Lambert Takes Mile, Quartet Post Top-Five Finishes for Women’s Track & Field at Season-Opening UMass Boston Indoor Open

Sophomore notches top NE-10 time on young season

BOSTON, Mass. (December 7, 2013) – Sophomore Alyssa Lambert (Manchester, N.H.) ran a 5:18.37 to win the mile for the Franklin Pierce University women's track and field team on Saturday in its season opener, the UMass Boston Indoor Open, held at Reggie Lewis Center. In all, the Ravens picked up four top-five finishes in the meet.

Lambert stole the show for Franklin Pierce, as she posted her victory in the mile by nearly three seconds (2.74) over Tufts junior Meg Gillis. After conversion due to the size of the track at Reggie Lewis Center, the time is the top mark posted by a Northeast-10 competitor -- by more than five seconds -- on the season's opening weekend.

The other top-five finish on the track for the Ravens came from freshman Breigh Souliere (Cumberland, R.I.) in the 60-meter hurdles. She qualified sixth with a time of 9.84 in her preliminary heat and then shaved another tenth of a second off that time with a 9.72 in the final to place fifth.

Elsewhere on the track, two more Ravens finished just outside the top five with sixth-place finishes. In the 200-meter dash, freshman Melanie Hill (Danbury, Conn.) placed sixth with a mark of 26.82. In the 3000 meters, sophomore Doria Brown (Little Falls, N.J.) finished sixth by stopping the clock at 11:11.86.

Franklin Pierce's remaining top-five finishes both came in field events, courtesy of freshman Brooke Simmons (Dunbarton, N.H.) and sophomore Danielle Demers (Auburn, Maine). The former finished fifth in the long jump with a jump of 5.02 meters, while the latter placed fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 10.29 meters. For Simmons, the distance currently ranks fifth in the Northeast-10.

Of note in the throwing events, sophomore Nadine Hyde (Maple Valley, Wash.) notched a personal best in the weight throw, with a heave of 11.37 meters, which was good for 10th place on Saturday.

The meet was not scored from a team perspective.

The Ravens return to action on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Jay Carisella Invite, hosted by Northeastern.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce track and field apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).