NEWTON, Mass. (2/7/16) – The Lasell College men's and women's track and field teams competed in the Wesleyan University Invitational on Saturday afternoon at the Bacon Field House in Middleton, Conn.
For the first time as a Laser, sophomore Nick Garifalos (Spotswood, N.J.) competed in the 600m event, placing 5th overall with a final mark of 1:26.30. The first race from the sophomore sets a new school record in the event, previously set in 2015 at 1:28.50.
Sophomore Josh Nixon (Bloomfield, Conn.) finished the 60m dash in 7.54 seconds and rounded out the meet with an 8th place finish in the long jump at 5.45m. Freshman Ben Lane (Rutland, Vt.) joined Nixon in the sprinters circle, running the 200m race in 24.59 seconds.
Freshman Kyle Vonick (Wethersfield, Conn.) also joined in the race for the first time for a 17th place finish at 1:32.31.
Sophomore and Vonick were joined by freshman Ryan Dalaba (North Granville, N.Y.) and Troy Gonsalves (Providence, R.I.) for the 4x800 meter relay, where the Lasers placed second at 8:49.04, just .3 seconds off a Lasell College record.
For the women, senior Jaime Russo (Watertown, Mass.) had a top performance in the 800m race, crossing the line at 2:37.30.
Sophomore Ayumi Ranucci (Auburn, Maine) kicked things off in the women's meet in the 60m dash with an 8.71 mark. Senior Melissa Cooley (Huntington Beach, Calif.) continued a strong 2016 campaign with a 9th place finish in the 200m dash at 27.61. Cooley later competed in the 400m dash, finishing 5th overall for a final time of 1:01.16, a consistent performance from her PR of 1:00.05 set at the John Terrier Invite.
Joining Cooley in the 400 was two newcomers to Lasell track and Field, plus sophomore returner Nora McCabe (Cranston, R.I.). McCabe finished at 33.48, while freshman Jordan Immerman (Tarzana Calif.) led with a 32.77 finish. Junior Kaitlyn Baker (Unionville, Conn.) ran her first 400m as well and finished at 33.17.
Sophomore Shannon Hart (Mashpee, Mass.) finished out the meet in the 600m event finishing at 2:28.37.
Both teams will lace up again next weekend for the David Hemery Invitational hosted on the campus of Boston University. The women will take the track on Friday at 2:00 p.m., while the men return on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.