CCSU Qualifies Three for ECAC's at UConn and Bucknell
Junior Sierra Nesmith led CCSU at UConn with an ECAC, personal record 400m hurdle time.
The Central Connecticut women's outdoor track and field team competed at the UConn Northeast Challenge and the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic on Saturday. CCSU sent junior Dawn Hubbell and senior Brittany Mendelson to Bucknell to run in the 10,000 meter event in Lewisburg, PA. Mendelson placed 13th overall with a time of 35:56.77 and Hubbell placed 26th with a time of 37:25.89, both of which met ECAC qualifying standards.
At UConn, CCSU competed three freshman in the 800 meter run, led by Angie Rafter who took fifth overall with a collegiate best time of 2:15.93. Kailyn Accetura finished 20th with a personal record time of 2:43.15 and Kaitlyn Stevens was close behind in 22nd place with a mark of 2:47.72.
Sophomore Erica Snape placed 24th in the 200 meter run with a time of 26.18 seconds.
Sophomore Megan Brawner clocked in a new personal record 1,500 meter run time of 4:39.55 to place fourth overall. Stevens was 28th with a time of 5:35.94.
Senior Olivia Mondo placed third in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 19:13.39 and freshman Kiley Rodriguez placed fifth with a time of 19:42.51, a personal best mark.
CCSU took 10th and 11th place in the 100 meter hurdles, with sophomore Hailey Rospierksi running a time of 14.77 seconds and senior Melissa Wolliston finishing at 14.78 seconds, respectively.
Junior Sierra Nesmith posted the top Blue Devil finish of the day, winning the 400 meter hurdles with an ECAC qualifying, personal best time of 1:00.86. Junior McKenna Kilian was seventh with a time of 1:04.64 and Wolliston turned in a time of 1:05.11 in ninth place.
The Blue Devil 4x100 meter relay team of Snape, Kilian, senior Alleah Red, and sophomore Arianna Taft placed ninth with a time of 49.55 seconds.
The 4x400 realy team took 11th place with a time of 4:28.72 (Taft, Rafter, Brawner, Accetura).
Rospierski finished fourth with a collegiate personal best mark of 1.67 meters. Nesmith was sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 11.51 meters.
In the throwing events, sophomore Celine Delice placed 13th in the discus with a mark of 29.36 meters.
Junior Abrah Toomey led Central in the hammer throw in 19th place with a throw of 42.10 meters. Sophomore Valerie Hernandez threw for a mark of 34.99 meters and Delice recorded a mark of 34.02 meters.
Toomey placed fourth in the javelin with a personal record throw of 38.82 meters and sophomore Gianna D'Amato was fifth with a mark of 37.53m.
The CCSU women's track and field team will compete next Friday and Saturday, April 20-21, at Princeton's Larry Ellis Invitational at Weaver Stadium in Princeton, NJ.