Fitchburg State Races Hard At Jumbo Invitational
The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track teams were back in action this weekend as the Falcons competed at the Tufts University Jumbo Invitational this afternoon. The women placed ninth overall at the meet, while the Falcon men finished sixth with 35 points.
Muolo earns All-NE honors in weight throw; Lane qualifies for ECAC’s with 1.65m high-jump;
MEDFORD, Mass. (January 15, 2011) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track teams were back in action this weekend as the Falcons competed at the Tufts University Jumbo Invitational this afternoon. The women placed ninth overall at the meet, while the Falcon men finished sixth with 35 points.
On the men’s side, Fitchburg State received a solid performance from its middle distance tandem of senior Matt Spano (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) and junior Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine). Kibler paced the Falcons with two, sixth place finishes in the 1000m (2:44.47) and 1 mile run (4:33.08), while Spano finished fifth overall in the mile (4:30.94) and 17th in the 600m (1:31.43).
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Junior Peter Rowe (Taunton, Mass./Coyle Cassidy) was also solid on the track, collecting a sixth place honor in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.19, while adding an effort of 25.40 in the 200m dash for 16th place overall. Sophomore Josh Kaddy (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) rounded out the Falcons top track star, finishing 16th in the 600m with a time of 1:31.22.
In the field, Fitchburg State received strong performance from senior Alex LeBlanc (Ashburnham, Mass./Oakmont) and Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham). LeBlanc earned the best finish of the day in the pole vault, qualifying for the DIII New England’s with a height of 4.25m. Muolo also inherited post-season honors, qualifying for the DIII’s, ECAC’s and All-New England’s with a 15.88 weight throw (2nd), while tossing in a sixth place finish in the shot-put (12.75m).
For the women, junior Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Monty Tech) and sophomore Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) led Fitchburg State as the duo competed in six events on the day. Lane earned the Falcons top finish of the day in the high-jump, posting an ECAC and DIII mark of 1.65m for third place overall. She was also strong in the pole vault finishing ninth overall with a height of 2.30m while adding a ninth place finish in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.98.
Merchant also added a pair of top ten finishes on the afternoon, qualifying for the DIII New England’s in the 200m dash with a time of 27.00, while adding a ninth place effort in the long jump with a distance of 4.44m. Merchant also added a 16th place showing in the 60m dash, notching a time of 8.34m in just her first race of the semester.
Sophomore Rebecca True (Rutland, Mass./Wachusett Regional) added a strong performance on the track, finishing 16th in the 600m run with a time of 2:14.80, while senior Erin Abbott (Warwick, Mass./Pioneer Valley) added a DIII qualifying mark of 1.55m in the high-jump. Sophomore Shanissa Sampson (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) wrapped up the top lady performers, posting a pair of 11th place finishes in both the shot-put (10.14m) and weight throw (11.26m).
Fitchburg State will be in action again next Saturday as it travels to the MIT Invitational at 11 a.m.