Mendelson Wins 3,000 Meter Run, Women's T&F Tied for Fifth After Day One of NEC's

The Central Connecticut women's indoor track and field team sits in a tie for fifth place after the opening day of the Northeast Conference Indoor Championships on Friday. The Blue Devils tallied 12 points and are currently tied with Wagner through four scored events at the meet, which is being held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, NY.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Junior Brittany Mendelson highlighted the first day of action for the Blue Devils earning a gold medal and 10 points for CCSU after crossing the finish line first in the 3,000 meter run finals with a time of 10:01.65. Mendelson, the reigning NEC cross country individual champion, bested a field of 20 NEC competitors to claim the victory.

Freshman Sierra Nesmith picked up CCSU's other two points in her first NEC Championship encounter, finishing seventh in the long jump. The rookie leapt to a personal-best 5.17 meters to record the result.

After four scored events (out of 17) at the 2016 NEC Indoor Championships, Sacred Heart leads all teams with 39 points. Robert Morris is second with 27 points and Mount St. Mary's is third with 22. Saint Francis U is fourth followed by the Blue Devils and Wagner in a tie for fifth with 12 points each. LIU Brooklyn (8), Fairleigh Dickinson (8), Bryant (6) and St. Francis Brooklyn (1) round out the 10-team field at the end of day one.

Several Blue Devils also qualified for Saturday's finals heats on the opening day of the NEC Championships. Junior Sherise Truman will run in both the 60 meter dash finals and 200 meter dash finals tomorrow after finishing inside the top-eight in both event's preliminary round. Truman clocked in a time of 7.90 in the 60 meter dash prelims and then registered a CCSU school-record breaking time of 25.27 in the 200 meter dash prelims.

A trio of Blue Devils advanced out of the preliminary round in the 60 meter hurdles. Junior's Melissa Wolliston and Sarah Hicks along with freshman Sierra Nesmith all will compete in the finals on Saturday. Wolliston topped the field in the prelims with a time of 8.78, while Hicks and Nesmith clocked in at 8.99 and 9.06, respectfully.

Junior Taylor Boncal and freshman Samantha Hartmayer both qualified for the finals in the 500 meter dash for CCSU. Boncal turned in a personal-best time of 1:17.70 and Hartmayer crossed the finish line at the 1:18.97 mark to advance.

Mendelson will compete in the women's mile run final for the Blue Devils on Saturday after she clocked in a time of 5:15.12 in the preliminary round.

Day two of the 2016 NEC Indoor Championships are set to get underway at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday with the women's weight throw and the men's and women's triple jump. The first track event is scheduled to begin at approximately 10 a.m. with the men's 60 meter hurdles final.