Wheaton men and women open outdoor seasons with sixth-place finishes

March 29, 2008

MEDFORD, MA- The Wheaton College men's and women's track and field teams opened their outdoor seasons on Saturday, as each squad placed sixth at Tufts University's Snowflake Classic at the Dussault Track & Field Complex. Wheaton's men notched 39 points while competing in a 14-team field that was topped by Dartmouth College's 223 points. The Blue and White women had 45 points, as the Big Green paced the 13-team field with 196.5 points.

Wheaton won five events, with three victories coming on the women's side. Junior Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) topped the 5,000-meter race in 18:24.79, while freshman Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) cleared the bar in the high jump at an event-best 5' 3". The Lyons also had the fastest 4x400-meter relay quartet, as junior Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School), sophomores Kelly Libert (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse) and Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) and freshman Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope) combined on a time of 4:09.51, which was 17.90 seconds better than the runner-up team.

The Blue and White's 4x100-meter relay foursome came in second, as Smith, Thompson and juniors Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) and Christine Moreau (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) comprised the team. Senior Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) was third in the 1,500M.

Sophomore Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) had a hand in both of the men's team's wins, including pacing the 110-meter hurdles field in 15.12, which was 0.19 ticks ahead of the runner-up finisher. During the 4x100-meter relay, Powell joined junior Jonathan Cunha (Lexington, MA/Lexington), sophomore Mark Cimino (Danbury, CT/Danbury) and freshman Mark Williamson (Vienna, VA/James Madison) to record a time of 43.91.

In two additional events, freshman Marcus Kohlman (Milton, MA/Milton) played a role in second-place showings. His high jump height of 6' 1 1/4" tied for the best in the event and left him second, and he joined Cunha, Williamson and freshman Colin Fahey (Waltham, MA/Weston) during the 4x400-meter relay.

Junior Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland) turned in a fifth-place showing during the 400-meter hurdles and came in fifth during the 110M hurdles trials but did not compete in the finals.

Wheaton's teams return to action next Saturday, as the Lyons head to neighboring Easton for the Skyhawk Invitational at Division II Stonehill College.

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