Fitchburg State Claims Fourth At MASCAC Championships

Men place fourth with 71 points; women earn fourth with 73 points

GORHAM, Maine (February 11, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed at the New England Alliance/MASCAC Championship this afternoon hosted by the University of Southern Maine.

The Falcons men’s team put forth a strong effort, earning a pair of MASCAC records in the process. Seniors Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) and Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) both slated their names in the MASCAC record books with Muolo claiming top honors in the weight throw (18.40m), and Kibler taking the MASCAC crown with a second place overall finish in the 3000m (8:42.04). Muolo surpassed his previous mark in the weight throw by over three feet, while Kibler topped the previous MASCAC record by almost eight seconds.

Muolo was also strong in the shot-put, placing fourth overall with a distance of 14.62m, while Kibler finished sixth overall in the 1000m with a time of 2:36.14.

Joining the seniors on the men’s side was sophomore Zach Desrochers (Dracut, Mass./Greater Lowell) who placed third overall in the weight with a toss of 16.63m, and classmate Pat Conaty (Southington, Conn./Southington), who placed second overall in the pole vault with a height of 3.85m. Junior Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) was also solid for the Falcons with a time of 4:37.08 in the mile (9th), while freshman Brandon Davis (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) added an 11th place finish with at time of 4:38.18. Sophomore Joseph Hollenbeck (Ashby, Mass./North MIddlesex) rounded out the Falcons top ten efforts with a ninth place finish in the 55m hurdles (8.66).

On the ladies side, the duo of senior Katrina Marrone (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) and freshman Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) paved the way for Fitchburg State. Harrison turned in the Falcons best finish of the day in the 800m, placing fifth overall with a time of 2:27.93, while Marrone added a pair of eighth place finishes in the 400m (1:02.13) and 800m (2:33.87) runs.

Freshman Arthina Robert (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Voc Tech) was also a bright spot in her first MASCAC Championship as a Falcon, placing in the top 12 over two events. The freshman sprinter earned seventh overall in the 55m with a time of 7.59, while also registering a 12th place effort tin the 200m dash with a time of 27.73. Sophomore Samantha Wilkinson (Wakefield, Mass./Wakefield) and junior Braila Roy (Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable) rounded out the top runners for the ladies with ninth place finishes in the 600m (1:44.98) and 1000m (3:19.69) respectively.

In the field, juniors Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) and Megan Gonzalez (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) capped the top Fitchburg State performances of the day, combining for two sixth place honors. Lane placed sixth overall in the high-jump with a height of 1.52m while Gonzalez finished sixth in the shot-put (11.16m) and 19th in the weight throw (10.46m).

The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track and field teams will be in action again next weekend as members compete at the Division III New England Championships.