Fitchburg State Soars at DIII New England Championships
McClure, Harrison and 4x800m relay qualify for ECAC’s to pace women; Lary registers ECAC qualifying time to lead the men
WATERVILLE, Maine (May 05, 2013) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s outdoor track & field teams competed in the 2013 DIII New England Championships hosted by Colby College over the weekend. The women’s team received some solid performances as three of its members posted ECAC qualifying marks, while the men’s team also saw one member qualify for the ECAC’s as well.
For the men, senior Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) lead the way, posting an ECAC qualifying time of 9:39.14 in the 3000 meter steeplechase, placing ninth overall in the event, while senior thrower Zach Desrochers (Dracut, Mass./Greater Lowell) was also solid, notching a pair of top five efforts in the discus and hammer throw. The third year Falcon placed fifth overall in the discus with a throw of 46.85 meters before following that up with a third place effort in the hammer throw with toss of 53:99 meters.
Freshman Ben Bottrell (Malden, Mass) was strong in the high jump, finishing 13th overall with a mark of 1.83 meters, while senior Michael Grasela (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) rounded out the top men’s efforts in the 3000 meter steeplechase (26th) with a time of 10:08.33.
Sophomore Rebecca McClure (Lyndeborough, N.H./Lyndeborough-Wilton) paced the women, placing seventh in the pole vault with an ECAC qualifying height of 3.25 meters, surpassing her previous school record mark of 3.05 meters set a few weeks earlier. While classmate Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) was strong in the 800m (13th), posting a post-season time of 2:18.65 to qualify for the ECAC’s on May16th and 17th.
The women’s 4x800 meter relay team of Harrison, juniors Samantha Wilkinson (Wakefield, Mass./Wakefield) and Karollynn Wickless-Adams (Lansdale, Penn./North Penn) and sophomore Braila Roy (Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable) placed 12th overall with an ECAC qualifying time of 9:55.69, while sophomore Arthina Robert (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Voc Tech) (14th) put forth a solid time of 12.94 in the 100 meter dash.
On the track, senior Chenice Branquinho (East Freetown, Mass./Old Colony Regional) finished 18th overall in the 10K with a personal best time of 41:27.33, moving her into third place all-time in the Falcons record books to close out her career.
In the field, junior Brittany Chance (Foster, R.I./Ponaganset) notched an 11th place effort in the javelin with toss of 34.43 meters, while senior Megan Gonzalez (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) placed 16th in the discus with a throw of 34.28 meters to round the top Falcons performances.
Members of the Fitchburg State men’s and women’s outdoor track & field teams will be in action again next weekend as they compete at the 2013 All-New England Championships hosted by Stonehill College starting on Friday at 4 p.m.