RESULTS
When and Where: March 30, 2019 – Dartmouth, Mass. (UMass Dartmouth Corsair Classic)
Result: Southern New Hampshire University – 1st/16 (136.5)
In its final tuneup before the first home meets of the season, the Southern New Hampshire University Track & Field team turned in a strong effort, winning the UMass Dartmouth Corsair Classic in blustery, cool conditions on Saturday. The Penmen earned 136.5 points, besting a field of 16 women's programs.
Sophomore Megan Decker (Durham, Conn.) won two individual races and was a part of a first-place relay team to top all Penmen scorers on the day. Decker ran a personal best of 12.97 to take the 100 meter dash, and also won the 200 meter at 26.78.
The Penmen earned a first-place finish in the 4x400 relay, a team which included freshman Meghan Stroh (New Fairfield, Conn.), Decker, junior Jill Couto (Newton Junction, N.H.) and freshman Olivia Coco (Bedford, N.H.). The winning time was 4:16.40. SNHU also finished seventh in the race with a team of freshman Ashley Corcoran (East Longmeadow, Mass.), junior Madison Brand (Valhalla, N.Y.), freshman Eliza Fandel (Reading, Mass.) and freshman Jordan Woodford (Berkley, Mass.).
Decker joined teammates senior Sydney Blais (Pascoag, R.I.), Stroh and junior Sam Cummings (Peabody, Mass.) for a second-place finish in the 4x100 relay.
In other track events - Couto and Coco finished fourth and fifth in the 400 meter dash, and the Penmen had three runners in the top six positions in the 1500 meter run. Brand was the top runner on the team, finishing second in a 5:02.29. Freshman Grace Henson (Cumberland, R.I.) wound up in third place and junior Jill Dieterich (Commack, N.Y.) was sixth.
Senior Ashley Elder (Bristol, Conn.) competed in two events on Saturday, winning both the discus throw (46.85m) and the hammer throw (48.33m). The discus throw was a personal record and a new school record. Junior Jalisa Allen (Foxboro, Mass.) had her best ever discus throw at 35.49m while finishing fourth. Freshman Tatyanna Beckford (Orange, N.J.) finished ninth in the discus throw and turned in a new career mark of 34.57m in the javelin throw. Beckford finished fifth in the javelin. Freshman Bennie Alula (Hartford, Conn.) came in eighth in the hammer throw with a 36.09m toss.
Also scoring in the Corsair were senior Mary Claffey (Burlington, Conn.), freshman Makayla Norton (Dudley, Mass.), and junior Alanna Murphy (Nashua, N.H.). Murphy didn't win any events, but turned in solid efforts with a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles (16.44), a fourth in the 400 hurdles (1:10.65), and a seventh in the long jump. Blais was the top SNHU performer in the long jump, turning in a fifth place finish with a 4.94m. Claffey finished third in the pole vault with a new personal best of 2.95m and a tie for eighth at 1.45m in the high jump. Norton earned two points for the team with her seventh place finish in the triple jump. Corcoran ran the 400 hurdles in 1:11.40, which was fifth place.
Notes:
- After SNHU (136.5) came Eastern Connecticut State (108.5), Springfield College (107.5) and Westfield State (96.5).
What's Next:
Southern New Hampshire will host its first home meet of the season on Saturday, April 6. The 2019 Penmen Spring Invitational starts at 10:00 a.m. at Penmen Stadium.
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Sign up to receive text message alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams here.
