Fitchburg State Competes At Husky Invitational

Falcons open 2010 outdoor season with strong showing in All-Division meet

DEDHAM, Mass. (March 21, 2010) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track team opened the 2010 outdoor season this weekend as it competed at the Husky All-Division Invitational hosted by Northeastern University.

MIKE GRASELA

On the day, Fitchburg State received some solid efforts from both its men’s and women’s squads as sophomore Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Monty Tech) cracked the top three in the 100 meter dash. Merchant finished third overall in the event with a time of 12.72, qualifying for the Division III Championships and ECAC Championships in the process.

In the field, freshman Shanissa Sampson (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) placed eighth in the javelin, notching a Division III qualifying distance of 34.66m. Sampson registered a career day, posting her all-time personal best throw in the javelin, while also finishing 17th in the shot put with a toss of 9.75m.

On the men’s side, freshman Mike Grasela (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) earned the top, individual performance for the Falcons, recording top honors in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:43.25. Senior Kyle Schaefer (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) was also solid for the Fitchburg State distance runners, placing tenth in the 10,000m run and narrowly missing the Division III mark with a time of 33:44.40.

Sophomore Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) ran strong in the 1500m event for the Falcons, finishing as the top MASCAC runner with a time of 4:08.63 (13th). Freshman Josh Kaddy (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) followed Kibler in the 1500m with a time of 4:33.00, while finishing 14th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 65.45.

In the men’s field, junior Matt Muolo (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) qualified for the Division III Championships in the javelin, throwing a distance of 52.23m for a 12th place showing, while also finishing eighth in the shot-put with a toss of 45’-1.25”. Newcomer Jimmy DiNuccio (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) was also strong, tallying a DIII Championships qualifying mark  in his first meet of the season with a seventh place finish in the javelin (53.93m).

The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s track team will be in action next weekend as it competes in the Worcester City Meet starting at 11 a.m.