RESULTS

LOWELL, Mass.—The UMass Lowell women's track and field team commanded the field at the 2022 George Davis Invitational on Saturday at the Cushing Field Athletic Complex.
 
The women's squad amassed 12 top-three finishes across the day, including six first-place marks.
 
"Today was a great day for the entire program. We had great weather, a ton of alumni support and great performances from all of the event groups. We couldn't have asked for a better day to start gearing up for the championship season," commented Associate Head Coach Ally Waruch.
 
Sophomore Martina Nkwantah (Pepperell, Mass.), freshman Arlene Davila (Peabody, Mass.), graduate student Jasmine McFarlane (South Yarmouth, Mass.) and junior Shataeya Smith (Malden, Mass.) turned in several top-eight marks for the River Hawks in the throws.
 
Leading the crew, Nkwantah continued her stellar sophomore campaign in the shot put and the javelin. Starting off in the circle, Nkwantah heaved the shot put to a 13.05m distance to take second in the event. The Massachusetts native moved to the runway for the javelin, where she launched the spear to 38.26m for fourth overall.
 
Davila and Smith joined Nkwantah in the shot put to round out the top eight for UMass Lowell. Davila's toss reached a final distance of 11.48m to take seventh, while Smith hit 11.34m for eighth.
 
Returning to the thrower's circle, Davila tackled the discus alongside McFarlane. Veteran competitor McFarlane clinched fourth with a final 37.77m mark. Logging a career-best, Davila sent the disk out to a distance of 36.61m for sixth.
 
UMass Lowell seamlessly transitioned to the jumps where the team continued its dominant afternoon. Senior Rachel Hill (North Reading, Mass.) represented the River Hawks in the pole vault, clearing 3.65m to finish third.
 
In the pit, graduate student Lauren Eddy (Grafton, Mass.) and sophomores Wonuola Ashaju (Lagos, Nigeria) and Alexandria Grasso (North Reading, Mass.) vied for season-best finishes in the long jump and triple jump. Reaching 5.50m, Eddy set a new career-best distance in the long jump to finish seventh in the event. Grasso led the field in the triple jump, finishing with an 11.85m mark to claim first. Landing at 11.17m, Ashaju placed fifth overall behind her classmate.
 
Competing in the high jump, sophomore Erin Jensen (Brimfield, Mass.) soared over the 1.65m height to win the event for UMass Lowell. Freshman Fleur Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) tied for third overall after coasting over the 1.55m bar. Closing out the event for the River Hawks, graduate student Sierra Rudolph (Gloucester, Mass.) took sixth after clearing 1.55m.
On the track, UMass Lowell started strong in the 3,000 meter. Freshman Sarah Ross (Agawam, Mass.) crushed the competition with a standout time of 10:13.27 to steal first. Setting a career-best performance, graduate student Amanda Baptiste (Taunton, Mass.) clocked in at 10:49.51 to place seventh.
 
The lone River Hawk in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Olivia Sheffield (Lowell, Mass.) ran a strong 11:13.52 time to finish second in the distance obstacle race.
 
Transitioning to the middle distance, graduate student Caroline O'Shea (Nashua, N.H.) captured a new fastest mark in the 1,500 meter. The middle distance specialist crossed the finish line in 4:24.93 to place second overall.
 
Dominating the 800 meter, junior Avery Leydon (Woburn, Mass.) set the pace to snag first in the final middle distance event. Earning a sizeable lead, Leydon comfortably cruised across the finish line to turn in a 2:11.93 time.
 
Five runners represented the River Hawks across the 100 and 400-meter hurdles. In the short distance race, Grasso continued her strong outing with a third-place time of 14.70 to lead the UMass Lowell group. Hot on her heels, senior Kayley Moran (Hackettstown, N.J.) claimed fifth with a 15.05 finish, followed by her classmate Nina Tasker (Lebanon, Maine) in sixth with a 15.24 mark.
 
Moran matched her 100-meter hurdle placement in the 400-meter iteration, clocking in at 1:07.32 for fifth overall. Leading the way, graduate student Kristin Hohenstein (Chelmsford, Mass.) glided to an event win with a final 1:02.86 time. Rounding out the crew, junior Chelsea Lynch (Amesbury, Mass.) put up a personal-best 1:07.85 to finish sixth.
 
Graduate student Lauren Eddy (Grafton, Mass.) and sophomore Alexis Lefaivre (Newport, Vt.) competed for the River Hawks in the 100-meter sprint. Eddy placed fifth off a 12.87 time, while Lefaivre set a new career-best mark of 12.95 for eighth.
 
The duo returned to join senior Tatum Pecci (Tewksbury, Mass.) and sophomore Madison Marsh (Dudley, Mass.) for the 4x100-meter relay. The quartet crushed the competition, clocking a 48.73 finish for the event win.
 
The River Hawks continue their postseason preparations next weekend when they take on the Penn Relays, April 28-30, and the Massachusetts Pre-Conference Invite on April 30.