will be looking to throw far at the championship meet. Previously, she hit her best distance of 11.46m at the URI Invitational, having the fifth-best distance in the conference.

Sophomore Madison Gunderway will be competing in a single field event at the meet. The thrower will be competing in the weighted throw event, where she has previously thrown her best distance of 13.60m at the URI Coaches Invitational, having the seventh-best distance in the conference.

The Skyhawks have two freshman throwers competing in the meet:

New to the championship stage, Freshman Kaia Eder, will be competing in two field events. First, she will be competing in the long jump event, previously hitting her best distance at the Suffolk Relays with a distance of 5.19m, having the 12th-best distance in the conference. She will also be competing in the triple jump event, hitting her best distance of 10.90m at the NEICAAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, having the 13th-best distance in the conference.

Freshman Darla Jagrosse will be throwing for the Skyhawks in a field event. Jagrosse will be competing in the shot put event, having her best distance of 11.76m at the Suffolk Relay meet, having the third-best distance in the conference.

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