Lyons finish in upper echelon of Northeastern's All-New England Track and Field Championships

May 8, 2004

DEDHAM, MA- The Wheaton College men's and women's outdoor track and field teams both finished in the upper echelon of this weekend's All-New England Championships held at Northeastern University's Solomon Track. Topping the NCAA Division III competition, the women placed seventh with 41 points, while the men, ranking fourth among Division III schools, finished 11th with 26 points.

Senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) was the lone NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifier with the top performance in the preliminaries of the 400-meter dash, finishing with a time of 54.54. Junior Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) placed sixth in the finals of that event in 58.06, while freshman Alison Amendola (Franklin, MA/Franklin) posted a 10th-place mark in the 200-meter dash in 25.78.

James, Allegra, Amendola and freshman Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) later sided for a bronze finish in the 4x100-meter relay race with a provisional qualifying time of 47.99. The foursome also posted the nation's fastest time in the preliminary race at 47.62. Senior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) continued her solid performances in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, this time recording the nation's ninth fastest time in 10:53.65.

The Lyons had an impressive showing in the high jump event, capturing three of the top six placements, as freshman Crystal Blamy (Walpole, NH/Fall Mountain View), Harlow and junior Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) went three, five and six, respectively with clearances of 5' 4 1/4". In the javelin, junior Kirsten Larsen (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional) placed second overall with a provisional qualifying mark of 135' 2", while freshman Katelyn Teixeira (Seekonk, MA/Seekonk) captured fourth with a heave of 126' 7". Sophomore Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) shattered her own school mark in the 5,000-meter run in 17:54.09.

As for the men, juniors Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) and Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) led the charge, as each finished second in the 5,000-meter run and high jump events, respectively. Pyle notched a national meet provisional qualifying time of 14:47.02, while Olson also surpassed the provisional standard with a 6' 11" jump. First-year Thomas Simmons (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) placed third in the 100-meter dash in 11.05.

Senior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) placed ninth in the 400-meter dash in 48.69, while classmate Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) was 11th overall in the 1,500-meter run in 3:57.73. Wheaton's 4x100-meter relay, consisting of Simmons, senior Tyrone McClain (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse), sophomore Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) and freshman Jonathan Geffrard (Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep CDS) took fifth overall in 42.31.

Complete Results

Last updated on 5/20/04.
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