Women's Track & Field Hosts BSU Bears Invitational

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's outdoor track & field team hosted the BSU Bears Invitational on Saturday at cold and rainy Swenson Field.

In the track events, the Bears earned five first-place performances, a pair of second-place finishes and two third-place showings.

Senior Jailene Escalera (Rockland, Mass.) captured top honors in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Escalera posted a time of 12.59 seconds in the 100, and 26.02 seconds in the 200.

Senior Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.) won the 100-meter hurdles title with a time of 14.93 seconds. McDonough also placed second in the 100-meter dash (12.62).

Sophomore Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) was the top sprinter in the 400-meter dash as she posted a winning time of 59.91 seconds.

The Bears' relay squad featuring junior Nicole Major (Andover, Mass.), freshmen Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass., Mass.) and Madison Ellis (Attleboro, Mass.), and sophomore Ana Imrie (Arlington, Mass.) captured top honors in the 4x400 with a time of 4:58.50.

Sophomore Lily Valcovic (East Taunton, Mass.) finished third in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 20:12.22.

The Bears picked up a pair of first-place performance in the field events as well as four second-place finishes.

McDonough took home the long jump title with a mark of 16 feet, 8.5 inches (5.09m), while Escalera placed second in the long jump with a distance of 16 feet, four inches (4.98m).

Senior Abbi Peterson (Watertown, Mass.) and junior Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.) finished one-two in the high jump. Peterson won the event with a leap of five feet, seven inches (1.70m) as she was just shy of her own school mark five feet, 7.25 inches (1.71m). Sands posted a jump of five feet, five inches (1.65m).

Graduate student Ashley Garvey (Woburn, Mass.) placed second in the both the hammer throw and discus throw. Garvey tossed the hammer 126 feet, ten inches (38.65m) and the discus 96 feet, eight inches (29.46m).

Abrantes (400), Escalera (100, 200), McDonough (LJ, 100, 100H), Peterson (HJ) and Sands (HJ, 100H) each qualified for the Division III New England Championships in their respective events. McDonough also qualified for the NEICAAA Championships in the 100 hurdles, while Peterson and Sands did the same in the high jump.

Next Saturday, the Bears travel to Darmouth, Massachusetts for the UMass Dartmouth Corsair Classic.