Fitchburg State Claims Fourth At MASCAC Championships

Women place fourth with 60 points: Men earn fourth with 102 points

GORHAM, Maine (February 15, 2014) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed at the New England Alliance/MASCAC Championship Meet this afternoon hosted by the University of Southern Maine.

Leading the way on the men’s side was graduate student Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine), earning MASCAC and Alliance top honors in the 5000 meter, turning in an Alliance Meet record time of 15:46.55, while freshman Brian Amaral (Tewksbury, Mass.) was also solid in the 5000m, registering a time of 16:02.29 to place second among the MASCAC.

On the track, the men’s 4x200 meter relay team of freshman Trenton Garlington (Holbrook, Mass.), classmate Julius Annan (Leominster, Mass.), sophomore Charles De La Rosa (Westfield, Mass.) and junior Maximin Rocheleau (Winchendon, Mass.) turned in a time of 1:38.23 to place fourth, while Amaral took top MASCAC honors in the 3000 meter, registering a time of 8:59.81.

In the mile, Kibler finished first in the MASCAC and third overall with a time of 4:29.59, while junior Jim Quinlan (N. Andover, Mass.) and newcomer Matt Cuomo (Carlisle, Mass.) followed in third and fifth place within the MACCAC with times of 4:34.83 and 4:39.63 respectively, while the 4x800m relay team of Quinlan, Cuomo, sophomore Richard Ethier (Shirley, Mass.), and freshman Brandon Hannon (Pelham, N.H.) put forth a solid time of 8:30.47 to finish third in the MASCAC.

Kibler continued his strong running, placing 2nd in the 1000 meter with a time of 2:38.17 and sixth in the 3000m with time of 9:21.88, while Quinlan earned his second top-three finish on the afternoon with a time of 2:40.72 in the 1000m. Ethier turned in a personal best time of 1:27.98 in the 600 meter (5th), while Cuomo posted a fifth place effort in the 800m with a time of 2:06.17.

In the field, freshman Patryk Backiel (Fairhaven, Mass.) put forth a strong effort in the pole vault, claiming top overall honors with an alliance championship vault of 4.45 meters, while senior Pat Conaty (Southington, Conn.) placed second overall in the pole vault with mark of 4.45m as well. Sophomore Akhiel Willis (Acton, Mass.) rounded out the top efforts for the men with a personal best mark of 13.35 meters to place second in the triple jump.

Paving the way for the women was junior Rebecca McClure (Lyndeborough, N.H.) earning top MASCAC honors (2nd overall) in the pole vault, with a MASCAC Championship Meet record tying vault of 3.20m, while junior Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D.) took top MASCAC honors  and third overall in the 800m with a time of 2:23.96.

Junior Braila Roy (Hyannis, Mass.) posted a personal best time of 3:18.17 to place third in the 1000 meter, while freshman Kelly McCarthy (Assonet, Mass.) was also strong in the 1000m (5th) with a PR time of 3:23.37. Junior Arthina Robert (Lynn, Mass.) finished third in the MASCAC and fourth overall in 55 meter dash, turning in a time of 7.45 seconds.

Senior Samantha Wilkinson (Wakefield, Mass.) put forth a solid fourth place effort in the 600m with a time of 1:44.28, while the 4x800 meter relay team of senior Stephanie Irvin (Malden, Mass.), McCarthy, Roy and Harrison posted a time of 10:28.16 to place second in the MASCAC’s.

The women’s 4x200m relay team of Irvin, McClure, sophomore Shamira Nambafu (Framingham, Mass.) and junior Mary Wooten (Lisbon, Maine) placed fourth with a time of 1:59.16, while the 4x400 meter relay team of Robert, Roy, Harrison and senior Karollynn Wickless-Adams (Lansdale, Penn.) also ran well, turning in a time of 4:43.53. Newcomer Morgan Steele (Somerset, Mass.) rounded out the top Falcon efforts for the ladies in the weight throw with a personal best toss of 12.87 meters to finish third overall among the MASCAC competitors.

The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams will be in action again next weekend as members compete at the Division III New England Championships hosted by Springfield College, beginning on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.