2008 Track & Field Season in Review

May 5, 2008

Emmanuel College's 2008 Track & Field season featured tremendous individual and team success. Many program records were set and several Emmanuel athletes advanced to post-season competition, including trips to the New England Division III Championships, as well as to the ECAC Championship.

Junior Christine Gaspar (Attleboro, MA) qualified for the New England Division III Championship in the 10K. Gaspar improved on her personal best by over 1 minute at the New Englands (40:17.68) and qualified for the ECAC Championship at Springfield College. The women's 4 x 400 meter relay team also represented Emmanuel at the New Englands. The team consisting of freshmen Kelsey Fitzpatrick (Milford, MA), Alison Lynch (Pawtucket, RI), senior Emily McCaffrey (East Greenwich, RI), and junior Cathryn Lariviere (Windham, NH) finished 16th overall and broke the Emmanuel program record with a time of 4:35.39. Freshman Thomas Ryan Maher (Gales Ferry, CT) became Emmanuel's first student-athlete to earn All-New England honors with his 8th place finish in the 110 meter hurdles at the New England Championship. He ran his personal best, finishing in 15.91.

Junior Cathryn Lariviere (Windham, NH) set a new Emmanuel record in the 1500 meters (5:06.25) at Fitchburg State's Sheehan Memorial Invitational on 4/5/08. Senior Emily McCaffrey (East Greenwich, RI) qualified for the New England Division III Championship in the steeplechase with a new program record time of 12:29.23 at Brown Invitational on 4/27/08. Sophomore Sarah Soldano (Bethel, CT) continued her record-setting performances into the spring season with 16'1.5" long jump mark at the Fitchburg State Invitational. Sophomore Amanda Strout (East Longmeadow, MA) set a new Emmanuel record in the 3K steeple chase with a time of 15.19.37 at UMass Dartmouth's Corsair Classic on 4/12/08. Sophomores Ashley Adamson (Scituate, MA) and Katie Beaton, along with freshmen Alison Lynch and Kelsey Fitzpatrick teamed up to set a new Emmanuel record in the 4 x 100 meters with a time of 54.49 and placed 6th at the Connecticut College Silfen Invitational on 4/19/08.

The senior captain for the men's team, Rob Allen (Plymouth, MA), qualified for the New England Division III Championship in the 400 meters with a time of 51.06 at Brown Invitational on 4/27/08. Teammate Michael Thurnauer (Reading, MA) set new program records in the 400 meter hurdles (59.09) and in the javelin (144'9") at Connecticut College's Silfen Invitational. On April 5th, the men's 4 x 100 meter relay team consisting of Michael Thurnauer, Rob Littleton (Plymouth, MA), Thomas Ryan Maher, Rob Allen set the Emmanuel program record and qualified for the New England Division III Championship with a time of 44.97 at Fitchburg State's Invitational. The team then lowered their time to 44.72 at UMass Dartmouth's Corsair Classic on 4/12/08.

Head Coach Tony DaRocha and Assistant Coach Alice Kramer will return in 2009 for their 8th seasons with the track & field program. The coaches, who will lose seven seniors to graduation in May, will look to add some quality recruits to their group of 23 returning veterans for the spring season next year.