Lancers Show All Around Depth at Wheaton Pre-Post Invitational

Worcester, MA- The Worcester State women's indoor track & field team brought energy, personal bests, and strong finishes to the Wheaton Pre-Post Invitational, showcasing depth across sprints, distance, and field events. The Lancers continued to build momentum as the championship season moves into full swing.

In the 60m dash, the Lancers were paced by sophomore Arianna Farrell (Wilmington, MA), who placed 15th in 8.53 with a season best, and first year Ayla McGrail (Charlton, MA), finishing 16th in 8.57 on her own season best. Junior Meghan Driscoll (Mansfield, MA) added a season-best 8.89, while first year Gabriella Colitti (Raynham, MA) posted a personal record of 9.41.

The 200m saw a breakout performance from first year Leah Bordenca (Westford, MA), who sprinted to 9th overall in a personal-best 29.52. First year Peyton Watkins (Salisbury, MA) delivered a strong 5th-place finish in 29.05, for a further season best, while McGrail recorded a 30.22 and junior Mia Guinto (West Boylston, MA) finished in 30.80 for added valuable depth.

In the 400m, junior Mia Guinto (West Boylston, MA) led the way with an 8th-place finish in 70.76, continuing her steady indoor campaign.

The 800m group showed grit, highlighted by senior Bridget O'Malley (Leominster, MA) placing 13th in 2:36.61 and first year Janine Betcher (Fontana, CA) close behind in 2:37.66.

The mile produced two personal bests, as sophomore Samantha Edwards (East Longmeadow, MA) ran 5:46.10 and first year Caydence Carr (Upton, MA) followed with a 5:49.59 for a new personal record. Senior leadership came from Jillian McMenemy (Westborough, MA), who also notched a personal record of  6:40.09.

In the 3,000m, senior Leah Berg (Worcester, MA) led the way with an 11th-place finish in 11:42.45, while fellow senior Claudia Symonick (Auburn, MA) added a solid 12:46.07 effort.

The field events were a major bright spot for Worcester State.

In the long jump, junior Alexis Strong (Southington, CT) soared to a runner-up finish with a 4.96m leap, one of the team's top performances of the day. Sophomore Gracie Van Akin (Belmont, VT) added a personal-best 4.23m.

High jump success came from first year Lilah Delongchamp (Worcester, MA), who cleared a personal-best 1.38m to place 7th, while junior Lauren Condike (East Longmeadow, MA) placed 8th on a height of 1.33m.

In the throws, first year Jenna Lopez (West Springfield, MA) delivered a 5th-place finish in the shot put with a strong 11.13m mark. Fellow first year Makenna Perro (Brookfield, MA) and senior Ava Piccolo (Tewksbury, MA) added depth in the event, while Piccolo also placed 9th in the weight throw with a mark of 11.25m.

Worcester State is back in action when they compete at the Nee England DIII Championships in two weeks.