Fitchburg State Claims A Set Of Records At DIII Championships

Marrone bests 3000m steeple records; McClure claims Falcon pole vault mark

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (May 5, 2012) – Members of the Fitchburg State men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams competed at the DIII New England Championships this past weekend hosted by MIT.

The women’s squad led the way for the Falcons, claiming a pair of Fitchburg State records as senior Katrina Marrone (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) added to her 3000m steeple record with a time of 12:06.39, and freshman Rebecca McClure (Lyndeborough, N.H./ Wilton-Lyndeborough) posted a new Falcon record in the pole vault with a height 2.95m.

The Falcon’s men’s team also fared well at the championships, collecting a trio of ECAC qualifying efforts from junior Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock), sophomore Zach Desrochers (Dracut, Mass./Greater Lowell Tech) and senior Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse). Lary turned in a personal best in the steeple with a time of 9:36.00, while Desrochers placed fifth in the discus (45.33m) and third in the hammer (54.95m). Kibler was also solid with an All-New England and ECAC mark in the 10,000m with a time of 31:30.41 (4th).

The men's and women's relays also ran strong at the DIII Championships with the men’s 4x800 (Kibler, Quinlan, Davis, Lary) collecting DIII accolades with a time of 9:52.35. The 4x400 men’s relay notched a time of 3:37.09, while the women’s 4x800 relay earned a trip to the ECAC’s with a time of 9:52.35.

Other notable efforts came from junior Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School), who finished with a PR and ECAC mark in the 100m hurdles (15.96), while also posting a 1.52m effort in the height jump. Senior Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Monty Tech) and freshman Rachel Blanchard (Billerica, Mass./Shawsheen Tech) finished with ECAC times in the 200m dash, posting marks of 26.21 and 26.37 respectively, while freshman Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) capped the day with a time of 2:19.67 in the 800m run.

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 All New-England Championships.