Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Women's Outdoor Track and Field team had primed themselves up all season for a chance to grab some top spots at the MASCAC Outdoor Championship and they did not disappoint. Leading the way for the Lancers were first years Ciara Adu-Addo (Worcester, MA) and Jadah Stokes (Savannah, GA) who grabbed top spots to lead Worcester to a third place finish at the championships.
With the field events getting the early start on the day, Worcester's successes started early as Stokes grabbed the first victory of the day in the shot put recording a personal best of 11.82m. She would just edge out fellow teammates sophomore Ava Piccolo (Tewksbury, MA) in eight with a 9.30m mark, senior Sthanisha Moreau (Taunton, MA) in 9th with a 9.13m, and first year Luana Grau-Moura (Marlborough, MA) with her own season best of 8.71m in 11th. Piccolo would continue her success in the discus, claiming the sixth spot with a distance of 27.78m for a new personal best, just edging out Stokes, who recorded a 27.78m for a season best in the event. Grau-Moura would snag eight in the event with a 25.46m measurement, jumping ahead of fellow first year Gianna Noyes (Uxbridge, MA) in 11th with 24.56m. Moreau would round out the event for the Lancers with a 13th place finish at a distance of 22.47m.
Piccolo would not slow down on the day, grabbing fifth in the javelin with a 22.87m, with junior Arianna Constant (Leominster, MA) claiming second in the event with a new personal record at 31.98m. Noyes would end the day in 6th with a 22.38m launch just ahead of sophomore Erin Condon (East Bridgewater, MA) in eighth at a mark of 17.76m. Constant would join Stokes in the hammer throw where she would grab third and another personal best on the day with a 35.19m. Stokes would land in fourth place with a 33.41m.
Moving to the jumping pit would not slow down the success of Worcester as Adu-Addo would not only grab the top spot in the long jump with a new season best but also move up the national rankings in the event, landing at #33 in the country on a 5.50m leap. First year Alexis Strong (Southington, CT) would finish in fourth with her own personal record of 5.12m while senior Eryca Lopes would close it out for the trio with a 10th place finish of 4.52m. Lopes would keep the leaps strong in the triple jump, claiming sixth place with a 9.79m leap while Condike would start her quadruple event day with a ninth place finish in the triple jump with 8.60m and a fifth place leap in the high jump on a height of 1.47m.
Strong was not just a success in the field but also grabbed a sixth place finish in 100m in a time of 13.07, just edging out teammate and fellow first year Meg Driscoll (Mansfield, MA) in seventh with a time of 13.46. Adu-Addo would also do double duty claiming sixth in the 200m on a time of 27.34 just edging out junior Carly Gilson (Grafton, MA) in seventh with a time of 27.90. Gilson would up the speed and the distance even more in the 400m where she would end the day with a 2nd place finish and a new personal best in an impressive time of 60.40. First year Lexi Zakrzewski (Taunton, MA) would also set a personal best in the event, recording a 65.12. As the distance double, the success of the Lancers would not suffer as sophomore Bridget O'Malley (Leominster, MA) would run for the mark, speeding to a 2:33.19 800m finish for second. Fellow sophomore Leah Berg (Worcester, MA) would grab the ninth place finish at a time of 2:41.80.
Berg put her endurance to the test starting the day though, claiming 2nd in the 3000m steeplechase, crossing in a time of 13:11.61 in the event. Condike would also return to action in the 100m hurdles where she would claim a sixth place finish in a time of 18.46.
The relay teams were equally as dominant on the day as the 4x100 squad of Adu-Addo, Lopes, Strong and Zakrzewski would claim second on a 52.07 time in the event as the 4x400m claimed third on a time of 4:28.67.
Worcester returns to action starting next Friday when they head to Holy Cross for the New England DIII Regional Championships.