MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (January 11, 2020) -- Sophomore Paola Brena (Queretaro, Mexico) is currently ranked first in the nation in the high jump, following her performance on Saturday at the Middlebury Winter Classic. Brena was victorious in the high jump by clearing 1.76 meters, and helped the Franklin Pierce University women's track & field team to a meet victory. The Ravens chalked up 143 points in the six-team meet to edge out second-place Middlebury (135 points) and third-place Plattsburgh State (132 points).

The sprints fared well for the Ravens on Saturday. Freshman Nyjah Young-Bey (Montclair, N.J.) took first place in the 60-meter dash with her spring of 8.00 seconds. Fellow freshman Julieth Nwosu (Brockton, Mass.) took fourth place in the event with a time of 8.36 seconds. Young-Bey returned again to dominate the 200 meters, where she once again took first after her 25.71-second time, which met the NEICAAA Championships qualifying standard in the event. Freshman Destini Hill-Edwards (Paget, Bermuda) took fourth with her 27.10-second time for the dash.

Franklin Pierce chalked up wins in both the men's and women's meets at Middlebury on Saturday, much to the delight of the coaching staff.

"It was a good, and somewhat surprising, couple of wins for our programs today," said head coach Zach Emerson after the meet. "We are very proud overall, because it really shows that the athletes did their winter workouts over the past month during the holiday break."

In the middle distances, the Ravens swept the top five spots in the 1000-meter run. Sophomore Alana Thompson (Westampton, N.J.) led the pack with her 3:17 time. She was followed by senior Julia Cormier (Northwood, N.H.), who ran a 3:24. Junior Marisa Carbone (Scarborough, Maine) was next with a 3:26. After that was freshman Nadia Cathcart (Hyde Park, N.Y.), who ran a 3:28, and sophomore Alena Masterson (Pelham, N.H.), who ran a 3:31. In seventh was freshman Victoria Van Houten (Wantage, N.J.), who ran a 3:33. Junior Marissa Farago (Salisbury, Mass.) ran the 3k and took second in the event with her 11:25 time. Junior Lauren Stankiewicz (Naugatuck, Conn.) followed shortly behind, with her 12:09 time to take fifth place.

In the 4x400-meter relay, Franklin Pierce took second place with their 4:17 time. They were composed of Hill-Edwards, Cathcart, Thompson, and Young-Bey. The Ravens also had a squad notch a fifth-place finish with a 4:41 time. The lineup consisted of junior Sara Joyce (Pepperell, Mass.), Cormier, freshman Stephanie Manu (Boston, Mass.) and Masterson.

"Nyjah Young-Bey had a phenomenal day by sweeping the short sprints and anchoring the 4x400-meter relay team," added Emerson. "It was great to see, especially considering her most dangerous event is the longer, 400-meter sprint."

Franklin Pierce saw success in field events beyond Brena's high jump as well, including sophomore Stephanie Phoenix (Wallingford, Conn.), who took second place in the pole vault by clearing 2.75 meters. In the shot put, Nwosu took first place by throwing 13.55 meters, which met the NEICAAA qualifying standard. Senior Katey Comstock (Windsor, Vt.) took third with her 11.56-meter throw. She was followed by sophomore Samantha DeSouza (Sebago, Maine), who took fourth for her 11.06-meter throw. Senior Olivia Mabbett (Milford, N.H.) added a second-place finish in the high jump beyond Brena, by getting up and over 1.50 meters.

The Ravens will be back at it on Saturday, Jan. 18, for the Bates Invitational in Lewiston, Maine.

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' brand new online store (https://www.shopfpuravens.com).