SAINTS SPRING INTO ACTION FOR OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD SEASON
March 21, 2011
DEDHAM, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Teams opened the 2011 season by competing at the Northeastern University Spring Open in Dedham on Saturday afternoon. This was the first meet of the spring for the team, and they showed just how rapidly the program is developing into a Division III contender in the Northeast. Coming off one of their strongest indoor seasons to date, the Saints were looking to keep their success going on the 400-meter track. On the day, there were twenty-seven personal bests recorded, three school records posted, and already one New England Division III Championship qualifier.
On the men's side, there were no signs of slowing down between seasons. Freshman Nathan Bruno (Lenox, Mass.) continued his outstanding rookie seasons in the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.66, good enough for second place overall, a school record and a Division III qualifying time. After transferring in at the beginning of the year, Abdi Ibrahim (East Boston, Mass.) has made quite a name for himself. In the 1500 meters, he cruised in with a time of 4:11.33, giving him a third place finish and another school record.
In the 400m dash, two athletes placed in the top five, with senior Andrew Heath (Stamford, Conn.) grabbing second place, and freshman Eric Donnelly (Halifax, Mass.) securing fourth with their times of 51.78 and 53.27 respectively. In the 100m hurdles, junior sprinter/jumper Jordan Coulombe (Saco, Maine) raced his way to ninth place on the day, with a time of 18.09. And on the field side, junior resident throwing expert Gregory Brown (Norton, Mass.) uncorked a toss of 71'11" in the hammer throw.
For the women, junior standout Katasi Kulubya (Anaheim, Calif.) placed in the top ten twice throughout the day. In the 800 meters, Kulubya finished sixth with a time of 2:27.30, fast enough to notch another school record on her belt. In the 200m dash, she finished ninth, with a time of 28.09. Junior Shannon McCabe (Charlestown, R.I.) raced to a seventh place finish in the 100m hurdles with her time of 17.70 and a 9th place finish in the 400 meters with a time of 67.72. Setting two personal bests for herself, junior Folasade Hassan (Osun State, Nigeria) had a solid outing. She posted a 71.10 finish in the 400 meters, and a time of 31.79 in the 200 meters. In the field, Lauren Atkins (Saugus, Mass.) set a mark of 15'6.25" in the long jump, edging her within 3 inches of qualifying for the Division III New Englands. Junior Maggie MacKay (Burlington, Mass.) is in her first outdoor season at Emmanuel, and set personal bests for herself in the shot put and discus throws with distances of 20'1" for the shot, and 66'11" for the disc.
Next Saturday (3/26), Emmanuel will travel to Westfield, Mass. for the Westfield State College Jerry Gravel Classic. For complete results on the NU Spring Open, please see:
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/ma/Mar19_Northe_set2.shtml.