RESULTS
When and Where: April 15, 2017 – New London, Conn. (Connecticut College)
Result: Southern New Hampshire University – 5th/17 (77)
Senior Sahara Brown (Center Barnstead, N.H.) and sophomore Ashley Elder (Bristol, Conn.) each picked up event victories on Saturday, as the Southern New Hampshire University women's track and field team finished fifth overall at the Silfen Invitational.
Brown took home the javelin crown and totaled 14 points on the day, while Elder claimed the discus throw and generated 19 points for the Penmen.
In the javelin throw, Brown tallied 10 points after firing the spear 40.54 meters (133 feet). The throw bested the next closest competitor by 1.31 meters and qualified her for the NEICAAAA Outdoor Championships. Junior Ashlee Carper (Plattsburgh, N.Y.) also took part in the event, and turned in the fourth-best performance by a Division II student-athlete with a throw of 27.20 meters (89 feet, 3 inches).
Elder picked up 10 points is the discus throw with a toss of 39.76 meters (130 feet, 5 inches). Her event winning toss topped the leader-board by nearly a full meter and was good enough to qualify for the NEICAAAA Outdoor Championships. Brown slotted in next for the Penmen and registered four points with a fifth-place performance of 33.93 meters (111 feet, 4 inches). Senior Melissa Handy (Durham, Conn.) rounded out the list of Southern New Hampshire performances with a 31.48-meter (103 feet, 3 inches) showing.
After earning five points in the hammer throw with an official distance of 41.12 meters (134 feet, 11 inches), which was fourth overall and second in Division II, Elder led the way for SNHU in the shot put. Elder's heave of 11.89 meters (39 feet, 0.25 inches) slotted her fifth overall and the third-highest in Division II, while also generating four points. Handy checked in just behind her with a 10.32-meter (33 feet, 10.25 inches) hurl, and Carper cracked the top-20 after a 9.50-meter (31 feet, 2 inches) throw. Junior Yawa Agbenowossi (Manchester, N.H.) was fourth for the Penmen with a distance of 8.53 meters (28 feet).
Sophomore Kylie Lorenzen (Holliston, Mass.) was one of three Southern New Hampshire student-athletes in the top-15 of Saturday's long jump, and checked into the top-five of the event. Lorenzen launched herself 5.40 meters (17 feet, 8.75 inches), which was fourth overall, third in Division II and provided the Penmen with five points. Carper was next with a 4.65-meter (15 feet, 3.25 inches) final, which narrowly edged out sophomore Sydney Blais (Pascoag, R.I.), who was next with a distance of 4.63 meters (15 feet, 2.25 inches).
Southern New Hampshire grabbed eight points in the relay events, as both the 4x100-meter relay team and the 4x400-meter squad finished in the top two amongst Division II institutions. The 4x100-meter team, which consisted of senior Sklyer Shugrue (Worcester, Mass.), graduate student Gitara King (Manchester, N.H.), Blais and Lorenzen compiled a time of 51.53 seconds, which was the fastest in Division II, fourth-best overall and garnered five points. In the 4x400, freshmen Jill Couto (Newton Junction, N.H.), Megan Eugene (Everett, Mass.) and Natalie Gallagher (Windham, N.H.) joined King to clock an official time of four minutes, 22.84 seconds, which was sixth overall and second in Division II.
Freshman Alanna Murphy (Nashua, N.H.) continued to shine in the 100-meter hurdles, as she was the top freshman finisher and slotted in second overall. Murphy cleared the hurdles in 14.86 seconds for eight points while Gallagher navigated the event in 17.09 seconds, which tacked on two additional points for Southern New Hampshire and was the seventh-fastest time overall. Carper rounded out the Penmen contingent in 17.43.
Seven points were added to the Penmen total at the conclusion of the 1500-meter run, as a pair of SNHU racers finished in the top-10. Freshman Jill Dieterich (Commack, N.Y.) was sixth overall and third in Division II in four minutes, 54.39 seconds, which brought in four points. Freshman Madison Brand (Valhalla, N.Y.) was next across the line in 4:57.65 to grab three points, while junior Maddie Bardier (Pembroke, N.H.) and Eliane Cabral (Parts Unknown, Mass.) completed the Penmen contingent in 5:14.42 and 7:13.03, respectively.
Lorenzen netted six more points in the 400-meter run, as she topped the Division II field in 1:00.58. Couto was next in for SNHU in 1:02.60, before Eugene traversed the track in 1:06.99. Senior Megan Brown (Derry, N.H.) also took part in the 400-meter run, and clocked a time of 1:14.34.
The 200-meter dash featured two Penmen in the top-10 and four in the top-25. Shugrue topped the list of SNHU harriers in 28.06 seconds, which was ninth overall and third in Division II. Lorenzen was just behind her in 28.07, while King and Blais went back-to-back at Nos. 22 and 23 in 28.74 and 28.75, respectively. Eugen was next in for Southern New Hampshire in 29.11 before Megan Brown capped the Penmen competitors in 32.09.
Couto finished first in Division II and tallied a point in the 800-meter run. She crossed the line in two minutes, 23.67 seconds, which narrowly outpaced Dieterich, who chalked up a time of 2:27.76 to slot in third in Division II and No. 26 overall. Bardier completed the group of Penmen participants in 2:40.75.
Senior Laura O'Hanlon (Dedham, Mass.) was second in Division II and No. 27 overall in the 5000-meter run. O'Hanlon wrapped up her performance in 19 minutes, 3.55 seconds before sophomore Ashley Dennis (Coventry, R.I.) netted a time of 19.49.03. Senior Devanee Ebert (Reading, Mass.) closed out the event in 23:11.
A trio of Penmen posted top-25 finishes in the 100-meter dash. Blais was the top Penmen Saturday in 13.23 seconds and was just .04 seconds away from the top-10. Shugrue was next across the line in the event in 13.24 before Gallagher generated a time of 13.57.
Notes:
- The event was hosted by Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. The host Camels claimed the team title with 107.50 points, and were followed by Trinity College (90), Franklin Pierce University (84.50) and the University of New Haven (82).
- Gallagher also took part in the 400-meter hurdles, and navigated through in 1:14.26.
- Murphy joined junior Amber Herrington (Burlington Township, N.J.) in the heptathlon. Murphy grabbed six points with a fourth-place finish (3,871), while Herrington added a point with a ninth-place performance (3,253).
What's Next:
The Penmen are back in action Saturday (April 22) when they head to the Sean Collier Invite on the campus of MIT for a 10 a.m. start.
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