Wise, Gonet Help Lead Women's Outdoor Track To Seventh At UMass Amherst

Women's Outdoor Track Slips To Seventh In USTFCCCA Regional Rankings

Amherst, MA --- Junior Briana Wise (Worcester, MA/Burncoat) and sophomore Gaby Gonet (Agawam, MA) both eclipsed their own school records as both helped pace the Worcester State women's track & field team to seventh place at the UMass Amherst Minutemen Spring Invitational.

The Lancers tallied 42.14 points as a team as the second-hightest Division III finisher in the 15-team field that featured competition from all three divisions from the New York and New England regions. Albany won the meet with 148.07 points while Williams was the best DIII institution with 84.50 points.

Wise placed second in the 200 meters (26.41) to eclipse her mark that she reset last month at the 49er UNC Charlotte Invitational by 0.06 of a second. Wise is currently second on the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship performance list, just 2.4 seconds off Mary Maloney's top time for Mount Union. Wise would also clock 12.49 for third place in the 100.

Gonet cleared 8-06.25 feet (2.60 meters) in 10th to break her own school mark she set last season at the MASCAC Championships.

Freshman Alyssa Jasper (Rockland, MA) stamped her ticket to the Open New Englands with a second-place toss in the javelin (39.98m/131-02) and the ECAC Championships with eighth in the shot put (11.76m/38-07). Jaspers distance in the javelin is currently the 15th best time on the NCAA Outdoor Nationals performance list.

Jasper also broke a 22-year record in the shot put which was previously held by Lancer Hall of Famer and former DIII New England Champion Francine LaPierre. The previous mark was 38-02 and set in 1990.

Sophomore Christy Deininger (N. Attleboro, MA) also impressed with second in the 100 meter hurdles (15.18), fourth in the 100 (12.58) and a Division III New England time in the 200 (26.03) for 13th place.

Freshman Katie Cataldo (Attleboro, MA) added third in the javelin (126-07/38.59m) while junior Erin Donohue (Saugus, MA) was 10th in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:52.07.

In addition to Donohue's stellar 5k performance, other Division III qualifiers included freshman Brittany Hodgerney (Leicester, MA) in the 400 (9th – 1:00.54) and the 200 (20th – 26.46), classmate Amanda Caldarone (Danvers, MA) in the long jump (10th – 5.13m/16-10) and 100 meter hurdles (11th –  16.32), sophomore Megan Taylor (Danvers, MA) in the high jump (8th – 1.50m/4-11) and first-year Alexandria McMahon (E. Longmeadow, MA) in the 400 (11th – 1:00.89).

Rookie Kaitlyn Haselton (Attleboro, MA) was 17th in the 400 (1:02.77) while senior Sarah Rafferty (Uxbridge, MA) added 20th in the 100 (13.13).

The Lancers will compete at Fitchburg State next weekend in a prelude to the MASCAC/Alliance Championships on April 28.