Stevens Claims Women's Indoor Track & Field Title
Jonathan McCue
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The Stevens Institute of Technology women's track & field team earned its first-ever Empire 8 team title on Saturday. The Ducks totaled 142.5 points to finish ahead of runner-up Utica College who totaled 135 points.
St. John Fisher College placed third with 80 points, followed by Nazareth College (71), Houghton College (44) and Alfred University (22.5).
Sophomore Gina Dello Russo won four different titles and was named the Track Athlete of the Meet in a banner day for the program. Nazareth College's Alycia Eaton was voted the Field Athlete of the Meet.
Dello Russo took first in the 200 meter, 400 metet, pole vault and high jump. In the 200, her time of 25.27 seconds was a school record, personal best, meet record and the fourth-best time in NCAA Division III so far this season. In the high jump, she also set a new personal best by clearing the bar set at 1.63 meters.
She also claimed the crown in pole vault at 3.05 meters and in the 400 at 58.51 seconds, in a prodigious display of athleticism.
Eaton was part of three winning events at the championship as she broke the school record in the triple jump, vaulting to 11.39 meters (37 feet, 4 ½ inches). She also had personal best in the long jump, jumping 5.55 meters (18 feet, 2 ½ inches) to take the top spot.
Her versatility transferred over onto the track as she helped the 4 x 400-relay claim the top spot in 4:10.67. Eaton's remarkable Saturday was capped with a third place finish in the 400-meter run, with a personal-best time of 59.91.
Stevens Katie Weeks won titles in both the weight throw and the shot put. In shot, she set a new school record, meet record, and currently sits No.6 in NCAA DIII with a mark of 13.98 meters. She also took first in the weight throw at 16.82 meters, currently No. 17 nationally.
Mary Visca won both the mile and the 3,000-meters for 20 team points. In the mile she posted a time of 5:11.68 and in the 3,000 she crossed the line in 10:25.35
Claire Tantillo won the 800-meter run in a time of 2:24.96
Utica's Kaitlyn Stinson won the Empire 8 Conference crown and blew away the competition with a time of 18:32.68 in the women's 5000 meter race. Stinson also added a third place finish in the women's 3000 meter run with a time of 10:55.38.
Mckenna Cooley took home second place in the 800 meter race (2:25.04), marking just her second individual race of the indoor season.
Utica took home three of the top four spots in the women's 60 meter hurdles to earn 18 team points for the Pioneers.
Shannon Gleason placed second with a time of 10.11,
Brittany Charlonne placed third (10.133) and Michele Rodriguez-Mendez placed fourth (10.139).
UC also added 18 team points in the 60 meter dash.
Anaelle Amy placed second with a personal best time of 7.94, while
Tekitha Posey (8.04) and
Julianne Emerson (8.08) placed third and fourth, respectively.
Posey added a second place finish in the 200 meter dash with a personal collegiate best time of 26.50. She also placed second in the women's long jump with a personal best distance of 5.47m, just .01 off the school-record.
Jenifer Stimpson placed third in the women's shot put with a season best toss of 11.80m.
Elizabeth Swasey earned second team all-conference in the women's pole vault with a clearance of 2.90 meters.
Nazareth's Emily Thompson finished in second place for the mile with a school record time of 5:15.58 and also finished as the runner up in the 3000 meter (10:30.61).