All-Around Team Effort Powers Lancers at Mary Grinaker Invitational

Worcester, MA- The Worcester State University Women's Indoor Track & Field team delivered a strong, well-balanced showing Saturday at the Mary Grinaker Invitational hosted by Smith College, highlighted by a runner-up relay finish, multiple top-eight performances, and impactful results across all the field and track events.

On the track, sophomore Arianna Farrell (Wilmington, MA) led the way in the 60m dash, qualifying for the finals with a 8.58 and finishing seventh overall in 8.62. 

In the 200m, First year Leah Bordenca (Westford, MA) paced Worcester State with a 14th-place finish at 29.69, while junior Meghan Driscoll  (Mansfield, MA) and  first years Rebecca Gardner (Killingly, CT), and Makenna Perro (Brookfield, MA) added competitive efforts.

The 400m saw three Lancers place in the top 11, led by first year Tamara Ayala-Garcia (Lawrence, MA) in eighth at 67.09.Junior  Mia Guinto  (West Boylston, MA) finished 11th at 69.57, and first year  Lilah Delongchamp  (Worcester, MA) took 10th at 69.32, showcasing Worcester State's strength in the long sprints.

Middle distance events proved to be a highlight. Senior Bridget O'Malley (Leominster, MA) placed sixth in the 600m with a time of 1:49.28, just ahead of first year Janine Betcher (Fontana, CA) in eighth, milliseconds behind at 1:49.47. In the 1,000m, the Lancers earned two of the top four spots as senior Claudia Symonick (Auburn, MA) finished third at 3:50.07 and first year Lauren Flanagan (Milford, MA) placed fourth at a time of 3:56.75. Senior Kelsey Gendreau (Seekonk, MA) added a top-ten finish in the mile, crossing in 5:58.57.

In distance action, sophomore Samantha Edwards (East Longmeadow, MA) delivered a fifth-place performance in the 5,000m with a time of 20:29.93.

The Lancers shined in the relay events, particularly in the 4x200m. The team of sophomore Emily Bodwell (Lakeville, MA), Guinto, Ayala-Garcia, junior Alexis Strong (Southington, CT), and Watkins raced to a second-place finish in 1:54.69, one of Worcester State's top highlights of the meet.

In the field events, junior Lauren Condike (East Longmeadow, MA) led the way in the high jump with a sixth-place clearance of 1.43m, while Delongchamp added an eighth-place finish. In the pole vault, first year Gabriella Fischel (Westport, CT) cleared 2.40m to place sixth.

Strong contributed a fourth-place finish in the long jump with a 4.73m measurement, while Betcher added an eighth-place result in the triple jump and Bodwell followed in ninth.

The throws group provided key performances as well. First year Jenna Lopez (West Springfield, MA) led the shot put with a fifth-place throw of 10.58m. Junior Luana Grau-Moura (Marlborough, MA) placed ninth in the shot put and seventh in the weight throw. Fellow junior Morgan Merrell  (Leicester, MA) added a sixth-place finish in the weight throw of 11.55m, while senior Ava Piccolo (Tewksbury, MA) and sophomore Charlotte Collins  (Weymouth, MA) contributed solid efforts.

Worcester State is back in action next Friday, February 6th, at the Coast Guard Invitational in their final tuneup before heading the the MASCAC Championship on February 15th.