Fitchburg State Opens At Bridgewater State

Conaty paces men with DIII NE qualifying mark in pole vault; McClure places first overall with DIII NE qualifier in the pole vault to lead women

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (March 22, 2014) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s outdoor track & field teams were in action this afternoon as they opened the 2014 season at the BSU Bears Invite this afternoon.

For the men, senior Pat Conaty (Southington (Conn.) paved the way, placing second overall in the pole vault with a DIII NE qualifying height of 4.00 meters, while freshman Nick Levenson (Halifax, Mass.) was also strong, posting a pair of post-season qualifying marks in both the 400m hurdles (1:01.50) and the high jump (1.75m).

Sophomore Kyle Higgins (Lunenburg, Mass.) and junior Max Rocheleau (Winchendon, Mass.) both registered MASCAC qualifying vaults of 2.90m and 2.55m in the pole vault, while senior David Farland (Burlington, Mass.) added a post season mark of 1.75 meters with a fifth place effort in the high jump.

In the 5000m, freshman Matt Cuomo (Carlisle, Mass.) and sophomore Tim Allen (Methuen, Mass.) turned in post-season times of 16:47.74 and 17:29.16, while Rocheleau notched his second MASCAC qualifier on the afternoon in the long jump (5.52m). Freshman Brandon Hannon (Pelham, N.H.) was solid in the 1500m, turning in a time of 4:22.71 to qualify for MASCAC's.

Senior Thomas Mason (Baldwinville, Mass.) posted a post-season qualifying toss of 12.06 meters in the shot put, while junior David Oster (Port Monomouth, N.J.) also collected MASCAC qualifying throw of 11.80 meters in the event. Senor Tim Rymer (Littleton, Mass.) rounded out the top Falcon performers on the men’s side, placing 12th overall in the discus with a post-season qualifying toss of 31.93 meters.

On the women’s side, junior Rebecca McClure (Lyndeborogh, N.H.) earned top honors in the pole vault with a DIII New England qualifying height of 3.05 meters, while senior Sam Wilkinson (Wakefield, Mass.) registered a seventh place finish in the 800 meter with a MASCAC qualifying time of 2:35.48.

Junior Arthina Robert (Lynn, Mass.) put forth a solid time of 14.00 seconds in the 100 meter to qualify for MASCAC’s, while junior Sarah Elliot (E. Meadow, N.Y.) and freshman Morgan Steele (Somerset, Mass.) posted MASCAC qualifying throws of 9.60m and 9.12m respectively in the shot put.

On the track, freshman Stephanie Stearns (Mystic, Conn.), junior Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D.), and newcomer Kelly McCarthy (Assonet, Mass.) all notched post-season qualifying times in the 1500 meter with times of 5:38.21, 5:38.86 and 5:44.03, while in the 10K sophomores Elizabeth Ward (Ashby, Mass.) (PR) and Jessica Mangan (Everett, Mass.) both added MASCAC qualifying times of 43:40.74 and 48:06.86 respectively.

The women’s 4x100 meter relay team of Robert, junior Gina Angelini (Fitchburg, Mass.) and sophomores Shaunna Lizek (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Angelica Picucci (Leominster, Mass.) turned in a MASCAC qualifying time of 59:07, while the 4x400m relay team of Harrison, Stearns, McCarthy and Wilkinson were also solid, posting a post-season qualifying time of 4:36.78.

In the field, Elliot registered a MASCAC qualifying toss of 31.79 meters in the discus, while Steele put forth a personal best toss of 31.75m to qualify for MASCAC’s in the hammer throw. Freshman Emilee Felton (Millers Falls, Mass.) notched a post-season throw of 28.15 meters in the javelin, while junior Morgan Cefalu (Hudson, Mass.) (javelin) rounded out the top performances for the women, with a MASCAC qualifying throw of 21.18m, setting a new PR in the process.

The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s outdoor track & field teams return to action on Saturday as they visit Tufts University for a meet starting at 11 a.m.