Owl Women Secure Eight Event Victories at Jerry Gravel Invitational
Westfield State junior Eliza Lee (Walpole, Mass.) delivered another strong performance this afternoon with three individual event wins as the Owls won eight total events at the Jerry Gravel Invitational hosted from Alumni Field and the Jerry Gravel Track in Westfield, Mass. on Sunday afternoon.
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State junior Eliza Lee (Walpole, Mass.) delivered another strong performance this afternoon with three individual event wins as the Owls won eight total events at the Jerry Gravel Invitational hosted from Alumni Field and The Jerry Gravel Track in Westfield, Mass. on Sunday afternoon.
Lee started her day at the sandpits, participating in the long jump and triple jump where she secured the top spot in both events. In the long jump, Lee totaled a distance of 5.34 meters on her fourth attempt which served as the clear winner. In the triple jump, she rivaled her season-best, national qualifying mark with a measurement of 11.36 meters. Lee currently ranks 32nd in all of Division III in the triple jump and 42nd overall in the long jump.
Lee then whirled around the track for a first-place finish in the 400, crossing the tape in just over a minute at 1:00.09. First-year teammate Jailene Felix (Springfield, Mass.) was second in the event at a time of 1:02.36.
Other top placements in track events came from senior Delaney Parker (Orange, Mass.) and sophomore Devin Whalen (Marblehead, Mass.). Parker sprinted to the top mark in the 100-meter dash, posting a time of 13.03 while also finishing third in the 200 in 27.20 seconds.
Whalen earned first in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:10.26 and notched third in the 100-meter hurdles. Whalen, along with Lee, Parker, and Felix turned their strong individual contributions into a collective team effort in the 4x100 as the quartet cruised to a first-place time at 50.71 which was nearly six seconds ahead of Western New England's relay team which placed second.
Senior Bronwyn Pinsly (Las Vegas, Nev.) and junior Emily Ottomaniello (Agawam, Mass.) collected two additional event wins for Westfield with Pinsly comfortably winning the discus throw after an opening launch of 38.01 meters. Pinsly then added a top five mark in the shot put (9.86m). Ottomaniello was victorious at the pole vault, clearing the bar at a height of 2.34 meters.
The Owls had several strong contributions in the distance events with junior Shea Hamel (Longmeadow, Mass.) and sophomore Reese Stevens (Agawam, Mass.) placing second in their respective events. Hamel finished second in the 1500 (5:04.16) while Stevens crossed the line second in the 5000 (19:29.59). Stevens was also third in the 800 in a time of 2:27.57.
Julianne Kelly (Natick, Mass.) chipped in a fourth place showing in the 1500 (5:15.48) and Rebecca Patel (Belchertown, Mass.) wrapped up a productive afternoon for the Owls with a third-place mark in the 5000 (20:09.00).
Prior to the start of today's meet, the Owls recognized eight seniors for their commitment and dedication to the program: Libby Barnes, Ray Consiglio, Alison Downin, Molly Kennedy, Ariann LeCours, Delaney Parker, Rebecca Patel, and Bronwyn Pinsly.
Before the start of the track events, Westfield State assistant coach Marlee Berg-Haryasz was recognized for her induction into the MASCAC Hall of Fame. Berg was a 2009 NCAA Division III National Champion in the indoor high jump and a 15x MASCAC champion in a variety of different events.
Westfield State track and field will continue their outdoor season next Saturday at the Trinity College Invitational before preparing for the 2025 MASCAC Outdoor Championships on Friday, April 25.