DURHAM, N.H.—With just one weekend of competition left before the America East Championships, the UMass Lowell track and field team put on the finishing touches Thursday afternoon at the UNH Pre-Conference Invitational at the Paul Sweet Oval in Durham, N.H.
 
The men's and women's squads both pulled away this afternoon with second-place team finishes. The men's side amassed 48 total points, while the women's team accrued 42.
 
"Today was a good day for some. They ended their season on good note, while others were making those final adjustments before conference," remarked Head Coach Gary Gardner.
 
Juniors Rebecca Crosier (Shaftsbury, Vt.) and Martina Nkwantah (Pepperell, Mass.) lead the way for the women's squad with first-place finishes in the field. In the long jump, Crosier leaped to a final 5.53m (18'1.75") mark to claim first for UMass Lowell and set a new personal best.
 
"Becca had a great day in a long jump," commented Gardner.
 
Meanwhile, Nkwantah represented the River Hawks' throwing contingent with first in both the shot put and the weight throw. After hitting 13.21m (43'4.25") in the shot put, Nkwantah returned to the throwing circle to smash her personal best with a 15.34m (50'4") weight toss.
 
Capping the strong outing for the women's side in the field events, senior Sydney Lewis (Nashua, N.H.) tested her vertical in the high jump. The veteran jumper cleared 1.53m (5'0.25") to secure a first-place mark.
 
On the track, graduate student Nina Tasker (Lebanon, Maine) cruised to a first-place finish and a personal best in the 55-meter hurdles with a final time of 8.67.
 
Senior Michael Blake (Hudson, Mass.) paced the men's crew with first in the men's 55-meter dash. With his 6.50 time, Blake not only snagged five points for the River Hawks, but he also registered a new career-best time in the event. Hot on his heels, junior Aras Kaya (Winchester, Mass.) took second in the event with a final time of 6.70. 
 
"Michael had two really great races today," said Gardner on Blake's performance in both the preliminary and final rounds of the 55 meter dash.
 
In the 55-meter hurdles, the River Hawks saw similar success to claim the top two spots. Junior Zachary Lalonde (Tewksbury, Mass.) and freshman Tristan O'Riorden crossed the finish line in tandem, handling the hurdles with ease to finish in 8.33 and 8.34, respectively.
 
Senior Evans Oduro (Kumasi, Ghana) rounded out the afternoon for UMass Lowell with another top performance, this time in the long jump. Oduro cleared 6.58m (21'7.25") to claim the top slot.
 
UMass Lowell closes out the regular season this weekend, Feb. 10-11, at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University.