Fitchburg State Places At MASCAC Championships

Men finish second overall with 162 points; women place fourth with 48 points

WESTFIELD, Mass. (April 27, 2009) - The Fitchburg State men's and women's track and field teams had a solid showing this past weekend as both placed high in the ranks at the MASCAC Championships. The men's team finished second overall in the MASCAC with 162 points, while the women placed fourth with 48 points.

On the men's side, Fitchburg State registered six first place performances led by the strong outing of sophomore Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham). Muolo finished the championships with two, first-place finishes in the javelin (55.67 meters) and discus (41.81 meters), while placing second in the shot-put (14.22 meters). For his efforts, Muolo was named the MASCAC's Field Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.

Classmate Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) also had a solid day for the Falcons, placing first overall in the triple jump (13.47 meters), second in the 200 meter run (22.07 seconds) and fourth in the long-jump (6.36 meters). Junior Devon Jennings (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) turned in a second place performance in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.26, while finishing eighth in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.00.

Rounding out the Falcons top performances were junior Alex Ivanov (Carlisle, Mass./Concord-Carlisle), senior Brian Schell (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) and senior Keon Valcourt (Brockton, Mass./Brockton). Ivanov notched a first place finish in the pole vault with a height of 3.89 meters, while Schell recorded a top finish in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:57.46. Valcourt added a first place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of  9:58.27.

In the women's heat, freshman Katrina Marrone (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) led the Falcons, posting a second place finish in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:33.24. Marrone was also solid in the triple jump, placing seventh overall with a jump of 9.63 meters.

Freshman Madeline Merchant (Fitchburg, Mass./Monty Tech) had a solid contest both on the track for the Falcons and in the field, totaling four, top-ten finishes. Merchant posted her best results in the 400 meter dash (65.98), 200 meter dash (27.72) and long jump (4.39 meters) with seventh place finishes, while registering a ninth place showing in the triple jump (9.29 meters).

In the field, junior Lindsay Suprenant (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam) posted a career day with three, top-five finishes. Suprenant collected her best results in the shot-put, finishing third overall with a distance of 10.21 meters. She also tallied a fourth place finish in the hammer throw (36.66 meters), while placing fifth overall in the discus (27.77 meters).

The Fitchburg State men's and women's track and field teams will be in action again this weekend as qualifying members attend the New England Division III Championships starting on Friday.