Fitchburg State Battles At Worcester City Meet

Jennings and Muolo pace Falcons with NE Division III qualifying marks        

WORCESTER, Mass. (March, 30 2009) - The Fitchburg State men's and women's outdoor track and field teams competed in the Worcester City Meet this past weekend hosted by WPI. The men finished second overall with 188 points, while the women placed fourth with 46 points.

Junior Devon Jennings (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) was one of eight Falcons to post New England Division III qualifying times, pacing Fitchburg State with two top five finishes. Jennings finished first overall in the 200 meter run with a time of 23.26, while posting a second place finish in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.34. Jennings also ran a leg of the 4x100 meter relay, pushing Fitchburg State to a top finish in the event with a time of 43.38.

Fitchburg State was also dominant on the field side, earning solid finishes in the long-jump, javelin, discus and shot-put. Junior Alex Ivanov (Carlisle, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) notched a first place finish in the long-jump with a distance of 20-10.25", while junior Brandon Jean (Dunstable, Mass./Dunstable) tallied a third place finish in the javelin (181-4").

Sophomore Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) was strong for the Falcons all day, posting top ten finishes in four events. The field standout earned New England Division III qualifying times in the javelin (160-11" - 4th), while recording a third-place finish in the discus (133-6") and a second place finish in the shot (46-0"). Muolo wrapped up his career day with an eighth place showing in the hammer throw.

Freshman Jimmy Petersen (Groton, Conn./Fitch) rounded out the Falcons top men performers with a top place finish in the 400 meter run. Petersen earned ten points for Fitchburg State, posting a time of 51.12.

On the women's side, Erin Abbott (Warwick, Mass./Pioneer Valley) led many of the top six efforts for the women, finishing first overall in the high-jump with a height of 4-10.25". The Falcons 4x100 relay team of Abbott, sophomore Julie Almstrom (Auburn, Mass./Auburn), senior Marla Cavaretta (Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) and freshman Madeline Merchant (Fitchburg, Mass./Monty Tech) placed third overall, qualifying for the New England Division III races with a time of 54.73

The Fitchburg State men's and women's track and field team will be back in action next weekend as it hosts the Jim Sheehan Memorial meet starting at 11 a.m..