Kayla Morong, Sports Editor
Athletes and fans filled the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday as the Northeast 10 Indoor track Championship took place. With last year as its inaugural season, it was Merrimack’s second time ever competing in the meet. The women’s team took home ninth place with 25 points and the men’s side earned 15.5 points, finishing eighth overall.
There were many personal bests set by the Lady Warriors. Sophomore Briana Devereux came in second place in the 1000-meter run, with a time of 3:01.94. Devereux’s time qualified her for the New England championship this Friday. Other great performances were by Sophomore Fiona Coleman who placed fourth in the 5k as well as Freshman Kelsey Grimmer who placed sixth. Grimmer improved her 5k time from the Tufts Invite by 18 seconds with a time of 18:43.
The women’s distance medley team fought to the finish, taking second place behind Stonehill, finishing in 12:44.21, nearly breaking Southern Connecticut’s winning time last year of 12:42.63.
“I am so proud of our team. Last year we put our toes in the water in our first year and this year we made a splash. Outdoor track will truly showcase how hard we have been working all year,” said Senior Captain Ashley Sarris.
On the men’s side, Senior Captain Ethan Weaver clinched seventh in the 500-meter dash with a personal best of 1:07.74. For Weaver, this was his second time ever competing in the 500 this season. Junior Jesse Fowler finished sixth in the 55-meter dash, qualifying for the finals, sealing a time of 6.65 seconds.
Senior Captain Ian Weaver ran his best 400 of the season, crossing the finish line in 51.66, good for thirteenth place. Weaver also scored points for his team in high jump with a jump of 1.79 meters, placing sixth.
The men’s distance medley team also scored points, placing sixth place. Sophomore Anthony Baccini exhibited his jumping skills, taking sixth place in the triple jump with 13.11 meters.
“The team did very well. There were a lot of personal bests. Compared to last season we scored more points as a team both men’s and women’s. It is always great competition when facing the North-East 10 Conference. I look forward to the outdoor season and getting better as a team,” said Weaver.
With the Indoor season coming to an end the team heads strong into the outdoor season. On Friday some athletes will compete at the New England Championship at Reggie Lewis Center on Friday, but others will continue to train hard for the start of spring track. Head Coach Matt Pimentel was excited for his team’s accomplishments over the weekend.
“Our athletes all came ready to compete. Every athlete turned in personal or seasonal bests in their events. It was great to see Merrimack be competitive is so many events.”
Kayla Morong is Captain of the Women’s Track Team, and in her second year as Sports Editor.
