Fitchburg State Competes At Jay Carisella Invitational
The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams opened their 2011-12 seasons this afternoon as the squads competed the Jay Carisella Invitational hosted by Northeastern University.
Falcons open 2011-12 season with numerous post-season qualifying marks
BOSTON, Mass. (December 3, 2011) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams opened their 2011-12 seasons this afternoon as the squads competed the Jay Carisella Invitational hosted by Northeastern University.
On the track, the men’s team saw several MASCAC qualifying performances for the first day out, as senior Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) earned the best post-season mark of the afternoon. Kibler qualified for the DIII New England’s and ECAC’s in the 5000m run, boasting a personal best time of 15:15.
Hurdlers Peter Rowe (Taunton, Mass./Coyle Cassidy), Joseph Hollenbeck (Ashby, Mass./North Middlesex) and Derek Bousquet (Spencer, Mass./Leicester) all notched MASCAC qualifying marks in the 55m hurdles with times of 8.43, 8.77 and 9.33 respectively, while Brandon Davis (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg), Dan Drescher (Saugus, Mass./Northeast) and Chad Crowther (Lowell, Mass./Greater Lowell) notched MASCAC efforts in the mile with times of 4:35.78, 5:04.72 and 5:11.92.
Cross country standouts Jim Quinlan (N. Andover, Mass./N. Andover), Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) and Ethan Gorecki (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) also notched strong performances in the 1000m run, while Damion Perry (Westport, Mass./Diman Regional) completed his first 3000m steeplechase in a time of 9:39.46.
In the field, senior Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoenham) grabbed the top performance for the Falcons, earning DIII New England, ECAC and All-New England honors in the weight with a distance of 16.67m. Muolo also earned a DIII honor in the shotput with a toss of 14.47m while Zach Desrochers (Dracut, Mass./Greater Lowell) finished sixth in the weight at 15.72m. Also qualifying for the MASCAC’s in the weight were Michael Lima (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) and Paul Taddeo (Bellingham, Mass./Bellingham). Sophomore Pat Conaty (Southington, Conn./Southington) rounded out the field performances with a 12-6 effort in the pole vault.
The women’s side also saw some strong performance with three members and one relay earning post-season qualifying marks. Junior Emily Lance (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) paved the way for the Falcons with an ECAC qualifying mark in the high-jump, posting a height of 1.58m. Lane also qualified for the MASCAC’s in two other events, including the 55m Hurdles (9.78) and the pole vault (9-0).
Senior Katrina Marrone (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) also turned in a post-season effort in the 400m dash with a time of 62.45, while freshman Arthina Robert (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Voc Tech) earned her first collegiate DIII honor with a time of 7.66 in the 55m dash. The Falcons 4x400 relay team of Marrone, Samantha Wilkinson (Wakefield, Mass./Wakfield), Rachel Blanchard (Billerica, Mass./Shawsheen Valley) and Jenae Harrison (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) earned DIII honors with a 4:21.45 effort.
Other notable track times were Wilkinson’ 400m dash (64.30), Blanchard’s 55m (8.12) and 200m (28.35), Rebecca McClure’s (Lyndenborough, N.H./Lydenborough) 55m dash (8.05), and Harrison’s 800m (2:50.36) and mile effort (5:59.37). In the field, junior Megan Gonzalez (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) qualified for the MASCAC’s in the shot-put and weight throw, tossing 10.20m and 8.80m.
The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track teams will be back in action next Saturday as they travel to Harvard University at 10 a.m.