River Hawks Women’s Track and Field Soars into Boston for the Epic Beantown Showdown!

BOSTON, Mass. – The River Hawks, along with several local Division I teams from the New England region, made their way to the Boston University Track & Tennis Center this Saturday to partake in the Battle in Beantown. 

“The team delivered an impressive performance today,” remarked Head Coach Gary Gardner.  “At this point in the season, we aim for development week by week, and this week saw significant improvement compared to the last meet. We recorded numerous personal bests, which boosts everyone’s morale regarding our current standings.”

The competition commenced with the field events, beginning with the shot put. The solitary sophomore Nhyira Nkansah (Chelmsford, Mass.) made her presence known by throwing 11.50m, securing seventh place. 

Graduate student Alexandria Grasso (North Reading, Mass.) soared into the top-7 in long jump for the River Hawks, finishing seventh with a distance of 5.46m. Participating in the long jump alongside her were sophomore Nethica Auguste (Bridgewater, Mass.) in 14th (4.89m), senior Olamide Bamgbose (Fitchburg, Mass.) in 16th (4.47m), and freshman Chloe Champagne (Brockton, Mass.) in 18th (4.20m). 

In the weight throw, there was only one participant: senior Arlene Davila (Peabody, Mass.), who recorded a throw of 12.89m for 15th place. 

In high jump, freshman Avery Pitts (Willington, Conn.) excelled to sixth place at a height of 1.55m. Senior Fleur Balogh De Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) followed, landing in seventh place (1.55m).

The final field event of the meet was the pole vault, where senior Jules Gravier (Bronxville, N.Y.) secured 14th place, achieving a height of 3.42m. Sophomore Úna Brice (Cork, Ireland) and senior Madison Sanchez (Amesbury, Mass.) also participated in this event. 

Grasso, who was already having an outstanding day, extended her success by placing third in the 60m hurdles preliminaries, advancing to the final race. She finished with a time of 8.81. Following her were Balogh De Galantha and Champagne competing in the same event. Ultimately, Grasso achieved a top-3 finish, ending third in the 60m hurdles with another time of 8.81. 

Freshman Georgia Brooks (Groton, Mass.) was the leader in the one-mile run, taking 29th at a time of 5:13.53. Following her was freshman Lauren Long (Lunenburg, Mass.) finishing in 32nd (5:16.91), with junior Kylie Maron (Baldwinville, Mass.) in 33rd (5:19.83). Additional runners included senior Delaney Swanson (Swanzey, N.H.), senior Vivian Mac (Randolph, Mass.), freshman Haley Evans (Glastonbury, Conn.), freshman Selena Wood (Abington, Mass.), senior Kaitlyn Stevens (Oxford, Mass.) and sophomore Lena Takahashi (Holden, Mass.) who also ran in this event. 

Two River Hawks placed in the top-5 in the 600m run, with junior Nia Mainer-Smith (Taunton, Mass.) leading the way at third with a time of 1:34.17, followed closely by graduate student Rachel Thomas (Perry Hall, Md.) in fourth at 1:35.23. Freshman Brenna Corcoran (Haverhill, Mass.) secured 11th at a time of 1:38.98 while sophomore Emily Burdick (Billerica, Mass.) finished in 12th with 1:39.93. Also competing in the 600m event were sophomore Katharine Cottone (Little Falls, N.J.), freshman Isabel McIntyre (Dover, N.H.), and freshman Alyssa Fiorino (Billerica, Mass.). 

Next was the 400m dash, where junior Danielle Thompson (Groton, Mass.) finished eighth with a time of 59.18, and freshman Amelia Stebe (Honolulu, Hawaii) took ninth at 59.56. Freshman Brianna Phelan (Billerica, Mass.) also competed in the 400m dash.

In the 300m dash, sophomore Jayani Santos (Tewksbury, Mass.) outperformed another runner to clinch fifth place with a time of 39.26. Sophomore Soria Roberts (Warwick, N.Y.) and freshman Anya Neira (Methuen, Mass.) also participated in this event. 

Junior Raihana Yameogo (Dillsburg, Pa.) was the sole competitor for the River Hawks in the 800m run, sprinting to a fifth-place finish with a time of 2:18.25.

The 3000m run was marked by graduate student Mary Yount (Northampton, Mass.) who achieved a top-3 position, finishing third at 10:02.41. Junior Miana Caraballo (Methuen, Mass.) placed 10th overall, crossing the finish line at 10:10.74. Other runners included junior Mia Jones (Blacksburg, Va.) and sophomore Emma Eagan (Danvers, Mass.). 

The concluding event of the Battle in Beantown was the 4×400 relay, where Lowell finished fifth overall, clocking in at 3:56.31. The relay team for Lowell consisted of Santos, Stebe, Thompson, and Cottone. 

UMass Lowell is looking forward as they prepare to host the River Hawk Invitational on January 24 and 25 in Boston, Mass at the Track at New Balance. This invitational is also set to honor Morgan’s Message.