LOWELL, Mass. and RALEIGH, N.C.—The UMass Lowell women's track and field team showed out Friday afternoon, splitting time between day two of the Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State and the UMass Lowell lnvitational on the friendly confines of the Cushing Field Complex.

"It's always great to have a home meet. It's awesome to get the first one in the books," commented Head Coach Gary Gardner. "The entire staff did a great job with the date switch. It ran as smooth as possible."
 
In the Mill City, the women's team saw a bevy of stellar performances on the track and in the field events. Junior Martina Nkwantah (Pepperell, Mass.) picked up a pair of top-five finishes in the women's hammer throw and shot put. Nkwantah started with a fifth-place mark in the hammer toss after hitting a career-best 45.37m (148'10") before returning to take second in the shot put off a 13.17m (43'2.5) throw.
 
The River Hawks picked up another batch of top performances thanks to the jumps. In the long jump, junior Wonuola Ashaju (Lagos, Nigeria) registered a 5.32m (17'5.5") leap to take fifth overall. Four UMass Lowell high jumpers made their way into the top eight led by a second-place effort from sophomore Fleur Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.), who cleared 1.57m (5'1.75"). Balogh de Galantha was joined by her teammates junior Erin Jensen (Brimfield, Mass.) and senior Sydney Lewis (Nashua, N.H.) in third and fourth with the same clearance. Senior Isabella Ha (Chester Heights, Pa.) rounded out the high jump tied for eighth after jumping over the 1.42m (4'7.75") height.
 
UMass Lowell continued to rake in the top times right off the bat after shifting to the track events. In the women's 400m relay, junior Alexis Lefaivre (Newport, Vt.), graduate student Nina Tasker (Lebanon, Maine), freshman Danielle Thompson (Groton, Mass.) and graduate student Tatum Pecci (Tewksbury, Mass.) snagged first overall with a dominating 50.20 time. On top of the top time, the team also set a new school record in the event.
 
Lefaivre and Pecci saw their own bit of individual success after tackling the women's 100m. The duo added to their wins for the day with fifth and sixth-place finishes after crossing neck-and-neck at 13.12 and 13.15, respectively. Another pair of athletes with multiple top times, Lewis and Balogh de Galantha tried their hand at the women's 100m hurdles and claimed fourth and fifth overall with 16.10 and 16.12 times, respectively.
 
The middle-distance crew kept the momentum moving in the 800 and 1,500-meter races. Seniors Chelsea Lynch (Amesbury, Mass.) and Leah Rudolph (Gloucester, Mass.) crossed the line within seconds of each other to land in fourth and sixth in the 800m. Lynch finished just ahead of her classmate in 1:02.13 before Rudolph crossed the line in 1:04.59. Junior Mary Yount (Northampton, Mass.) and freshman Miana Caraballo (Methuen, Mass.) posted top-five times in the 1,500-meter. Yount claimed second overall with a final time of 4:47.28, while Caraballo took fourth with a final mark of 4:50.99.
 
Representing the River Hawks down in Raleigh, graduate student Emily Sessa (Tewksbury, Mass.) competed in the women's 1,500 amongst a heavily competitive field of racers. With a final time of 4:29.65, Sessa finished 62nd out of 185 runners. Making her outdoor debut, freshman Mary-Kate Finn (Nashua, N.H.) posted battle through to post a 17:17.23 mark. 

"It was a pretty good day overall in Raleigh," said Gardner. "MK had her first outdoor 5K, which was great. She's going to be a great athlete for us."
 
The River Hawks close out the weekend in Raleigh on Saturday, March 25, with the third and final day of competition at the Raleigh Relays.