University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Gotham Cup
Four Qualify For ECAC/IC4A Championships At Gotham Cup
January 20, 2008 | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 20, 2008
NEW YORK - Kristen Bakanowski won the pole vault and Christina DeRosa won the 5,000 meters with the second fastest time in school history as both the UMass men's and women's indoor track & field teams competed at the Gotham Cup at the Armory Track & Field Complex in New York on Friday. Both Bakanowski and DeRosa qualified for the ECAC Indoor Championships, while men's distance runners Jesse Regnier and Nicolai Naranjo qualified for the IC4A Indoor Championships in the 5,000 meters. The meet was an unscored event. UMass returns to action this Friday, Jan. 25 at the Reebok Indoor Games in Boston.
DeRosa qualified for the ECAC Indoor Championships last weekend in the 3,000 meters and continued her dominate senior season with the win in the 5,000 meters. She clocked the second-best time in school history completing the race in 16 minutes, 58.47 seconds. It was her personal-best time in the event by over 26 seconds.
Coming off a medical redshirt season, Bakanowski won the pole vault with a height of 11-feet, 11.75 feet, just a quarter inch off her personal-best mark. It was her second win in the pole vault this season.
For the men, Regnier placed third in the 5,000 meters, while Naranjo was just behind in fourth place. The duo were neck-and-neck at the finish line with Regnier crossing in 14 minutes, 45.63 seconds and Naranjo just 0.01 seconds behind as each qualified for the IC4A Championship Meet. The times were personal-best marks for each as Regnier shaved 21 seconds of his previous top time and Naranjo, like Bakanowski, was also returning after medically redshirting last season.
Other top performers for the women's team was Danielle Bolt in the 60-meter dash (7.83 seconds), Gina Perno in the 800 meters (2:19.54), Shiyi Zan in the 3,000 meters (10:23.37) and Molly Chapin in the pole vault (10-4). Chapin's height in the pole vault tied her career-best effort.
In men's action, Tyler Cotto placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.32 seconds) and Andrew McCann placed ninth in the 3,000 meters (8:42.61). Brian Miller had a pair of top-10 finishes taking seventh in the long jump (22-feet, 4.5 inches) and eighth in the high jump (6-feet, 5-inches).
