WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State seniors' Kayla Whitcomb (Hubbardston, Mass.) and Mia McDonald (Westfield, Mass.) each won an individual event as the men's and women's track and field teams competed at the Corsair Classic in UMass Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon.
Whitcomb cruised to the finish line at the 5,000 meter by setting a lifetime personal record, distancing herself from the next closest runner by 46 seconds and recording a time of 18:50.43. McDonald paced the field in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, registering a time of 13:08.35.
Whitcomb was one of four Owl runners that set a personal record time in the event as Grace Poplawski (Rowe, Mass.), Molly Kennedy (West Springfield, Mass.), and Lauren Flynn (Upton, Mass.) all ran personal-best times in the event.
First-year Vicky Marin (Greenfield, Mass.) finished in the top five in three separate events, placing second in the 400 meter hurdles (1:11.66), third in the long jump (5.00m) and fifth in the 100 meter hurdles (15.87).
First-year Kerin Johnson (Weymouth, Mass.) added to the list of impact rookie performers, finishing third at the 1,500 meter with a time of 5:03.85. Ariann LeCours (Haverhill, Mass.) was a top ten finisher in the event as well, crossing the finish line at a mark of 5:23.38.
The Owls also had a second place finish from the 4x400 meter relay team made up of Becca Welch (Walpole, Mass.), Paige Moroney (Sterling, Mass.), Savannah Campbell (Walpole, Mass.), and Rayna Consiglio (Worcester, Mass.).
On the men's side, senior Shane Clark (Bellows Falls, Vt.) led the way with a second place finish in the javelin throw at a distance of 55.08m. Clark currently holds a top 25 placement in the country in the event. He also earned a seventh place finish in the shot put event, with a toss of 12.45m.
Senior Mike Maher was another impact contributor on the men's side, placing fourth in the 5,000 meter with a time of 16:14.01.
Sophomore Colby Ranck (Chicopee, Mass.) was a fifth place finisher in both the long jump (6.17m) and the triple jump (12.59m). Senior Owen Ortiz (Turners Falls, Mass.) was a spot ahead of Ranck at the triple jump with a distance of 12.84m.
Senior Lucas Roberts (Charlton, Mass.) sprinted his way to a fifth place spot at the 400 meter at a mark of 53.91.
Rounding off the list of notable performances was sophomore John Nekitopoulos (West Springfield, Mass.) who placed seventh at the 800 meter at a time of 2:07.99.
The men's and women's track and field teams will next compete at the Coast Guard Invitational from Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. on Saturday, April 9 before hosting the Jerry Gravel Invitational from Westfield, Mass. on Saturday the 16th.