Women's Indoor Track Defends MASCAC Title With 2010-11 Championship

All-New England Alliance Team | All-MASCAC Team

New England Alliance Team Scores | MASCAC Team Scores

Gorham, ME -- Junior Mara Kralian (N. Grafton, MA) helped lead the women's indoor track & field team this year's 2010-11 MASCAC crown with two of the squads five top finishes.

The Lancers would score 201 points to earn their second-straight MASCAC indoor title followed by Westfield State's total of 152, Bridgewater State's score of 117 as Fitchburg State rounded out the group with 79 points. The Blue and Gold also placed third in the New England Alliance with 109 points at the meet which was hosted by Southern Maine.

Kralian won the long jump Alliance title with a distance of 5.31 meters while freshman Amanda Holden (Lunenburg, MA) placed first in the triple jump (10.60m). Kralian would also add a pair of second-place finishes in the 55 (7.46) and the 200 (25.55) as Holden took home second in the high jump (1.48m) and 55 meter hurdles (9.09).

First-year Hannah Werneth (N. Yarmouth, ME) notched gold in the shot put (11.99m) as Christy Deininger (N. Attleboro, MA) clocked 8.92 in the 55 meter hurdles to qualify for the ECAC Division III Indoor Championships. Werneth eclipsed Janelle Lavoie's mark in the shot put which was set at the 2006-07 MASCAC Championships (11.88m) for a new meet and school record.

Holden and Werneth's distances and Kralian's times were also good for second place finishes in the among the Alliance finishers. For her efforts in the field this week, Kralian was named this week's MASCAC Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week.

Kralian and junior Sarah Rafferty (Uxbridge, MA) along with sophomore Briana Wise (Worcester, MA/Burncoat) and first-year Heidi Bezemes-Turner (Beverly, MA) eclipsed the Alliance meet record with a first-place time of 1:47.75.

Sophomore Erin Donohue (Saugus, MA) followed up her record-setting performance in the 3,000 meter run with an even stronger showing this week as she was beat by 49 hundreth's of a second for a runner-up finish in the event by clocking 10:48.99. With her new school-record, Donohue also stamped her ticket to the Division III New England Championships meet next week which will be at MIT. Donahue also placed third in the mile (5:36.05).

The Alliance runner-up 4x400 relay team of freshmen teammates Alison Hickey (Easton, MA), Megan Taylor (Danvers, MA) and Holden along with junior Natalie Marchi (Northbridge, MA) eclipsed the school record with a time of 4:14.55 for a second-place finish.

Taylor also had a strong day in the 600 (1:42.45) as she came in second place to add her name to the list of DIII New England qualifiers. Hickey also had a solid time in second-place as she notched a season-best time of 2:27.93 in the 800. 

Rafferty and Wise paced the sprinters as they each finished third and fourth in both the 55 (7.59, 27:08) and the 200 (7.67, 27.11) while Wise capped off her meet by taking third in the long jump (4.95m). Marchi cleared third in the pole vault (2.45m) before she notched sixth with a season-best time of 1:03.95 in the 400.

Freshman Kelsey Cartwright (Bridgewater, MA) was third in the 1,000 (3:15.04) and fourth in the mile (5:36.05) as sophomore Brittany Grueter (Foxboro, MA) added third in the 3,000 (11:19.31) and fourth in the 1,000 (3:22.19).

First-year teammates Jenna Pickard (Peabody, MA) and Ali Barrett (Hingham, MA) each placed fourth (11:45.64) and sixth (11:52.89) in the 3,000, respectively, to help the Lancers rack up 19 points in the event.

Senior Christina Bisbee (N. Attleboro, MA) and rookie Marlene Christenson (Danvers, MA) went third (12.20m) and fourth (11.89m) in the weight throw as freshman Kristen Wilson added fourth in the high jump (1.48m) and sophomore Kristen Brunelle (Dracut, MA) tossed fifth in the shot put (9.91m).