University of Massachusets Athletics
Saturday, May 5
Fairfax, VA.
11:15 AM

University of Massachusetts
at

Atlantic 10 Championships (Day 1)
Photo by: THOM KENDALL FOR UMASS ATHLETICS
Women's Track And Field Set For Atlantic 10 Championships This Weekend
May 04, 2018 | Women's Track & Field
The two-day meet begins on Saturday at 11:15 a.m.
About The Meet
- The Minutewomen head south to Fairfax, Virginia this Saturday and Sunday for the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by George Mason at George Mason Stadium. Saturday's events will begin heptathlon 100 meter hurdles at 11:15 a.m., while action on the track kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Sunday's schedule opens up with heptathlon long jump at 10Â a.m.
UMass Entries (Atlantic 10 Rank in Parenthesis)
Heptathlon: Bridget Deveau, Emma Jones (5), Kira Kopec (1), Julia Witt
Pole Vault: Kelsey Barnes (8), Sarah Gillece, Kayla Rorke (6)
Hammer: Mariah Collins (5), Danielle Notarfrancesco (6)
Long Jump: Ashley Arroyo, Ivana Nyemeck, Charlotte Robsion
Javelin: Lucy Belt
100mH: Jada Harris (1), Charlotte Robison (4)
400m: Emilie Cowan (3)
100m: Lindsay Witt (4), Diamante Spencer, India Johnson
800m: Heather MacLean, Olivia Weir, Clare Murphy
400mH: Brenda Sheedy, Kaela Hardy, Kayla Blair, Ariel Christie
200m: Emilie Cowan (6), Lindsay Witt (7), Diamante Spencer, India Johnson
3,000m Steeplechase: Colleen Sands, Brook Hansel
Shot Put: Danielle Notarfrancesco (2), Lauren LaDere (4), Kelly Alves
Triple Jump: Ashley Arroyo, Ivana Nyemeck (3)
Discus: Mariah Collins (7), Kelly Alves
High Jump: Julia Witt (7), Patricia Douglas, Sarah Gillece
1,500m: Heather MacLean (1), Caroline Clark, Alexa Livingstone, Catherine Curtin
5,000m: Colleen Sands, Kate Dorsey, Taylor Blow
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Last Time Out
- The Minutewomen claimed first in their 2018 home finale, leading a six-team field at the UMass Pre-Conference Meet last Saturday at the UMass Track and Field Complex. Aided by eight event wins, the Minutewomen scored 215 points, followed by New Hampshire (174), UMass Lowell (131), Dartmouth (80), Vermont (51) and Maine (39).
- The day's action saw the Minutewomen post seven top-five all-time marks and 15 New England-qualifying performances, as well.
- Redshirt senior Heather MacLean took down her own facility and school records in the 800 meter run, with a winning time of 2 minutes, 3.45 seconds.
- Junior Emilie Cowan led a pack of four New England qualifiers for the Minutewomen in the 200 meter dash, claiming first with a time of 24.48 seconds, the new No. 2 time in UMass history. Sophomore Lindsay Witt was second at 24.75 seconds, while senior Diamante Spencer (25.12) and freshman India Johnson (25.42) followed in third and fourth.
- Cowan also won 400 meter dash, meeting the New England standard at 54.21 seconds. Spencer ran a New England-qualifying 12.43 seconds to third in 100 meter dash.Â
- Redshirt junior Bridget Deveau won the 400 meter hurdles with the third-fastest time in program history, 1 minute, 1.96 seconds, a New England qualifier.
- Junior Kayla Rorke won pole vault with a height of 11 feet, 7.75 inches to tie for fourth all-time in UMass history and meet the New England standard.
- Freshman Ivana Nyemeck took the top spot in triple jump at 39 feet, 4.5 inches to enter the UMass record book at No. 5 all-time, a New England qualifier.
- Senior Mariah Collins captured first in hammer throw, setting a new No. 3 all-time mark in UMass history at 168 feet, 11 inches. Freshman Danielle Notarfrancesco also entered UMass' top-five all-time with her throw of 167 feet, 10 inches, good for fourth in program history. Both were New England qualifiers, as well.
- Notarfrancesco met the New England standard with her winning shot put toss of 46 feet, 7.25 inches. Freshman Lauren LaDere took fifth, with a New England-qualifying mark of 42 feet, 9.5 inches. Collins was also a New England qualifier in discus, placing second with her throw of 137 feet, 10 inches.
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MacLean Earns A-10 Track Performer Of The Week Recognition
- Redshirt senior Heather MacLean was honored by the Atlantic 10 for this first time this outdoor season as she was named the Atlantic 10 Women's Track Performer of the Week on Monday.
- In her first time running the event since last outdoor season, MacLean took down her own facility and school records in the 800 meter run, with a winning time of 2 minutes, 3.45 seconds at the UMass Pre-Conference meet, besting her previous school record of 2:06.43. Not only a New England qualifier, the time also currently ranks fifth in the nation this season, second in the NCAA East Region.
Minutewomen Sweep A-10 Awards
- University of Massachusetts women's track and field completed a sweep of the Atlantic 10 weekly awards on April 24 with redshirt senior Mariah Collins, junior Emilie Cowan and freshman Danielle Notarfrancesco all being recognized following their performances at the Holy Cross Invitational and the Larry Ellis Invitational. Cowan was tabbed the Women's Track Performer of the Week, Collins was named the Women's Field Performer of the Week and Notarfrancesco was honored as the Women's Rookie of the Week.
- Collins was victorious in the discus at the Holy Cross Invitational with a New England-qualifying throw of 132 feet 6 inches. The redshirt senior from Southwick, Massachusetts also improved upon her No. 5 all-time mark in the UMass record book in the hammer throw, meeting the New England standard with a 164-foot, 2-inch toss to land fourth in the event.
- Cowan took the top spot in the 400-meter dash at the Larry Ellis Invitational in a field of 36 runners with a time of 54.79 seconds, a New England qualifier. The junior from Maplewood, New Jersey also ran on the Minutewomen's 4x400 meter relay team that claimed eighth with a time of 3:52.60.
- Notarfrancesco, a freshman from Jackson, New Jersey, led four UMass scorers in the shot put at the Holy Cross Invitational, winning the event with a mark of 46 feet 8.75 inches to improve upon her No. 4 all-time mark in the program record book and New England qualifying mark for a third straight week.
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Witt Honored By A-10
- Sophomore Lindsay Witt was selected as the Atlantic 10 Women's Track Performer of the Week on April 10 after helping the Minutewomen to a first place team finish in the Minuteman Invitational.
- Witt ran 12.01 seconds to first in the 100 meter dash, which was good for third all-time in program history. She also won the 200 meter dash in 25.30 seconds as her times in both events were New England qualifiers.
- Witt's 100 meter time currently ranks second in the A-10.
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Indoor Recap
- The 2018 indoor season saw 16 program top-five all-time marks set, including 12 by freshmen and sophomores. New school records were set in shot put (Danielle Notarfrancesco, 49'0.35"), pentathlon (Bridget Deveau, 3,820), 60 meter hurdles (Jada Harris, 8.54), 200 meters (Lindsay Witt, 24.54), and 3,000 meters (Heather MacLean, 9:03.03).
- Two freshmen medaled at the New England Championships with Ivana Nyemeck capturing the triple jump title and Notarfrancesco earning silver in shot put.
- The Minutewomen collected seven medals at the Atlantic 10 Championships and placed sixth in the team standings with 122.5 points. Deveau took home gold in pentathlon. Sophomores Haris and Samantha Thompson claimed silver and bronze in high jump, while Harris also garnered silver in 60 meter hurdles. Notarfrancesco and Lauren LaDere earned silver and bronze in shot put and Nyemeck collected bronze in triple jump.
- UMass picked up a pair of medals at the ECAC Championships to close out the indoor campaign. Deveau won gold in pentathlon and Harris captured silver in high jump.
- The Minutewomen landed five on the Atlantic 10's All-Rookie Team – Caroline Clark (mile), Patricia Douglas (high jump), Kira Kopec (pentathlon), Notarfrancesco (shot put), Bryanna Rivers (800 meters, 1,000 meters).
- Deveau represented UMass on the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team and was named the UMass female Winter Scholar Athlete.
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Happy Returns
- UMass returns nine individuals that scored at last year's Outdoor Atlantic 10 Championships.
- Sophomore Jada Harris collected Most Outstanding Rookie Performer of the meet honors outdoors at A-10's after winning high jump and 100m hurdles.
- Sophomore Samantha Thompson claimed bronze in high jump at the outdoor meet as a freshman in 2017.
- Heather MacLean won her first 1,500 meter Atlantic 10 title and was first in the 800 meter preliminaries before being medically unable to compete in the final of that event.
- Junior Emilie Cowan scored in two events outdoors in 2017, earning silver in 400 meter dash and taking seventh in 200 meter dash.
- Current senior Colleen Sands was a silver medalist in 3,000 meter steeplechase.
- Other scorers returning included Gabrielle Bennett in 100 meter hurdles (eighth), Diamante Spencer and Lindsay Witt in 100 meter dash (sixth and seventh) and Mariah Collins in discus (sixth).
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One More For MacLean
- As a result of redshirting the 2016 outdoor campaign, Heather MacLean iis competing in her final outdoor track and field season.
- She is coming off her sixth individual Atlantic 10 title on the track, winning the 1,500 meter run at the Outdoor A-10 Championships in 2017.
- She is also a four-time A-10 gold medalist in the 800m (indoor: 2015, 2016; outdoor 2014, 2015) and won the mile indoors in 2016. MacLean has five New England 800m titles to her credit, as well.
- MacLean was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the indoor A-10 Championships in 2016 and as the Most Outstanding Rookie at the outdoor A-10 Championships in 2014.
- She holds seven school records on UMass' all-time indoor and outdoor lists and holds a share of the program's indoor relay records for 4x400m, 4x800m and distance medley relays.
- MacLean made history in March 2016 when she took ninth in the mile final at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to become the first indoor track and field All-American in the history of the UMass women's track and field program.
- In her final season of cross country this past fall, MacLean became the first cross country All-American in program history by finishing 26th at the NCAA Championships. She won the 2017 New England title and her second straight A-10 cross country championship this past fall, as well.
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Newcomers Abound
- UMass women's track and field welcomed 15 new student-athletes for the 2017-18 seasons. The group is comprised of three throwers, two middle distance runners, two distance runners, two sprinters two jumpers, two multi-eventers and one each that will compete in sprints/jumps and jumps/multi events.
- Two freshmen, Kira Kopec and Ivana Nyemeck, competed in the 2017 Canada Summer games in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kopec earned bronze in heptathlon at the meet, while Nyemeck was seventh in triple jump.
- Thrower Danielle Notarfrancesco out of Jackson, New Jersey, was an indoor All-American as a senior with a PR of 47'11" in shot put.
- Freshmen Caroline Clark and Colette O'Leary were consistent scorers for the Minutewomen during the cross country season and were both named to the 2017 Atlantic 10 Cross Country All-Rookie Team. Clark was also tabbed the A-10 Cross Country Rookie of the Year as the top freshman finisher in the field of 129 runners and took third for the Minutewomen in 38th overall with a time of 18 minutes 58.9 seconds.
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LaFreniere at the Helm
- UMass head coach Julie LaFreniere is in her 31st year as head coach of the women's cross country and track and field programs in 2017-18.
- LaFreniere, a 1977 UMass graduate, has led the Minutewomen to 12 Atlantic 10 Championships (7 Cross Country, 3 Indoor Track, 2 Outdoor Track) during her tenure and is a 12-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
- The Minutewomen head south to Fairfax, Virginia this Saturday and Sunday for the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by George Mason at George Mason Stadium. Saturday's events will begin heptathlon 100 meter hurdles at 11:15 a.m., while action on the track kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Sunday's schedule opens up with heptathlon long jump at 10Â a.m.
UMass Entries (Atlantic 10 Rank in Parenthesis)
Heptathlon: Bridget Deveau, Emma Jones (5), Kira Kopec (1), Julia Witt
Pole Vault: Kelsey Barnes (8), Sarah Gillece, Kayla Rorke (6)
Hammer: Mariah Collins (5), Danielle Notarfrancesco (6)
Long Jump: Ashley Arroyo, Ivana Nyemeck, Charlotte Robsion
Javelin: Lucy Belt
100mH: Jada Harris (1), Charlotte Robison (4)
400m: Emilie Cowan (3)
100m: Lindsay Witt (4), Diamante Spencer, India Johnson
800m: Heather MacLean, Olivia Weir, Clare Murphy
400mH: Brenda Sheedy, Kaela Hardy, Kayla Blair, Ariel Christie
200m: Emilie Cowan (6), Lindsay Witt (7), Diamante Spencer, India Johnson
3,000m Steeplechase: Colleen Sands, Brook Hansel
Shot Put: Danielle Notarfrancesco (2), Lauren LaDere (4), Kelly Alves
Triple Jump: Ashley Arroyo, Ivana Nyemeck (3)
Discus: Mariah Collins (7), Kelly Alves
High Jump: Julia Witt (7), Patricia Douglas, Sarah Gillece
1,500m: Heather MacLean (1), Caroline Clark, Alexa Livingstone, Catherine Curtin
5,000m: Colleen Sands, Kate Dorsey, Taylor Blow
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Last Time Out
- The Minutewomen claimed first in their 2018 home finale, leading a six-team field at the UMass Pre-Conference Meet last Saturday at the UMass Track and Field Complex. Aided by eight event wins, the Minutewomen scored 215 points, followed by New Hampshire (174), UMass Lowell (131), Dartmouth (80), Vermont (51) and Maine (39).
- The day's action saw the Minutewomen post seven top-five all-time marks and 15 New England-qualifying performances, as well.
- Redshirt senior Heather MacLean took down her own facility and school records in the 800 meter run, with a winning time of 2 minutes, 3.45 seconds.
- Junior Emilie Cowan led a pack of four New England qualifiers for the Minutewomen in the 200 meter dash, claiming first with a time of 24.48 seconds, the new No. 2 time in UMass history. Sophomore Lindsay Witt was second at 24.75 seconds, while senior Diamante Spencer (25.12) and freshman India Johnson (25.42) followed in third and fourth.
- Cowan also won 400 meter dash, meeting the New England standard at 54.21 seconds. Spencer ran a New England-qualifying 12.43 seconds to third in 100 meter dash.Â
- Redshirt junior Bridget Deveau won the 400 meter hurdles with the third-fastest time in program history, 1 minute, 1.96 seconds, a New England qualifier.
- Junior Kayla Rorke won pole vault with a height of 11 feet, 7.75 inches to tie for fourth all-time in UMass history and meet the New England standard.
- Freshman Ivana Nyemeck took the top spot in triple jump at 39 feet, 4.5 inches to enter the UMass record book at No. 5 all-time, a New England qualifier.
- Senior Mariah Collins captured first in hammer throw, setting a new No. 3 all-time mark in UMass history at 168 feet, 11 inches. Freshman Danielle Notarfrancesco also entered UMass' top-five all-time with her throw of 167 feet, 10 inches, good for fourth in program history. Both were New England qualifiers, as well.
- Notarfrancesco met the New England standard with her winning shot put toss of 46 feet, 7.25 inches. Freshman Lauren LaDere took fifth, with a New England-qualifying mark of 42 feet, 9.5 inches. Collins was also a New England qualifier in discus, placing second with her throw of 137 feet, 10 inches.
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MacLean Earns A-10 Track Performer Of The Week Recognition
- Redshirt senior Heather MacLean was honored by the Atlantic 10 for this first time this outdoor season as she was named the Atlantic 10 Women's Track Performer of the Week on Monday.
- In her first time running the event since last outdoor season, MacLean took down her own facility and school records in the 800 meter run, with a winning time of 2 minutes, 3.45 seconds at the UMass Pre-Conference meet, besting her previous school record of 2:06.43. Not only a New England qualifier, the time also currently ranks fifth in the nation this season, second in the NCAA East Region.
Minutewomen Sweep A-10 Awards
- University of Massachusetts women's track and field completed a sweep of the Atlantic 10 weekly awards on April 24 with redshirt senior Mariah Collins, junior Emilie Cowan and freshman Danielle Notarfrancesco all being recognized following their performances at the Holy Cross Invitational and the Larry Ellis Invitational. Cowan was tabbed the Women's Track Performer of the Week, Collins was named the Women's Field Performer of the Week and Notarfrancesco was honored as the Women's Rookie of the Week.
- Collins was victorious in the discus at the Holy Cross Invitational with a New England-qualifying throw of 132 feet 6 inches. The redshirt senior from Southwick, Massachusetts also improved upon her No. 5 all-time mark in the UMass record book in the hammer throw, meeting the New England standard with a 164-foot, 2-inch toss to land fourth in the event.
- Cowan took the top spot in the 400-meter dash at the Larry Ellis Invitational in a field of 36 runners with a time of 54.79 seconds, a New England qualifier. The junior from Maplewood, New Jersey also ran on the Minutewomen's 4x400 meter relay team that claimed eighth with a time of 3:52.60.
- Notarfrancesco, a freshman from Jackson, New Jersey, led four UMass scorers in the shot put at the Holy Cross Invitational, winning the event with a mark of 46 feet 8.75 inches to improve upon her No. 4 all-time mark in the program record book and New England qualifying mark for a third straight week.
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Witt Honored By A-10
- Sophomore Lindsay Witt was selected as the Atlantic 10 Women's Track Performer of the Week on April 10 after helping the Minutewomen to a first place team finish in the Minuteman Invitational.
- Witt ran 12.01 seconds to first in the 100 meter dash, which was good for third all-time in program history. She also won the 200 meter dash in 25.30 seconds as her times in both events were New England qualifiers.
- Witt's 100 meter time currently ranks second in the A-10.
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Indoor Recap
- The 2018 indoor season saw 16 program top-five all-time marks set, including 12 by freshmen and sophomores. New school records were set in shot put (Danielle Notarfrancesco, 49'0.35"), pentathlon (Bridget Deveau, 3,820), 60 meter hurdles (Jada Harris, 8.54), 200 meters (Lindsay Witt, 24.54), and 3,000 meters (Heather MacLean, 9:03.03).
- Two freshmen medaled at the New England Championships with Ivana Nyemeck capturing the triple jump title and Notarfrancesco earning silver in shot put.
- The Minutewomen collected seven medals at the Atlantic 10 Championships and placed sixth in the team standings with 122.5 points. Deveau took home gold in pentathlon. Sophomores Haris and Samantha Thompson claimed silver and bronze in high jump, while Harris also garnered silver in 60 meter hurdles. Notarfrancesco and Lauren LaDere earned silver and bronze in shot put and Nyemeck collected bronze in triple jump.
- UMass picked up a pair of medals at the ECAC Championships to close out the indoor campaign. Deveau won gold in pentathlon and Harris captured silver in high jump.
- The Minutewomen landed five on the Atlantic 10's All-Rookie Team – Caroline Clark (mile), Patricia Douglas (high jump), Kira Kopec (pentathlon), Notarfrancesco (shot put), Bryanna Rivers (800 meters, 1,000 meters).
- Deveau represented UMass on the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team and was named the UMass female Winter Scholar Athlete.
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Happy Returns
- UMass returns nine individuals that scored at last year's Outdoor Atlantic 10 Championships.
- Sophomore Jada Harris collected Most Outstanding Rookie Performer of the meet honors outdoors at A-10's after winning high jump and 100m hurdles.
- Sophomore Samantha Thompson claimed bronze in high jump at the outdoor meet as a freshman in 2017.
- Heather MacLean won her first 1,500 meter Atlantic 10 title and was first in the 800 meter preliminaries before being medically unable to compete in the final of that event.
- Junior Emilie Cowan scored in two events outdoors in 2017, earning silver in 400 meter dash and taking seventh in 200 meter dash.
- Current senior Colleen Sands was a silver medalist in 3,000 meter steeplechase.
- Other scorers returning included Gabrielle Bennett in 100 meter hurdles (eighth), Diamante Spencer and Lindsay Witt in 100 meter dash (sixth and seventh) and Mariah Collins in discus (sixth).
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One More For MacLean
- As a result of redshirting the 2016 outdoor campaign, Heather MacLean iis competing in her final outdoor track and field season.
- She is coming off her sixth individual Atlantic 10 title on the track, winning the 1,500 meter run at the Outdoor A-10 Championships in 2017.
- She is also a four-time A-10 gold medalist in the 800m (indoor: 2015, 2016; outdoor 2014, 2015) and won the mile indoors in 2016. MacLean has five New England 800m titles to her credit, as well.
- MacLean was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the indoor A-10 Championships in 2016 and as the Most Outstanding Rookie at the outdoor A-10 Championships in 2014.
- She holds seven school records on UMass' all-time indoor and outdoor lists and holds a share of the program's indoor relay records for 4x400m, 4x800m and distance medley relays.
- MacLean made history in March 2016 when she took ninth in the mile final at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to become the first indoor track and field All-American in the history of the UMass women's track and field program.
- In her final season of cross country this past fall, MacLean became the first cross country All-American in program history by finishing 26th at the NCAA Championships. She won the 2017 New England title and her second straight A-10 cross country championship this past fall, as well.
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Newcomers Abound
- UMass women's track and field welcomed 15 new student-athletes for the 2017-18 seasons. The group is comprised of three throwers, two middle distance runners, two distance runners, two sprinters two jumpers, two multi-eventers and one each that will compete in sprints/jumps and jumps/multi events.
- Two freshmen, Kira Kopec and Ivana Nyemeck, competed in the 2017 Canada Summer games in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kopec earned bronze in heptathlon at the meet, while Nyemeck was seventh in triple jump.
- Thrower Danielle Notarfrancesco out of Jackson, New Jersey, was an indoor All-American as a senior with a PR of 47'11" in shot put.
- Freshmen Caroline Clark and Colette O'Leary were consistent scorers for the Minutewomen during the cross country season and were both named to the 2017 Atlantic 10 Cross Country All-Rookie Team. Clark was also tabbed the A-10 Cross Country Rookie of the Year as the top freshman finisher in the field of 129 runners and took third for the Minutewomen in 38th overall with a time of 18 minutes 58.9 seconds.
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LaFreniere at the Helm
- UMass head coach Julie LaFreniere is in her 31st year as head coach of the women's cross country and track and field programs in 2017-18.
- LaFreniere, a 1977 UMass graduate, has led the Minutewomen to 12 Atlantic 10 Championships (7 Cross Country, 3 Indoor Track, 2 Outdoor Track) during her tenure and is a 12-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
Players Mentioned
MWT&F Highlights vs. UMass Lowell and Northeastern (04/03/21)
Sunday, April 04
Senior Female Scholar Athlete Award SAMYS 2020
Tuesday, April 28
Maroon Excellence Award SAMYS 2020
Tuesday, April 28
Female Team of the Year SAMYS 2020
Tuesday, April 28










































