University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutewomen Head To The Ocean State For A-10s
February 17, 2011 | Women's Track & Field
Feb. 17, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. - This Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18th and 19th, the women's track and field team head to North Kingston, R.I. for the Atlantic 10 Championship Meet. The meet starts at 9:30 both days. Last year, the Minutewomen finished seventh out of 12 teams. Stephanie Aguguo and Ida Okkonen placed fifth and sixth in triple jump and took the third and fourth best all-time marks at UMass in the event.
Last Time Out
Last Friday, the women's track and field squad went to Boston for the Valentine Invitational where no score was kept. Both Gina Perno and Nalis Mbianda set second best all-time at UMass marks in the 800 meter run and shot put, respectively. Also of note, Erika Unger and Michelle Jenssen both qualified for the New England Championships in the 500 meter run, and four Minutewomen placed 11th or higher in the event.
Track Team Blogger
Be sure to check out mid-distance runner Claire Pettit's in-depth blog that gives first hand accounts of the meets that UMass competes in.
Qualifying Marks
The A-10 Championship is the last meet the Minutewomen have to round out qualifiers.
Meghan Leahy: Qualified for the 400 meter event at the New England Championships with her time of 59.44 at the Giegengack Invitational.
Elizabeth Fisk: Her mile time of 5:05.93 at the Giegengack Invitatonal qualified her for the New England Championships.
Chrissy Silvar: Qualified for the New England Championships in the pole vault with a height of 11-03.75 at the Giegengack Invitational. The height was also good for second place at the meet.
Colleen Wetherbee: Qualified for the New England Championships in the 5000 meters with a time of 18:09.80 at the Giegengack Invitational.
Nalis Mbianda: Qualified for both the New England and ECAC Championships with a first place throw of 44-06.00 in shot put at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games.
Rachelle Bourque: Her throw of 43-05.25 in shot put at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games was good enough to get her a spot in the New England Championships.
Erika Unger: Qualified for the New England Championships with her 500 meter run time of 1:19.45, which was good enough for tenth place at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games.
Distance Medley Relay: The distance medley relay team of Gina Perno, Erika Unger, Karen Roa, Claire Pettit, Elizabeth Fisk, and Courtney Baldwin qualified for the ECAC Championships with their time of 12:04.70 at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games.
Gina Perno: The senior captain has had a quick start out of the gates, already qualifying for the ECAC and New England Championships in two different events. Perno's time of 2:14.31 in the 800 meters set during last week's Great Dane Invitational along with her time of 2:54.79 in the 1000 set at the Sparks Sorlein Invite qualified Perno for both championship meets.
Karen Roa: Also has had a magnificent start to the 2011 season. After qualifying for the New England Championships in the mile (5:02.93) at the Sparks Sorlein Invite, Roa set an ECAC and New England Championship qualifying time in the 3000 meters at last week's Great Dane Invite. Roa took first in the event with her mark of 9:56.77. At the Giegengack Invitational, Roa qualified for both the NECs and the ECACs in the 5000 meters with a time of 17:30.77.
Michelle Jenssen: Posted a time of 58.57 in the 400 meters at the Great Dane Invite, qualifying her for the New England Championships in late February. At the Giegengack Invitational, Michelle qualified for the New England Championships in the 500 meters with her time of 1:18.05.
Deanna Julian: Set a New England Championship qualifying mark in the 500 meter run 1:16.17 at the Great Dane Invite. The mark also put Julian at fifth-all time at UMass in the event.
Claire Pettit: At last week's Great Dane Invite, qualified for the New England Championships in the 800 meters (2:17.42).
Sarah Bittermann: The freshman set a New England Championship qualifying mark in her first collegiate meet at the Sparks Sorlein Invite. Bittermann's time of 1:19.05 in the 500 meters was also good for second place at the meet.
Stephanie Aguguo: Posted a New England Championship qualifying mark of 38-11.00 in the triple jump at the Sparks Sorlein Invitational.
Top Five All-Time
At the Valentine Invitational, Nalis Mbianda and Gina Perno both set second best all-time marks for UMass in shot put and the 800 meter run, respectively. Mbianda bested her previous second best all-time mark, which she set last year, with a throw of 44-11.50. Gina Perno set her record with a time of 2:12.62.
Karen Roa set the fifth best mark all-time in UMass history in the 5000 meters with her time of 17:30.77 at the Giegengack Invitational. Her time was good enough for second place at the meet. Also at the Giegengack Invite, Rebecca Banker set the fourth best all-time mark in the high jump, scaling a height of 5-05.00. This jump was good enough for first place at the meet.
In the shot put, Rachelle Bourque made her mark this season with a toss of 43-05.25 at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. The throw put Bourque at fourth all-time at UMass in the event.
Deanna Julian was able to etch her name into the UMass record books, posting a time of 1:16.17 at the Great Dane Invitational last Friday. The mark puts Julian at fifth all-time at UMass in the event.
One UMass athlete, Chrissy Silvar, set a school top five all-time mark at the Sparks Sorlein Invitational. Silvar entered the UMass record books in her first meet with the team, setting the fifth highest all-time mark in the pole vault (10-11.75). The mark was also good for second place at the Invite. At the Giegengack Invitational, Silvar bested her mark with a height of 11-03.75, setting the fourth best UMass all-time mark in the pole vault.
Senior Studs
Although the Minutewomen lost some quality seniors to graduation after the 2009-10 season, this year's crop of seniors feature a group of athletes who possess some dynamic abilities in their respective events:
Stephanie Aguguo
Coming off an indoor season where she was the New England Champion in the triple jump, Stephanie Aguguo is poised to have another strong season in her final year at UMass. Aguguo's distance of 39-08.75 at last year's New England Championships (2/26) was good for second all-time at UMass in the event.
Gina Perno
Entering her senior season at UMass, Gina Perno has been one of the team's most steady and consistent performers. In addition to being the top 800-runner for the Minutewomen, Perno has helped to anchor the team's top relay squads, including the school record-setting distance medley relay squad and the 4X800 meter relay team that set the second fastest all-time mark at UMass (both feats were accomplished during last indoor season).
Ida Okkonen
Along with Stephanie Aguguo, Ida Okkonen has helped form a dynamic duo in both the long jump and triple jump. Okkonen was a New England Championship qualifier in the two events and set the fourth highest all-time mark in the triple jump last indoor season. During the outdoor season, Okkonen was the team's top long jumper and was once again a New England Championship qualifier in both the long and triple jumps.
Elizabeth Fisk
Although she did not compete during last year's indoor season, Elizabeth Fisk has been performing admirably since the start of the 2009-10 outdoor season. Fisk was a New England Championship qualifier in the 1500 meter run and was a member of the 4X800 meter relay squad that set the second fastest all-time mark at UMass. Fisk also had a very successful 2010 cross country season and will look to ride that success into the new year.
Pompei's Freshman Eruption
Last indoor season Nicole Pompei erupted onto the scene as a freshman, setting a UMass top five all-time mark on three occasions, winning the pole vault at two meets, and qualifying for the New England and ECAC Championships in the event. Her mark of 12-01.50 at the ECAC Championships (3/6) put Pompei second all-time at UMass in the pole vault. Not only did Pompei have a stellar indoor season, she carried her successes well into the outdoor season. At the ECAC Championships (5/16), Pompei vaulted for sixth place overall with a height of 11-11.75. The mark slotted Pompei at third all-time at UMass in the event. This year, the promising sophomore will be a central cog in the team's success.
Changing of the Guard
When Lisa Wilson graduated from UMass, she had undoubtedly become the greatest track and field thrower in UMass history. While those expectations are extremely hard to live up to, freshman Nalis Mbianda showed signs last season that she could capture some of the greatness that Wilson had at UMass. Mbianda set the second highest UMass all-time mark in the shot put during the indoor season and the third highest UMass all-time mark in the event during the outdoor season. At the Great Dane Invitational (1/22) where Mbianda set the mark for second all-time (44-08.25), had Lisa Wilson not bettered her toss with a distance of 45-00.25, Mbianda would have claimed the school record in the shot put during the very first meet of her collegiate career.
Superb Sophomores
Last year's freshman class was considerably strong, and the group will look to make significant strides in their sophomore seasons.
Michelle Jenssen
Michelle Jenssen made her presence known quickly as a freshman last season, finishing off the indoor season as a New England Championship qualifier and the team's top 400 meter athlete. Jenssen was also a member of the record setting distance medley relay team, and was a key member of the 4X400 meter relay all season long. During the outdoor season, Jenssen once again qualified for New Englands in the 400 and was a mainstay in the 4X400 meter relay.
Courtney Baldwin
After having one of the greatest rookie cross country campaigns in recent UMass memory, Baldwin extended her high level of competition into the track seasons. Baldwin was an ECAC Championship qualifier in four events (mile, 1000 meter run, 4X800 meter relay, distance medley relay) and set three UMass top five all-time marks (school record in the distance medley relay, fifth all-time in the 1000 meters, second all-time in the 4X800 meter relay). During the outdoor season, Baldwin helped the 4X800 squad qualify for ECACs once again, and helped the team set the second fastest all-time mark at UMass. She capped off the stellar year with a New England Championship qualifying mark in the 1500 meters.
Roa Returns
Karen Roa will be back at it again in her junior season, and will look to keep up the pace on what was a record filled 2009-10 season. During the indoor campaign, Roa was a member of both the distance medley relay squad who set a school record and the 4X800 meter relay squad that set the second fastest all-time mark at UMass. She was an ECAC qualifier in both those events and a New England Championship qualifier in the mile run. That 2009-10 season resume was good enough to stand by itself, but Roa added to it in the outdoor season by breaking the school record in the steeplechase on three occasions. The final time that currently stands as the school record is 10:46.19, and Roa earned it at the ECAC Championships on May 16.