NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts (February 17, 2019) – The Stonehill College women's track and field team, ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II East Regional Computer Rankings and 88th in the Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index earned their sixth-straight Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship Sunday afternoon at Smith College Indoor Track Facility.
The women's squad totaled 166 points and 17 total All-Conference nods, with 12 All-Conference on day two, for their sixth-straight NE10 Indoor Championship, while Assumption College combined for 120 points and finished second in the Conference. Southern Connecticut State University placed third with 68 points, while American International College (62 points) and the College of Saint Rose (54 points) rounded out the top five teams.
With the program's sixth-straight NE10 Indoor Track and Field Championship under their belt, the Skyhawks have also won 11-straight Championships including cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field. Over the past 17 NE10 Championships, Stonehill women have won 16.
Krista Fernandes captured her first-career individual NE10 Championship as she clocked in a time of 57.84-seconds in the 400-meter run. Fernandes also qualified for the 60-meter hurdles, finishing eighth in the finals on day two. The senior contributed to the 4x400-meter relay team to bring her total to eight All-Conference honors in her career, with a third place finish.
After finishing first in the preliminary round of the 60-meter dash, Olivia Dexter finished second overall with a time of 7.63-seconds. The senior saw her second All-Conference recognition of the day after finishing third in the 200-meter final with a time of 25.27-seconds. This brings her career total to 15 NE10 All-Conference honors.
Jillian Caiazzi earned her 13th All-Conference honor with a second-place finish in the 800-meter run, clocking in a time of 2:18.42. Alyssa Freeman followed the senior with a time of 2:19.70 for her eighth-career All-Conference honor and a third-place finish. Kelly Higgins placed fifth to assist the Skyhawks in team points clocking in at a career best time of 2:22.21.
Anna Lastra totaled her 13th All-Conference honor in her career with a runner-up mark in the mile running the event in 5:06.50. Sophomore Jillian Howard followed behind with her in third place with her second All-Conference recognition crossing the finish line in a career best time of 5:14.03. Isabella Kennedy was the Skyhawks' final runner in the mile event, earning herself a top-10 mark with a 10th-place finish and a career best time of 5:26.92.
Sophomore Sophia Anderle made her way through the pack as she posted a second-place finish in the 3000-meter run for her third All-Conference honor and a career best time of 10:21.86. Siobhan O'Keefe placed seventh with a career best time of 10:40.43.
Stonehill saw four women earn points in the 60-meter hurdles final including Zoe Smith, Savanna Macaluso, Casey Gannon, and Fernandes. After breaking the previous school record yesterday, Smith finished second with a time of 8.95-seconds for her first All-Conference honor. Macaluso placed sixth overall with her career best time of 9.29-seconds, as Gannon followed in seventh with her time of 9.35-seconds.
The 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of Gannon, Ashley Colarusso, Claire Hurtado, and Fernandes clocked in a time of 4:03.30 adding to the Skyhawks' All-Conference total. The 4x800-meter relay team consisting of Howard, Claire Mason, Lastra, and Higgins also finished third with the anchor leg crossing the finish line at 9:43.82 for the relays' third All-Conference recognition in the two-day event.
Madison Ward earned the only All-Conference honor for the high jump squad with her mark of 5 feet, 5.25 inches, finishing third out of 21 competitors totaling her second-career All-Conference nod. Jessydoris Iwuala and Kathleen Giusti tied for fifth with a mark of 5 feet, 3.25 inches.
Shayla Lyons and Elizabeth Balzarini competed their second event of weekend, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Lyons tossed the shot put a distance of 40 feet, 7.50 inches, while Balzarini hit a career best mark of 40 feet, 6.75 inches. Krista Stracqualursi rounded out the top-10 with a career best measurement of 37 feet, 9.25 inches.
Stonehill will send a select group to the BU Last Chance Meet on Sunday, February 24, hosted by Boston University at the BU Track & Tennis Center in Boston, Massachusetts to better their times for the NCAA Division II performance list.