Saints Track & Field Heads For GNAC Championship Meet at Regis

BOSTON – Voted No. 2 in the Women's Pre-Championship Poll and No. 4 in the Men's Pre-Championship Poll, the Emmanuel Saints outdoor track and field programs head for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Meet, a two-day event held Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28, at the Regis College Athletic Complex.

The Saints women's program is seeking its third-straight GNAC Championship after claiming the title in 2022 and 2023. Only the host school, Regis, was voted ahead of the Saints in the 2024 Pre-Championship Poll, claiming 23 points compared to the 22 points amassed by Emmanuel.

As it was for the Saints in the title-winning GNAC Indoor Meet of 2024 and the Championship Outdoor Meet in 2023, it's the Saints depth of scoring points that gives them the best chance at victory. In the Indoor win, only one Saint claimed victory in an event while the outdoor title last season came with just three athletes winning an event.

The GNAC Performance list for the outdoor season highlights the top competitors in specific events and compares each runner by their best time on the season to all other runners in the GNAC and their best time. It holds a similar function in field events, comparing an athlete's best field result over the season to other field athlete's best results.

One of many leading the charge in that depth is junior Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.) who sits first on the Performance List among GNAC competitors in the triple jump and long jump, second in high jump, and third in both the 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles.

Earlier this season, Robinson set new program records in the triple jump and long jump and has qualified for the New England Division III Outdoor Championships in those two events.

Two of the top three competitors in the pole vault come from sophomore Paula Salazar (Cumberland, R.I.) and senior Beverly Browne (Amesbury, Mass.). Salazar holds the top spot on the Performance List, clearing the bar at 2.43 meters earlier this season. Browne is third on the list with a clearance at 2.13 meters. Browne also holds fifth place on the Performance List in the 100-meter hurdles.

Throughout the field, seniors Alyssa French-Graham (Waterbury, Conn.) and Sasha Hyacinthe (Stoughton, Mass.), and first-year Ava Fisher (Abington, Mass.) are all second in their respective events on the Performance List.

French-Graham's hammer throw of 37.00 meters, Hyacinthe's shot put of 9.98 meters, and Fisher's javelin of 32.80 meters, are all within striking distance of the top-spot on the Performance List entering the two-day, Championship Meet.

On the track, sophomore Reilly Slusser (White River Junction, Vt.) holds three different, top-four Performance List times. Slusser is second in the 400 meters at 1:02.44, third in the 200 meters at 27.66, and fourth in the 100 meters 13.45.

Senior Emma Krantz (Manchester, N.H.) is third on the Performance List in the 10,000 meters after a time of 44:46.86. The distance runner is also seventh in the 5,000 meters with a time of 21:26.39. First-year Kendall Newton (Gloucester, Mass.) holds a pair of fifth spots on the Performance List, coming in the 800 meters at 2:38.34 and the 1,500 meters at 5:28.99.  

The Saints men were voted fourth in the Pre-Championship Poll after totaling nine points, sitting three points clear of Lasell.

Sophomore Pierre Paul Labossiere (Port au Prince, Haiti) holds three of the top-five spots on the Performance List in the triple jump, high jump, and 400-meter hurdles. Labossiere has the top performance in the triple jump in the GNAC with a distance of 12.60 meters. His high jump clearance of 1.78 meters is third-best while his 400 hurdles time of 1:02.43 is fifth on the list.

First-year Nicholas Ware (Rehoboth, Mass.) has a pair of second-place spots on the Performance List in two different ling distance events. Ware ranks second in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:44.26 and second in the 10,000 meters with a time of 36:36.46.

Junior Justin Elkin (Fairfax, Va.) has two spots in the top-five in the field entering the weekend. Elkin's javelin of 37.05 meters is fourth-best in the GNAC while his shot put of 11.29 meters is good for fifth.

Regis was voted one-point ahead of the Saints women's program, taking top spot in the Championship Poll. Senior Ashleigh Kelley holds three top performances in mid-and-long distance this season while first-year Colleen Curran has top-three performances in the heptathlon, long jump, and pole vault.

Saint Joseph's of Maine men's program was selected as the favorite in the men's poll. Gathering four of five first-place votes and 24 total points, the Monks track athletes dominate the top-three spots on numerous events on the Performance List. In the field, they have the top-rated javelin, hammer throw, discus, and shot put.

The final element of the weekend is the weather forecast for the competitors. Saturday appears to be a sunny afternoon with temperatures in the mid-60s. As for Sunday, morning showers will give way to some sun and clouds with temps similar to Saturday.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GNAC WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PERFORMANCE LIST

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GNAC MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PERFORMANCE LIST