Lancers Shine at Jim Sheehan Meet

Worcester, MA- Worcester State women's track and field put together a strong showing at the Jim Sheehan Invitational hosted by Fitchburg State University, highlighted by standout performances across the sprints, distance events, field events, and relays.

The sprint corps delivered some of the meet's most electric moments. Junior Alexis Strong (Southington, CT) was dominant in the 100m, finishing 9th overall with a time of 12.98, easily the fastest mark on the team and a time that puts her in elite company in the field. In the 200m, sophomore Emily Bodwell (Lakeville, MA) and first year Peyton Watkins (Salisbury, MA) ran strong races, finishing 16th at 28.70 and 28th at 28.49 respectively. First year Leah Bordenca (Westford, MA) added a 29th-place finish at 29.63 to go along with her 40th-place showing in the 100m at 14.27.

The 400m featured a trio of personal bests, a great sign for the program's depth. First year Janine Betcher (Fontana, CA) led the way with a 9th-place finish and a personal best of 63.84, while junior Mia Guinto (West Boylston, MA) ran a personal best of 67.90 for 18th place, and first year Makenna Perro (Brookfield, MA) added a personal best of 68.10 for 19th place. All three setting personal bests signals great momentum heading into the rest of the season.

In the 800m, senior Claudia Symonick (Auburn, MA) turned in a composed performance, placing 22nd at 2:49.73. The 1,500m was a team effort, with first year Anna Serafini (Leominster, MA) leading Worcester State home in 18th place at 5:24.15. Forst year Caydence Carr (Upton, MA) followed in 21st at 5:28.15, senior Bridget O'Malley (Leominster, MA) in 26th at 5:32.27, and sophomore Samantha Edwards (East Longmeadow, MA) in 25th at 5:31.96, showing strong depth through the middle distance ranks.

Sophomore Arianna Farrell (Wilmington, MA) broke through with a personal best of 17.82 to place 11th in the 100m hurdles, while first year Rebecca Gardner (Killingly, CT) also set a personal best of 18.64 for 18th place — both athletes trending in the right direction. Sophomore Gracie Van Akin (Belmont, VT) contributed a 16th-place finish in the 400m hurdles at 1:25.28.

The signature performance of the day may have belonged to senior Leah Berg (Worcester, MA), who delivered an outstanding 2nd-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase with a personal best of 12:57.92, a thrilling result and one of the best marks of the meet overall.

Worcester State's relay squads were among the team's most cohesive units on the day. The 4x100m team of sophomores Emily Bodwell (Lakeville, MA) and Arianna Farrell (Wilmington, MA), first year Ayla McGrail (Charlton, MA), junior Alexis Strong (Southington, CT), and first year Peyton Watkins (Salisbury, MA) earned a 5th-place finish at 52.27.

The 4x800m squad of first years Janine Betcher (Fontana, CA) and Caydence Carr (Upton, MA), senior Bridget O'Malley (Leominster, MA), and first year Anna Serafini (Leominster, MA) was even more impressive, taking 2nd place at 10:36.43, one of the team's best results of the day. The 4x400m crew of first year Leah Bordenca (Westford, MA), first year Lilah DeLongchamp (Worcester, MA), junior Mia Guinto (West Boylston, MA), first year Makenna Perro (Brookfield, MA), and sophomore Gracie Van Akin (Belmont, VT) rounded out the relay results with a 7th-place finish at 4:45.10.

The shot put was a particularly strong event for Worcester State. First year Jenna Lopez (West Springfield, MA) won the event outright with a throw of 11.11m, a dominant, meet-winning performance. Junior Jadah Stokes (Chicopee, MA) backed her up in 5th at 10.30m, and senior Ava Piccolo (Tewksbury, MA) placed 12th at 9.31m, giving the Lancers three athletes in the top 12.

In the hammer, senior Ava Piccolo (Tewksbury, MA) placed 8th at 37.09m, followed by junior Morgan Merrell (Leicester, MA) in 11th at 33.54m and  junior Jadah Stokes (Chicopee, MA) in 13th at 33.11m. Piccolo also contributed in the discus at 16th with 27.65m, while Merrell earned a 9th-place discus finish at 29.95m.

In the javelin, first year Makenna Perro (Brookfield, MA) set a personal best of 23.96m for 16th place, and sophomore Angela Crognalo-Torrez (Walpole, MA) threw 23.67m for 17th.

Junior Lauren Condike (East Longmeadow, MA) took 7th in the high jump at 1.42m, first year Gabriella Fischel (Westport, CT) placed 8th in the pole vault at 2.30m, and sophomore Emily Bodwell (Lakeville, MA) rounded out the field with a 12th-place finish in the triple jump at 9.66m.

Worcester State is back in action next Saturday at the Jerry Gravel Invitational.