BOSTON, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's track and field team continued its trend of success in Boston, competing at the Scarlet and White Invite hosted by Boston University on Saturday afternoon. 

The River Hawks followed up their two January visits to the Terrier Track & Tennis Center by registering several scoring performances across six events. 

Field events proved to be a strength for UMass Lowell in the outing. In the shot put, graduate student Jasmine McFarlane (South Yarmouth, Mass.) and sophomore Martina Nkwantah (Pepperell, Mass.) each threw for personal bests, earning them fourth and fifth place, respectively. McFarlane narrowly edged out her teammate, throwing for 13.03 meters to Nkwantah's 13.00.

"They both had great days," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "I think they looked great and really progressed over the course of the weekend."

The River Hawks also earned a pair of top finishes in the high jump courtesy of sophomore Erin Jensen (Brimfield, Mass.) and graduate student Sierra Rudolph (Gloucester, Mass.). After finishing with 1.61-meter marks each, the event resulted in a jump-off, where Jensen leapt to a second-place finish and Rudolph earned fifth place honors.

Senior Rachel Hill (North Reading, Mass.) skied her way to place seventh with a 3.40-meter clearance in the pole vault. Joining her with a solid result of her own, sophomore Alexandria Grasso (North Reading, Mass.) soared to an 11.22-meter mark in the triple jump, which was good for fourth place overall. Grasso later qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles and sprinted her way to eighth place with a time of 9.15 seconds.

In the lanes, junior Avery Leydon (Woburn, Mass.) stood atop the podium following the 500-meter race, setting a personal best time of 1:14.02. 

"[Avery] continues to have a stellar season for us," Gardner said. "It's been fun watching her really grow into a great racer this season."

Heading south for the Camel City invite, senior Izzy Giesing (Bradford, Vt.) represented the River Hawks in the 800-meter competition and was the fifth across the line, setting a time of 2:05.76. The performance equals her indoor personal best and puts her in an excellent position to qualify for NCAA Championships.

"Izzy ran a 2:05.76 at Camel City, which converts down to 2.04.33 on the flat track," commented Gardner. "That equals a big indoor PR and gives her an excellent chance to make the NCAA Championships. 

The River Hawks return to Boston University next weekend, February 11-12, for the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.