RESULTS

KINGSTON, R.I.—Making their collegiate debuts as multi-event athletes, freshmen Luke Stelmach (Sterling, Mass.), Fleur Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) and sophomore Rebecca Crosier (Shaftsbury, Vt.) closed out a weekend of competition Friday afternoon at the URI Heptathlon and Pentathlon.
 
"All three athletes showed toughness today and have a lot of potential to grow across the board," commented associate head coach Allyson Waruch.
 
Returning for day two of the men's heptathlon, Stelmach finished fifth overall with 4,359 points in his first-ever attempt at the event. The rookie started the day off strong in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 8.88 to pick up 772 points towards his final score.
 
Keeping momentum, Stelmach took on the pole vault for the first time in his young career. With eyes set on a strong performance, the freshman fought through to clear 3.30m for 431 points and a sixth-place finish.
 
The Massachusetts native closed out the two-day competition on the track in the 1,000-meter run. With a neck-and-neck foot race for a top-five placement, Stelmach persevered and battled to a fourth-place mark. The freshman just narrowly missed the top-3 in his first attempt at the middle-distance race, clocking in only half a second after Sacred Heart's Benjamin Healy.
 
"Luke had another solid day of competition," said Waruch. "He got better and better at every attempt in the pole vault and had a great attitude going through all of his events."
 
On the women's side, freshman Balogh de Galantha earned 2,972 points to finish 10th in the competitive field. Not far behind, Crosier claimed 15th with 2,786 points in her first-ever pentathlon.
 
"The women had a big field to compete with in their first pentathlon, and each of them put together some good attempts in their events."
 
Starting their day on the track, the pair of River Hawks opened the day in the 60-meter hurdles. Leading the two-runner contingent from the Mill City, Balogh de Galantha crossed the finish line in 9.67, just missing the top-10 in 11th place. Rounding out the crew in 19th place, Crosier set a new personal best of 10.30 in the sprint for 657 points.
 
The two women then set their sights on the second event of the day, the high jump. Excelling in her first collegiate attempt, Balogh de Galantha logged a 1.56-meter leap to earn third overall and bring in 689 points towards her score. Crosier had an impressive showing over her own, clearing 1.44m to finish 17th in her debut.
 
Both jumpers by craft, Balogh de Galantha and Crosier stepped out of their comfort zone to take on the shot put. The freshman multi-event athlete threw to a 9.04m mark in the event to claim second, while sophomore Crosier hit 7.39m for 20th overall.
 
Finding themselves back in familiar territory, the River Hawk duo finished back-to-back in the long jump. Crosier's 5.19m jump earned her sixth in the event and brought in 612 points for the sophomore. Balogh de Galantha ranked just behind her sophomore counterpart, earning seventh off a 4.97m mark.
 
The women finished their day where they began, back on the track for the 800-meter. In their final event of the day, Crosier finished first for the River Hawks, clocking in a 2:37.53 to earn tenth place and 602 points. Meanwhile, freshman Balogh De Galantha crossed the line in 2:47.85 to cap her night with a 16th place finish and 490 more points.
 
After a holiday hiatus, UMass Lowell returns to action in the new year on the weekend of January 7th. The River Hawks will make the trek to the home of the Harvard Crimson in Cambridge, Mass. for the Harvard Multi Event Meet and the Beantown Challenge.