Track and Field Posts Sixth Place Finish at NEWMAC Championships

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (April 26, 2008) - The Wheaton College women's outdoor track and field team edged Springfield College by just two points to capture the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship today at Smith College. Wheaton, which regained the title that it held from 1998-2006, totaled 205 points.

A total of eight teams took part in the competition. Following Wheaton and Springfield in the standings were MIT (178), the Coast Guard Academy (67), Smith (52), Mount Holyoke College (28), WPI (25) and Babson College (18).

Junior Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, Mass.) provided Wheaton with a spark, as she earned first place results in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. She was also the fourth leg of the winning 4x100-meter relay team. Nikki Hay (Norwalk, Conn.) was a double winner for Springfield, sweeping the long and triple jumps, while MIT's Aline Thomas (Miami, Fla.) won the shot put and set a new Conference record in the hammer with a throw of 13.15 meters.

Three other NEWMAC records were set during the event. Lacey Cartier (York Maine) of Springfield took home top honors in the 800-meter run (2:16.26), Emily Hwang (Shrewsbury, Mass.) of MIT won the pole vault (3.58 meters), and Wheaton's 4x400-meter relay squad crossed the line first (3:56.81).

With their performances today, a pair of Mount Holyoke runners qualified for next weekend's NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships at the Coast Guard Academy. Senior Grace Zeigler (Oak Hill, Ill./Neuqua Valley) achieved a qualifying mark in the 100-meter dash (13.33), while sophomore Senia Bachir-Abderahman (Tindouf, Algeria/Red Cross Nordic) qualified in the 10,000-meter run (41:45.27). Zeigler will represent Mount Holyoke in two events at the Regional Championships, as she previously qualified in the long jump.

The duo will be joined by five of their teammates at the event, which is slated to begin on Saturday and conclude on Sunday. Halaina Demba (Harvard, Mass./Bromfield) (1,500-meter run), Meghan Lynch (South Hadley, Mass./Holyoke Catholic) (10,000-meter run), Joan Meiners (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) (3,000-meter steeplechase), Caroline Gillaspie (Athens, N.Y./Coxsackie-Athens) (high jump) and Jess Brezicha (Olympia, Wash./Olympia) (100-meter hurdles) will also participate for the Lyons.

Gillespie posted a distance of 9.92 meters in the triple jump. Her fifth place result was Mount Holyoke's high finish of the day. Senior Carolyn Colome (Newport Beach, Calif.) recorded a collegiate best in the 800-meter run (2:28.76), while classmate Jenn Bordeau (Tucson, Ariz./University) notched a personal best in the 200-meter dash (29.87).

Final Women's Standings
1. Wheaton College (205)
2. Springfield College (203)
3. MIT (178)
4. Coast Guard Academy (67)
5. Smith College (52)
6. Mount Holyoke College (28)
7. WPI (25)
8. Babson College (18)

Complete Team and Individual Results