DURHAM, N.H.—The UMass Lowell track and field team had its final meet before heading into the conference championships, traveling to New Hampshire to compete in the 2021 Pre-Conference Invite hosted by UNH.
 
"Today was mostly about the skilled events getting in some more reps. It's nice to give the jumpers and throwers one more opportunity to compete before conference," said Head Coach Gary Gardner.
 
In the field, Chloe Eressy (Centerville, Mass.) continued her strong senior season in the field, winning the shot put with a 46'4.75" toss. The thrower also earned a third-place finish in the discus with a 128'11" mark.
 
After a three-way tie locked a trio of pole vaulters at first, junior Rachel Hill (North Reading, Mass.) claimed first in a jump-off, clearing 12'3.50" to beat out Vermont and New Hampshire and establish a new personal-best mark. Hill's clearance also smashed the previously held UMass Lowell outdoor best of 11' 0.25" established in 2010.
 
"Rachel's been very consistent, so it was only a matter of time before she popped a big one," commented Gardner.
 
In the triple jump, freshman Alexandria Grasso (North Reading, Mass.) and Wonuola Ashaju (Lagos, Nigeria) had a pair of strong performances for the River Hawks. Grasso's 37'5.75" leap landed her in second overall, while Ashaju finished in fifth with a 36'8.50" mark.
 
Taking on the high jump, freshman Erin Jensen (Brimfield, Mass.) cleared 5'5.75" to land in second overall.
 
On the track, freshman Rosemarie O'Riorden (Stow, Mass.) placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:08.71, just narrowly missing her personal-best mark. In the 200-meter, junior Tatum Pecci (Tewksbury, Mass.) and senior Kristin Hohenstein (Chelmsford, Mass.) finished six-seven for the River Hawks, finishing nearly in tandem to cross the line in 26.24 and 26.44, respectively.
 
On the men's side, graduate student Christopher Alfond (Ashby, Mass.) claimed another top finish in the 5,000-meter, clocking in at 14:39.28 for first in the event.
 
Senior Joseph Gaudreau (Wilmington, Mass.) competed in a close 400-meter event for the River Hawks, edging out New Hampshire for a first-place finish with a time of 49.99.
 
Rounding out the day for the River Hawks in the field, sophomore Evans Oduro (Kumasi, Ghana) hit a 45'4.5" mark in the men's triple jump to claim third. Meanwhile, in the shot put, junior Sean Trott (Lowell, Mass.) and freshman Luis Cadime (Lowell, Mass.) finished five-six off 47'9.75" and 46'3.25" throws, respectively.
 
UMass Lowell returns to Cushing Field Complex next weekend to compete in the 2021 America East Conference Championships. The action kicks off on Saturday, May 1, and wraps up on Sunday, May 2.