Saints Women Take Second, Men Place Third at GNAC Track and Field Championships

WESTON, Mass. - Emmanuel Saints men's and women's track and field took home a pair of podium finishes at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship, with the women's program scoring 176 points, good for second place, and the men's program scoring 74 points for a third-place finish, over the two-day meet at the Regis Athletic Complex.

In the women's event, the host team, Regis College, claimed victory while compiling 189 points to become the first three-time GNAC Women's Champion in Outdoor Track and Field. On the men's side, Saint Joseph's College ran away with the title, scoring 283 points in route to a 100-point win over second place Regis.

For the Saints women, junior Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.) claimed the GNAC Individual Title in the triple jump and the high jump on Sunday. Robinson's triple jump of 11.40 meters (37' 5.0") set a program record while her high jump clearance of 1.52 meters (4' 11.75") was also good enough to claim the individual crown. The junior jumper added a second-place finish in the long jump, breaking her own program record in the event with a distance of 5.37 meters (17' 7.50").

Senior Alyssa French-Graham (Waterbury, Conn.) won the GNAC Individual crown in the discus for the Saints. With a throw of 32.18 meters (105' 7.0"), French-Graham took home the victory in the discus. Senior Shakirah Ketant (Easton, Mass.) placed second in the event with her throw of 31.94 meters (104' 9.0").

The last of the women's title-winning Saints came from the 4x400 meter relay team of sophomore Emily Greene (Swansea, Mass.), junior Caroline Carey (Braintree, Mass.), first-year Amy Proulx (Littleton, Mass.), and sophomore Reilly Slusser (White River Junction, Vt.), who ran the event in 4:13.23, besting second place Regis by nearly 16 seconds.

Despite not claiming an individual title on the men's side, numerous Saints contributed to the third-place finish, helping match the best finish by the program in the five-year history of the GNAC Outdoor Championships.

Not accounting for his point production in the relays, sophomore Pierre Paul Labossiere (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) contributed 19 points to the Saints with a second-place finish in the triple jump and two third-place finishes in the long jump and high jump. Labossiere's triple jump of 13.05 meters (42' 9.75") not only set a new PR but was good enough to qualify him for the New England Division III Championships next weekend.

Junior Justin Elkin (Fairfax, Va.) added 13 points to the Saints total with a second-place finish in the discus with a throw of 35.18 meters (115' 5.0"), a fourth place in the javelin, and a sixth place in the shot put. All three events that Elkin placed in set new PR's.

First-year Nicholas Ware (Rehoboth, Mass.) helped post a dozen points for Emmanuel between a pair of third-place finishes in the 5000 meters (16:45.40) and the 10000 meters (36:44.25). The three relay teams helped add 18 points with a fourth-place in the 4x100, a third-place in the 4x800, and a second-place in the 4x400.

Members of the Saints that have qualified for the New England Division III Championships will next make the trip to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine to compete against New England's best Division III athletes during the two-day event, held on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4.