BOSTON, Mass. – With only two weeks until the 2022 America East Indoor Track and Field Championships, the UMass Lowell women's track and field team continued to fine-tune as they took on the first day of the David Hemery Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University Friday afternoon. 

Graduate student Kaley Richards (Lowell, Mass.) led the way for the River Hawks with a sixth-place finish in the women's 3000-meter race. With her time of 9:06.05, Richards set a new school record and shattered her previous personal best by over 18 seconds.

"Kaley's confidence has grown each week. It's been good to see her look more like herself week to week," remarked Head Coach Gary Gardner. "A school record certainly builds her up even more."

Junior Avery Leydon (Woburn, Mass.) continued her standout indoor season with a strong performance in the women's 800 meter. Bolting past the finish line in 2:08.62, Leydon beat out her previous best by just under three seconds. 

"Avery ran another personal best, which is now a weekly occurrence for her," said Gardner. 

Rounding out the track events with the women's 60-meter, senior Nina Tasker (Lebanon, Maine) placed fourth in a field of over 40 competitors. With a time of 9.27, Tasker just missed her career-best mark of 9.25.

Taking to the field, the River Hawks continued their solid outing starting with the high jump. Senior Sierra Rudolph (Gloucester, Mass.) and freshman Fleur Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) both reached a mark of 1.61-meters to finish tied in eighth. Lastly, senior Rachel Hill (North Reading, Mass.) just barely missed a personal record as she reached 3.60 meters in the pole vault, which was good for fifth in the event.

Next up, the River Hawks return for the second and final day of competition at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Saturday, February 12.