Fitchburg State Battles Over The Weekend
Desrochers finishes first with 18.23m toss; Wilkinson paces women with first place finish in the 600m
BOSTON, Mass. (January 26, 2013) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams were in action this weekend as they competed at both the 2013 Terrier Invitational hosted by Boston University and the 2013 Coed Invite hosted by MIT.
At MIT, senior Zach Desrochers (Dracut, Mass./Greater Lowell) paced the men with a first place finish in the 35 pound weight throw with a toss of 18.19m, which is now ranked seventh in nation in division three, while adding a fifth place performance (12.28m) in the shot put. Freshman Akhiel Willis (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxborough) notched a post season qualifying time of 12.33m in the triple jump, while also running a strong 60m dash (7.58). Classmate Pat Conaty (Southington, Conn./Southington) also put forth a solid effort in both the 60m (7.33) and the pole vault (4.15m).
On the track, freshman Tim Allen (Methuen, Mass./Central Catholic) placed third in the mile with a time of 4:57.10, while classmate Jeff Kavasch (Seabrook, N.H./Beverly) finished fifth (5:09.08) in the same event. Freshman Sam Carroll (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) ran a MASCAC qualifying 2:58.62 in the 1000m, while sophomore Ethan Gorecki (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) also qualified for the post season in the 800 with a time of 2:08.90. Sophomore Maximin Rocheleau (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) posted a 4th place finish in the in the 400m (54.43) to qualify for the MASCAC’s, while senior Josh Kaddy (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) and freshman Brandon Brideau (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) rounded out the top track performers, finishing 4th and 6th respectively in the 600m with time of 1:30.25 and 1:33.97.
In the field, Ben Bottrell posted a pair of posted season marks in the long jump (6.06m) and in the high jump (1.83m). At Boston University, four members from the men’s squad posted MASCAC qualifying times as sophomore Jim Quinlan (N. Andover, Mass./N. Andover) notched a time of 4:32.7 in the mile, while Brandon Davis (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) ran a 2:00.65 in the 800m. Senior Mike Grasela (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) posted a time of 16:17.7 in the 5000m, while classmate Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) turned in a time of 9:11.1 in the 3000m.
On the women’s side, junior Samantha Wilkinson (Wakefield, Mass./Wakefield) turned in a first place effort in the 600m with a D3 NE qualifying time of 1:44.58, while sophomore Rebecca McClure (Lyndeborough, N.H./Wilton-Lyndeborough) continued her strong pole vaulting, with a post season vault of 3.05m, setting a new school record in the process.
Junior Alyson Moreau (Barrington, R.I./Barrington) finishing second overall in the 400m (68.28), while sophomore Arthina Robert (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Voc Tech) added a third place finish in the 200m with a time of 28.82.Senior Megan Gonzalez (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) was the top field performer, placing eighth in the shot put, with a toss of 10.87m.
Sophomore Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) added a strong third place showing in the 800m (2:35.37), while freshman Erica Mallozzi (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) (5th) ran a11:50.90 in the 3000m. The women’s 4x400m relay team of Wilkinson, Harrison, Moreau and McClure rounded out the top Falcon performers for the women with a time of 4:28.08.
The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams return to action next Saturday as they travel to Tufts University for a meet starting at 11 a.m.