Lee, Chandonnet Secure Event Wins, Women Third at Springfield Season Opener
Westfield State juniors’ Tealei Chandonnet (Dracut, Mass.) and Eliza Lee (Walpole, Mass.) both secured individual event victories as the Owls women’s track and field team placed third at the Springfield College Season Opener from Springfield, Mass. on Saturday afternoon.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State juniors' Tealei Chandonnet (Dracut, Mass.) and Eliza Lee (Walpole, Mass.) both secured individual event victories as the Owls women's track and field team placed third at the Springfield College Season Opener from Springfield, Mass. on Saturday afternoon.
Chandonnet set the pace in a pack of Owls athletes in the 3000, finishing first with a time of 10:43.48, crossing the tape 23 seconds faster than Maddie Shea of Springfield College who placed second. Behind Shea were a group of Owls with Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.), Reese Stevens (11:26.72), and Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) finishing in the top five in that order. In total, eight of the top ten spots and 28 of 39 possible points in the event went to Westfield.
Lee picked up right where she left off last season in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She finished first in the 600 by posting a time of 1:42.58. She also recorded a pair of third-place leaps in both the triple jump (10.13m) and long jump with her final attempt in the long jump serving as her top mark at 4.89m.
Sophomore Devin Whalen (Marblehead, Mass.) was second in the 60-meter hurdles, recording a time of 9.82 seconds while first-year Paola Quinones Ramos (Chicopee, Mass.) delivered a strong showing in her first collegiate event with a fourth-place time of 10.17 seconds.
In the mile run, Chandonnet (5:24.40), Hamel (5:36.26), and Stevens (5:37.70) placed 4-6 in the event.
Other notable placements came from Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass.), Bronwyn Pinsly (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Jailene Felix (Westfield, Mass.). Parker was fifth in the 60-meter dash (8.20) and Pinsly was sixth in the shot put with a 10.58m toss on her final attempt. Felix debuted in the 400m, turning in a fourth-place mark at a time of 1:06.44.
The Owls finished with 109 total points, 53 of which coming in distance events. Springfield College won the meet with 207 points followed by Rhode Island College in second with 144 points.
Westfield State will be back in action on Saturday, December 14 as the Owls travel to Dartmouth College December Invite in Hanover, N.H.