RESULTS: UMass Lowell Invitational | Raleigh Relays

LOWELL, Mass. and RALEIGH, N.C.—The UMass Lowell women's track and field team capped the first weekend of the outdoor season with stellar showings at the 2022 UMass Lowell Invitational and Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State.
 
At home, the River Hawks coasted to a commanding first-place finish at their first home meet of the year with 159 points. Fellow America East competitor Vermont earned second with 105.5 and Hartford rounded out the top three with 92.
 
"It was great to see the team compete well at the home meet," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "The goal for the weekend was to be competitive, which they certainly were. Many set themselves up for excellent springs. We're really looking forward to the Colonial Relays next weekend."
 
UMass Lowell started off the day with several scoring performances from the fielding contingent. In her collegiate debut in the hammer throw, freshman Arlene Davila (Peabody, Mass.) finished sixth with a 33.09-meter toss. Also competing in the discus throw and shot put, Davila registered third and fifth-place finishes in the events off 36.04-meter and 11.51-meter marks, respectively. Her efforts in the shot put also set a new personal best for the rookie.
 
Graduate student Jasmine McFarlane (South Yarmouth, Mass.) and sophomore Martina Nkwantah (Pepperell, Mass.) joined Davila with impressive outings of their own for the UMass Lowell throwers. McFarlane picked up fourth place in the shot put with an 11.99-meter throw. She then hit the 32.37-meter mark to place fifth in the discus throw.
 
Kicking off her outdoor season with a bang, Nkwantah earned top-three finishes in both the javelin and shot put. The sophomore thrower picked up gold in the shot put with a 12.88-meter toss before hitting a personal-best 36.56-meter distance in the javelin to finish third.
 
Sophomores Wonuola Ashaju (Lagos, Nigeria) and Rebecca Crosier (Shaftsbury, Vt.) as well as freshman Fleur Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) went two-three-four in the long jump to earn big points for the River Hawks in the sandpit. Leading the trio, Ashaju jumped to a personal-best 5.45 meters, followed by Balogh de Galantha with a 5.07-meter mark and Crosier at 5.02 meters.
 
Capping UMass Lowell's strong team outing in the field, senior Rachel Hill (North Reading, Mass.) showed up big for the River Hawks, clearing 3.55 meters to place first.
 
Transitioning to the track, UMass Lowell continued its successful day in friendly territory with 12 top-six finishes across eight events. Sophomore Mary Yount (Northampton, Mass.) ran to a fourth-place time of 10:46.56 in the women's 3,000 meter to just barely miss her fastest collegiate time.
 
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, sophomore Alexandria Grasso (North Reading, Mass.) and senior Kayley Moran (Hackettstown, N.J.) went two-four for the River Hawks off 15.24 and 15.61 times, respectively. Grasso's second-place time also marked her fastest time as a River Hawk to set a personal record.
 
Moran also earned third in the 400-meter iteration of the event after clocking in at 1:08.43.
 
Keeping with the trend of top times in the sprints, graduate student Lauren Eddy (Grafton, Mass.) and seniors Tatum Pecci (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Schuyler Snay (Amesbury, Mass.) all registered top-six finishes to bring in points for the River Hawks. Taking on the 200-meter sprint, Eddy and Pecci finished in 26.22 and 27.08 to take second and sixth, respectively. Competing in the 100 meter, Snay took fifth overall off a 13.21 time.
 
The River Hawks finished off the day at home with a trio of first-place performances in the middle-distance events. Freshman Sarah Ross (Agawam, Mass.) opened her outdoor campaign with a first-place finish in her first-ever collegiate attempt at the 1,500 meter, clocking in at 4:47.70. In the 400 meter, junior Leah Rudolph (Gloucester, Mass.) claimed first and set a new personal best with a 1:00.38 time. Capping things off, graduate student Caroline O'Shea (Nashua, N.H.) ran to a first-place mark in the 800 meter, crossing in 2:17.70
 
Meanwhile, a trio of UMass Lowell runners closed out the three-day competition in Raleigh with big outings from senior Izzy Giesing (Bradford, Vt.), junior Avery Leydon (Woburn, Mass.) and graduate student Kristin Hohenstein (Chelmsford, Mass.).
 
Coming off a trip to the NCAA Division I Indoor Championship, Giesing shone in the 800 meter. The veteran competitor clocked a 2:05.31 finish to take second in the stacked field. Joining her in the event, Leydon turned in a strong time of 2:12.78 to place within the top 50.
 
The lone competitor for the River Hawks in the 400-meter hurdles, Hohenstein glided over the obstacles to cross the finish line in 1:03.22 to place 19th.
 
"Izzy ran well in the windy conditions to get another NCAA qualifier, which was our goal for this weekend," remarked Gardner. "Avery and Kristin also had really solid openers, which should set them up for excellent seasons."
 
Marching on through the outdoor slate, the River Hawks visit William & Mary next weekend, March 31-April 2, for the 2022 Colonial Relays.