Women’s Track & Field Places Fifth at Middlebury Invitational
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (January 25, 2020) -- The Franklin Pierce University women's track & field team competed on Saturday at the Middlebury Invitational, where the Ravens placed fifth out of nine teams.
The distance runners were strong throughout the meet for the Ravens. Freshman Victoria Van Houten (Wantage, N.J.) placed fifth in the 1000-meter run after her 3:27 finish. Fellow freshman Nadia Cathcart (Hyde Park, N.Y.) came in just after Van Houten to take sixth for a 3:29 run. She was followed by sophomore Alena Masterson (Pelham, N.H.), who ran the race in 3:35 to claim seventh place. In the mile, sophomore Alana Thompson (Westampton, N.J.) took fourth for her 5:25 race. Later, senior Julia Cormier (Northwood, N.H.) took seventh in the 5,000-meter run when she ran in 19:44.
Field events also fared well for the Ravens. After her 1.55-meter jump, senior Olivia Mabbett (Milford, N.H.) took fourth in the high jump. In the pole vault, sophomore Stephanie Phoenix (Wallingford, Conn.) took seventh for her 2.75-meter vault. Per usual, the Ravens took numerous top spots in the shot put. Freshman Julieth Nwosu (Brockton, Mass.) dominated the field, taking first by more than a half-meter for her 12.9-meter throw. Senior Katey Comstock (Windsor, Vt.) took third after her 12.18-meter throw, and was followed by a fourth-place finish from sophomore Samantha DeSouza (Sebago, Maine) and her 11.41-meter throw. A 10.41-meter performance landed freshman Becca Olsen (Newton, N.H.) in seventh place.
Meanwhile, Franklin Pierce also had several student-athletes in action at Boston University this weekend, for the John Thomas Terrier Classic. In the sprints, freshman Destini Hill-Edwards (Paget, Bermuda) chalked up a 14th-place finish and was the third Division II finisher in the 60-meter dash, with a time of 8.12 seconds. Freshman Nyjah Young-Bey (Montclair, N.J.) met the NEICAAA Championships qualifying standard in the 400 meters, with a time of 57.25 seconds to finish 19th.
In the shot put, Nwosu came up shy of her Middlebury throw, with a heave of 12.61 meters, but still scored a top-10 finish by placing ninth.
The Ravens will be back in action next Friday and Saturday, when they travel to Boston for the NEICAAA Championships.
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).