Fitchburg State Takes On Alliance/MASCAC Championships

Men finish fourth overall with 58 points; women place fourth with 94 points

WESTFIELD, Mass. (April 28, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the 2012 Alliance/MASCAC Championships this afternoon as both teams brought home a fourth place finishes with 58 points for the men and 94 points for the women.

On the ladies side, junior Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) competed in five events for the Falcons, finishing among the top eight in all events. Lane’s best finish of the day came in the high-jump where she took home a MASCAC crown (1.58), while she also notched a third place finish in the 100m hurdles (16.02) and fourth plade effort in the 400m hurdles (65.85). Lane capped the day, placing sixth in the pole vault (2.75m) and seventh in the long-jump (4.87m).

Junior Megan Gonzalez (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) also fared well in three events on the afternoon, turning in three, top-eight honors. Gonzalez placed third in the discus (33.45m), while finishing fifth in the shot-put (10.08m) and eighth in the hammer throw (35.05m).

Other notable efforts came from senior Katrina Marrone (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central), who finished second overall in the 3000m steeple chase with a new school record (12:27.10), and freshman Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington), who placed second in the 800m run with a time of 2:22.09.

On the track, senior Chenice Branquinho (E. Freetown, Mass./Old Colony Regional) and Bralia Roy (Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable) ran well, placing fourth in the 10000m run (42:36.77) and sixth in the 1500m run (5:15.83) respectively, while sophomore Samantha Wilkinson (Wakefield, Mass./Wakefield) placed seventh in the 400m with a  time of 61.99.

In the field, senior Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Monty Tech) competed in both the long jump (4.98m) and triple jump (10.50m), finishing fourth and third respectively, while Brittany Chace (Foster, R.I./Ponagansett) and Haley Snow (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) placed third (35.35m) and eighth (25.82m) in the javelin. Freshman Rebecca McClure (Lyndeborough, N.H./Wilton-Lyndeborough) wrapped up the day for the ladies with a fourth place effort in the pole vault (2.90m).

For the men, senior Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) collected one of the two Falcon Alliance Championships, placing first among both Little East and MASCAC schools in the 10000m run with a new meet record of of 31.20.89. Kibler also competed in the 5000m run, placing third in the MASCAC with a time of 15:46.38.

Sophomore Zach Desrochers (Dracut, Mass./Greater Lowell Tech) also earned an Alliance Championship in the weight throw, posting an All-New England mark of 53.36m to claim top honors. Desrochers also fared well in the discus with a third place effort of 43.33m.

On the track, junior Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) turned in a third place MASCAC effort in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:02.83, while freshmen Brandon Davis (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) and Maximin Rocheleau (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) placed seventh in both the 1500m (4:13.20) and 400m runs (52.79). Sophomore Joseph Hollenbeck (Ashby, Mass./North Middlesex) wrapped up the top track finishers for the Falcons with a fifth place showing in the 400m hurdles (58.22).

In the field, sophomore Pat Conaty (Southington, Conn./Southington) placed third in the pole vault with a height of 3.75m, while junior Michael Lima (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) placed sixth in the hammer throw with a distance of 42.03m. Freshman Andrea Neita (Hyde Park, Mass./Tech Boston) and Mark Wesgan (Lunenburg, Mass./Lunenburg) rounded out the fielder honorees with fifth and sixth place effort in the long-jump (6.10m) and triple jump (11.78) respectively.

Member of the Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track and field teams will be in action again next weekend as they compete at the Division IIII New England Championships.