Women's Outdoor Track Claims First-Ever New England Alliance Championship

Bridgewater, MA --- Senior Briana Wise (Worcester, MA/Burncoat) highlighted five top finishes as Worcester State won their first-ever New England Alliance Championship on Saturday afternoon at Bridgewater State's Ed Swenson Field.

The Blue and Gold edged out Southern Maine, who had won 12 straight Alliance titles since the 2000 season, by a final score of 141-136.

The Lancers also tallied 222 points to win their third MASCAC Outdoor Championship in the last four years over Westfield State who finished with 210 points.

Wise, who ran a blistering 12.34 in the trials, clocked a 12.44 for first in the 100 meters before she helped team with the winning 4x100 meter relay team (48:30) that included junior Christy Deininger (N. Attleboro, MA) along with sophomore classmates Brittany Hodgerney (Leicester, MA) and Liz Bodensieck (Raynham, MA).

Wise was also the Alliance runner-up and MASCAC Champion in the 200 meters (25.48) as Deininger put up the best split in the 100 meter hurdles in the MASCAC/Alliance (15.27) before she finished second to Wise in the 100 (12.64) for second place in the MASCAC/Alliance.

For her efforts Wise was named MASCAC Track Athlete of the Week.

Deininger's 100 hurdles time is currently the 23rd-best split in the NCAA Division II while Wise's 100 is 26th.

Sophomore Alyssa Jasper (Rockland, MA) had a monster day by breaking a seven-year school record with the top distance and new MASCAC/Alliance (147-4/44.91m) mark for the third-best toss in the NCAA Division III.

She passed the previous WSU standard that had been held by Janelle Lavoie who set it at Wesleyan in 2006 (143-11/43.87m). Jasper also placed second in the shot put (38-9.75/11.83m) and third in the MASCAC in the discus (115-3/35.03m).

Senior Erin Donohue (Saugus, MA) also put up the top 5,000 time in the MASCAC/Alliance (18:41.84) before adding third in the MASCAC in the 1,500 (5:01.74).

Other MASCAC Champions included sophomore Alexandria McMahon (E. Longmeadow, MA) in the 400 meter hurdles (1:06.59), junior Jenna Pickard (Peabody, MA) in the 10,000 (43:01.67), second-year Cayla Leinonen (Spencer, MA) in the high jump (5-1/1.55m) and freshman Angelique Nurse (Auburn, MA) in the triple jump (35-8.50/10.88m).

Nurses' leap that was second overall in the MASCAC/Alliance triple jump qualified her for the Division III New England Championships next week.

Hodgerney also placed second in the 200 meters (26.46) and fourth in the 100 (12.83) as junior Megan Taylor (Danvers, MA) was the runner-up in the 400 meter hurdles (1:06.65)

Junior Hannah Werneth (N. Yarmouth, ME) took home second in the MASCAC in both the discus (115-12/35.34m) and the hammer (117-11/35.95) while she also placed third in the shot put (36-0.75/10.99m).

Classmate Marlene Christenson (Danvers, MA) notched fourth in the hammer (122-2/37.25m) and freshman Hanna Carson (Natick, MA) was fourth in the shot put (36-0/10.97m).

Sophomore Amanda Caldarone (Danvers, MA) took home third in the long jump (17-4.25/5.29) and fourth in the 100 meter hurdles (16.01).

Freshman classmates Samantha Barron (N. Andover, MA) and Courtney Spinelli (Tewksbury, MA) each placed third (116-10/35.62m) and fifth (106-7/32.49m) in the javelin, respectively.

In the field, first-year Francesca Casasanta (Hopkinton, MA) cleared third in the high jump (4-11/1.50m) while McMahon was fifth (15-9/4.80m) in the long jump and Nurse wasn't far off in sixth (15-8.75/4.79m).

The distance corps were also paced by second-year Chelsey Peso (Uxbridge, MA) who finished fifth in the 1,500 (5:10.63) and junior Ali Barrett (Hingham, MA) was sixth in the 5,000 (20:02.38).

Freshman Maddison Benson (Attleboro, MA) registered fifth in the 100 meter hurdles (16.09) as sophomore Kim West (Harvard, MA) and freshman Emily Riehl (Trumbull, CT) placed fourth (61.16) and sixth (61.54), respectively, in the 400.

Sophomore Shannon Trybus (Bondsville, MA) rounded out the finishers with sixth in the discus (100-7/30.67m).

Next week select Lancers will compete at the two-day Division III New England Championships hosted by Colby.