Fitchburg State Battles At DIII New England's

Falcons advance to ECAC Championships next weekend

PORTLAND, Maine (February 20, 2010) - The Fitchburg State men's and women's indoor track teams competed the NCAA Division III New England Championships this past weekend. The men's team traveled to Bates University, while the women visited the University of Southern Maine.

MATT MUOLO

Junior Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) shined for the Falcons men's team, registering a third place finish in the shot put with an ECAC qualifying toss of 14.35m. Muolo was also solid in the weight throw, qualifying for the ECAC's and All-New England's with a fifth place finish and distance of 16.08m.

On the track, veterans Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke), Devon Jennings (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) and newcomer Mike Iasevoli (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) ran strong, posting top ten finishes in their respective events. De La Rosa led the Falcons with a fourth place showing in the 200m (23.01), while Iasevoli finished a close fifth with a time of 23.11. Jennings notched a top ten placing in the 55m dash with a time of 6.67.

De La Rosa also saw some action in the field as the junior competed in the long jump and triple jump. De La Rosa finished 14th overall in the long jump (6.25m), while placing 15th in the triple jump with a distance of 12.83m.

Rounding the Falcons top honorees was senior Kyle Callahan (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) and Fitchburg State 4x800 team of Wood, Panky, Spano, and Kibler. Callahan collected a ninth place showing in the pentathlon, totaling 3145 points and qualifying for the ECAC Championships next weekend. The 4x800 team finished tenth overall, narrowly missing the ECAC's with at time of 8:09.94.

On the women's side, a handful of Falcons participated at the Championships, competing both on the track and in the field. Sophomore Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Monty Tech) notched the Falcons top finish of the day in the 55m dash, qualifying for the ECACs with a time of 7.54. The second-year member also notched a 15th place showing in the long jump, totaling a distance of 4.92m.

Junior Erin Abbott (Warwick, Mass./Pioneer Valley) finished strong at the Championships, bettering her season-best mark in the high-jump as she qualified for the ECAC's with a height of 1.58m. Freshman Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) also competed in the high-jump for the Falcons, placing 17th overall with a height of 1.53m.Sen

Senior Lindsay Suprenant (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam) rounded out the Falcons, DIII participants, as she posted a 15th place finish in the weight throw. Suprenant tossed a distance of 12.71m as she was the only Falcon thrower who qualified for the post-season.

The Fitchburg State men's and women's track team will be in action next weekend as several members compete at the NCAA Division III ECAC Championships.