Track & Field Finds Success at Pair of Last Chance Meets
RINDGE, N.H. (February 24, 2019) – Across a pair of last chance meets this weekend, the Franklin Pierce University track & field team posted a total of five NCAA Championships provisional qualifying marks, four event wins and three school records on the final weekend of the indoor season. The Ravens had student-athletes in action at both the Boston University Last Chance Qualifier on Friday and the Southern Connecticut State University Last Chance Meet on Sunday. As the names imply, this weekend's meets were the final chance for athletes to post marks to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The women had three of the weekend's four event winners, as senior Lilian Baah (Danielson, Conn.) won the triple jump, freshman Paola Brena (Queretaro, Mexico) won the high jump and freshman Stephanie Phoenix (Wallingford, Conn.) won the pole vault, all at the SCSU meet. Baah posted a mark of 11.66 meters in the triple jump, while Brena cleared 1.68 meters in the high jump, both of which met NCAA provisional standards. Meanwhile, Phoenix was able to vault over 3.20 meters, which set a new program record.
The women's team got another school record at BU, where freshman Alana Thompson (Westampton, N.J.) finished 25th, with a time of 2:18.94. The program record she broke was previously held by two-time All-American Alyssa Lambert '16.
Meanwhile, the men's team hit a trio of NCAA provisional marks over the weekend. Junior Trevor Guay (Londonderry, N.H.) started things off at SCSU, with a run of 49.34 seconds to win the 400 meters. He did nearly a full second better two days later, with a time of 48.35 seconds to place 15th at BU. The latter time now stands as the school record in the event.
Lastly, the most impressive number from a national standpoint came from sophomore Hugo Arlabosse (Marseille, France), who finished third in the 800 meters at BU. His time of 1:49.76 met the NCAA provisional mark and is currently ranked sixth in the nation.
The Ravens expect to have multiple student-athletes selected to compete in the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 8-9 in Pittsburg, Kan. NCAA Championships selections will be officially announced at ncaa.com on Tuesday evening.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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 & field apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).