CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's indoor track and field team made a short trip to Harvard University to compete at the Beantown Challenge on Saturday.

Freshman Zoe Clarke (Dracut, Mass.) was the sole competitor for UMass Lowell in the weight throw event, achieving a new personal best with a toss of 10.64m, placing 18th. In the long jump event, graduate student Fleur Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) secured 10th place with a mark of 5.28m. Junior Nethica Auguste (Bridgewater, Mass.) finished 17th with a jump of 4.95m, while senior Paige Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) took 21st place with a 4.79m mark. In the shot put event, junior Nhyira Nkansah (Chelmsford, Mass.) threw an 11.64m mark to place 13th, and freshman Alessandra Forgione (Peabody, Mass.) claimed 17th place with a throw of 10.83m. 

In the pole vault event, junior Úna Brice (Cork, Ireland) cleared 3.35m to place 14th, while sophomore Jaden Kasule (Tewksbury, Mass.) took 20th place with a mark of 2.90m. UMass Lowell had one competitor in the triple jump, with Auguste finishing ninth after a jump of 10.72m. The final fielding event of the day was the high jump, led by sophomore Avery Pitts (Willington, Conn.), who earned third place with a 1.71m mark, while Fleur Balogh finished in seventh place at a 1.65m mark. Freshman Nyrah Joseph (Billerica, Mass.) and sophomore Chloe Champagne (Brockton, Mass.) tied for 13th place, each clearing 1.55m in the high jump event.

In the 60m hurdles preliminary, the River Hawks were led by Joseph, who placed 15th with a new personal best of 9.15, and Fleur Balogh claimed 17th place with a time of  9.21. The 60m dash preliminary followed, with junior Jayani Santos (Tewksbury, Mass.) out in front for UMass Lowell, finishing 20th out of 48 runners at a time of 7.89. Also competing were junior Bridget Geary (Lowell, Mass.) (31st, 8.15), sophomore Meredith Feener (Walpole, Mass.) (35th, 8.31), senior Danielle Thompson (Groton, Mass.) (38th, 8.37), and junior Soria Roberts (Warwick, N.Y.) (40th, 8.45), all of whom earned personal bests in the 60m dash event. 

Sophomore Salma Boukhtam (Quincy, Mass.) led the pack of River Hawk runners in the one-mile run, earning 14th place with a new personal-best time of 5:08.56. Sophomore Georgia Brooks (Groton, Mass.) and sophomore Lauren Long (Lunenburg, Mass.) closely followed, with Brooks taking 16th place at a personal-best time of 5:08.96 and Long finishing in 19th place with a new personal-best time of 5:15.14. Also running were senior Kylie Marion (Baldwinville, Mass.) (21st, 5:17.42), junior Nubia Pereira (Woburn, Mass.) (22nd, 5:19.77), junior Katharine Cottone (Little Falls, N.J.) (23rd, 5:19.88), graduate student Delaney Swanson (Swanzey, N.H.) (25th, 5:26.14), and freshman Gracie Richard (Weymouth, Mass.) (26th, 5:26.77), who all remained close together in the one-mile event. 

The 600m run followed, with junior Emily Burdick (Billerica, Mass.) and senior Raihana Yameogo (Dillsburg, Pa.) finishing back-to-back, with Burdick placing ninth at a new personal best time of 1:37.78, while Yameogo finished in 10th place at 1:38.38. Junior Julie Condon claimed 13th place with a time of 1:39.59, before sophomore Isabel McIntyre (Dover, N.H.) (17th, Personal Best 1:47.55) and sophomore Alyssa Fiorino (Billerica, Mass.) (18th, Personal Best 1:48.82) rounded out the River Hawks. Santos gave her all in the 300m run, earning second place with a time of 39.39. Following her, Geary (27th, 43.01), Thompson (28th, 43.10) and Feener (29th, 43.16) completed the for UMass Lowell lineup. 

In the 1000m run, sophomore Brenna Corcoran (Haverhill, Mass.) was the solo competitor for the River Hawks, placing 18th at a personal-best time of 3:00.05. The 3000m run followed, as senior Miana Caraballo (Methuen, Mass.) crossed first for UMass Lowell, claiming 12th place at a time of 10:18.86. Freshman Krista Bettez (Gardner, Mass.) took 17th place at 10:44.51, and senior Mia Jones (Blacksburg, Va.) in 18th place at 10:45.69, before junior Lena Takahashi (Holden, Mass.) rounded out the River Hawks in the 3000m event. 

The team prepares for their third meet of January, heading to Boston University for the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invite, taking place in Boston, Mass., next Saturday and Sunday, January 23 and 24.