Durham, NH ? The University of Hartford track and field team ran their last meet prior to the America East Championships this past weekend, at the New Hampshire Wildcat Invitational. The women's team was led by Kaycee Martinez, while the men's team saw one of its best performances come in the 4x400-meter relay.
Martinez finished just over one second shy of qualifying for the NCAA East Regional's with her first place time of 1:01.85 in the 400-meter hurdles. Her time broke her own school record in the event and currently stands as the second fastest time in the America East heading into next weekend's championships. Her time also qualifies her for the ECAC Championships. Ariana Bass also finished well in the 400-hurdles, with her time of 1:04.94 good for fourth place.
Stefanie Lombardi also broke a school record, one of three on the day for the men's and women's teams. Lombardi ran a time of 4:47.06, finishing fourth overall, in the 1,500-meter run. Also finishing well in that event was Liz Foster who broke the five minute mark for the first time in her career, finishing 11th overall with a time of 4:57.96.
Marisa Poleto and Regina Roberts also ran well for Hartford, finishing fourth and fifth respectively in the 200-meter dash. Poleto finished with a time of 27.12, while Roberts finishing in a time of 27.17.
The men's team saw one school record on the day. Ryan Trupin tied his own mark in the high jump, topping the same distance for the second-straight week, with a height of 6'4”. Stephan Jospitre also led the Hawks jumpers in the long jump and triple jump. He finished both events in the top five, with his best performance in the triple jump. He finished second overall with a distance of 45'8.5”. In the long jump, he finished fourth overall with a distance of 22'3.5”.
Rounding out the Hawks field events was Stephen Paternoster who finished second overall with his throw of 169'1” in the javelin throw. On the track, the Hawks were led by Warren Lane and Eric Ciccone in the sprint events. Lane finished fourth overall in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.24, while Ciccone as fourth overall in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.08.
The 2008 America East Outdoor Track Championships will be held at the University of Maine on May 3 and 4. The events begin with the first half of the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
