Fitchburg State Hosts Eric Loeschner Memorial Meet

Men finish second overall with 162.50 pts; women earn third place finish with 146.50 pts.

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 16, 2009) - The Fitchburg State men's and women's track and field team host the 2009 Eric Loeschner Memorial Meet this afternoon at Elliot Field. The men finished in second place with 162.50 points, while the women earned a third place finish with 146.50 total points.

Sophomore Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) led the Fitchburg State men's team with three, first-place finishes in the meet. De La Rosa started the contest off strong, earning top honors in the triple jump (13.16 meters) and long-jump (6.65 meters), before anchoring the men's 4x100 relay team to a win with a time of 43.85. De La Rosa added a second place finish to the mix as well, posting a time of 22.86 in the 200 meter dash.

Classmate Kyle Callahan (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) was also solid for the Falcons earning three, top-five finishes in the field. Callahan placed second in the triple jump (12.85 meters), fifth in the long jump (6.21 meters) and fifth in the pole vault (2.84 meters) to aid the Falcons.

Fitchburg State also dominated in the men's 800 meter run, placing three runners in the top eight finishers. Senior Brian Schell (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) led the Falcon pack with a third place finish and a time of 1:58.92, while classmates Shane McDowell (Nashua, N.H./Nashua) and Adam Parslow (West Boylston, Mass./West Boylston) finished sixth and eighth respectively. Senior Keon Valcourt (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) rounded out the Falcons top runners posting Division III qualifying mark of 10:04.15 in the 3000 meter steeplechase.  

Rounding out the men's top performers in the field were sophomore Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) and junior Brandon Jean (Dunstable, Mass./Dunstable). Muolo and Jean paced the Falcons in all throwing events, finishing in the top-five for the javelin, shot-put, and discus. Muolo earned a first place showing in the discus (140-10) and third place finishes in the javelin and shot put, while Jean notched a second place finish in the jav and a third place showing the shot-put.

On the women's side, freshman Madeline Merchant (Fitchburg, Mass./Monty Tech) led the Lady Falcons, posting four, top-ten finishes between the track and field. Merchant notched  a fourth place finish in the 200 meter dash (29.07) and seventh placing showing in the 400 meter dash (1:06.21), while finishing fifth overall in the long jump (4.87 meters) and sixth in the triple jump (10.07 meters).

Classmate Kat Marrone (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) was just as dominant for Fitchburg State, posting solid marks in the triple jump (10.07 meters), 800 meter run (2:27.77), and women's 4x100 relay (53.96). Senior Emily Sullivan (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) earned a second place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 14:05.09, while sophomore Julie Almstrom (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) finished second in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:12.13.

Junior Lindsay Suprenant (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam) notched a career-day in the field for the Fitchburg State women's team, totaling two, second place finishes in the shot-put and hammer throw. Suprenant notched a throw of 10.04 meters in the shot-put, while posting a distance of 37.28 meters in the hammer throw.

The Fitchburg State men's and women's track and field team will be in action again next week as it battles in the MASCAC Championships on Saturday at 11 a.m.

COMPLETE RESULTS FOR THE ERIC LOESCHNER MEMORIAL MEET TO FOLLOW