RESULTS
When and Where: April 8, 2017 – Springfield, Mass. (American International College)
Result: Southern New Hampshire University 4th/18 (58)
Sophomore Ashley Elder (Bristol, Conn.) captured the discus event with a meet record and personal best throw on Saturday to help lead the Southern New Hampshire University women's track and field team to a fourth-place finish at the Yellow Jacket Invite, which was hosted by American International College. The Penmen compiled a team total of 58 points to slot in behind Stonehill College (167.83), Assumption College (99) and Southern Connecticut State University (82).
Elder's discus win was one of three event titles for Southern New Hampshire, as senior Sahara Brown (Center Barnstead, N.H.) and freshman Alanna Murphy (Nashua, N.H.) picked up victories in the javelin throw and 100-meter hurdles, respectively.
Elder hurled the discus a distance of 42.38 meters (139 feet) to take top honors and earn 10 points for the Penmen. Her throw was 6.19 meters (20 feet, 4 inches) ahead of the next closest competitor, and bested her previous personal record of 41.22 meters (135 feet, 3 inches). Brown also took part in the discus, and cracked the top-20 with a 27.62-meter (90 feet, 7 inches) performance.
Brown tacked on an additional 10 points in the throws for Southern New Hampshire, as she fired the javelin 41.67 meters (136 feet, 8 inches) to finish first overall and provisionally qualify for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. The javelin also featured freshman Leah Carfagno (Billerica, Mass.), who turned in a throw of 21.46 meters (70 feet, 5 inches).
Elder rounded out her day with another two points, as she finished seventh overall with a heave of 11.48 meters (37 feet, 8 inches). Freshman Jalisa Allen (Foxboro, Mass.) slotted in next for the Penmen with a 9.26-meter (30 feet, 4.75 inches) showing to finish No. 25 overall. Junior Yawa Agbenowossi (Manchester, N.H.) set a new personal benchmark Saturday in the shot put, as her toss landed at 8.24 meters (27 feet, 5 inches), which eclipsed her previous mark of 8.15 meters (26 feet, 9 inches).
Murphy personally accounted for 18 points Saturday, with 10 coming in the 100-meter hurdles and eight more in the triple jump. She cruised to the 100 hurdles crown in 15.48 seconds, and classmate Natalie Gallagher (Windham, N.H.) clocked a top-10 time amongst Division II competitors in 17.35 seconds. Murphy topped the list of Division II student-athletes in the triple jump and checked in second overall after traveling 10.60 meters (34 feet, 9.5 inches).
In the 800-meter run, Southern New Hampshire picked up a combined nine points and three of the four Penmen registered personal bests. Freshman Jill Couto (Newton Junction, N.H.) led the way with a time of two minutes, 23.57 seconds, which was the third fastest overall, second-best in Division II and a new personal record. In addition to Couto's six points, classmate Jill Dieterich (Commack, N.Y.) picked up three points after turning in an official time of 2:25.64, which was the fourth quickest in DII and sixth overall. Junior Maddie Bardier (Pembroke, N.H.) was next in for SNHU with a personal best time of 2:35.87, before sophomore Ashley Dennis (Coventry, R.I.) posted the fastest time of her career in 2:42.69 to round of the Penmen contingent.
Dennis submitted the top performance for SNHU in the 1500-meter run, as she traversed the track in five minutes, 29.42 seconds. Senior Devanee Ebert (Reading, Mass.) followed in 6:30.84, and freshman Eliane Cabral (Parts Unknown, Mass.) completed the group of Penmen harriers with a 6:58.41 showing.
Sophomore Kylie Lorenzen (Holliston, Mass.) collected the final three individual points on Saturday in the long jump. Lorenzen launched herself 4.90 meters (16 feet, one inch) to come in fifth overall, and sophomore Sydney Blais (Pascoag, R.I.) was also in the top-25 with a top distance of 4.50 meters (14 feet, 9.25 inches). Junior Amber Herrington (Burlington Township, N.J.) narrowly missed out on the top-25, as her 4.34-meter (14 feet, three inches) outing placed her at No. 26.
Lorenzen led Southern New Hampshire in the 200-meter dash as well, and two Penmen student-athletes put forth personal bests in the event. Lorenzen was No. 15 overall in 26.83 seconds, while Herrington was just behind her in 27.44 seconds. Senior Skyler Shugrue (Worcester, Mass.) was next across with a personal record of 27.56, which topped her previous mark of 27.61. After graduate student Gitara King (Manchester, N.H.) clocked a 28.07, Blais crossed the line in 28.54 prior to freshman Megan Eugene (Everett, Mass.) generating a 29.25. Senior Megan Brown (Derry, N.H.) generated a personal best of 31.84 to top her prior PR of 33.99, which was set in 2015.
Shugrue eased her way to a personal record in the 100-meter dash in 13.01 seconds, knocking off her previous best of 13.18 and putting her just one-tenth of a second outside the top-10. King followed in 13.32 before Blais notched a PR of 13.46. Eugen was next in for the Penmen in 14.25, and Megan Brown rounded out the event for Southern New Hampshire in 14.69. Brown added an additional PR in the 400-meter dash with a time of one minute, 14.04 seconds, which was just behind Eugene's mark of 1:07.47.
Notes:
- Southern New Hampshire compiled six points in Saturday's relays. The 4x400-meter 'A' team finished fourth overall in a time of four minutes, 22.08 seconds to chalk up five points. The SNHU 'B' team also netted a top-10 showing in 4:35.24. The 4x100-meter team grabbed a single point after moving the baton around the track in 51.81 seconds.
- Elder also finished in the top-10 of the hammer throw with a hurl of 39.18 meters (128 feet, six inches).
- Gallagher took part in the 400-meter hurdles as well Saturday, and completed the event in one minutes, 18.75 seconds.
What's Next:
Southern New Hampshire returns to action Saturday (April 15) when it takes part in the Silfen Invitational, which is hosted by Connecticut College, at 10 a.m.
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