By Adam Levine
Sports Editor
The Framingham State Rams track and field team traveled to the BSU Bears Invitational to compete with 17 other teams March 25.
Framingham’s Emily Newcomb, who ran the 800-meter and 1,500-meter, said, “It was not only our first meet back, but the conditions were definitely not ideal with it being only 40 degrees out with sleet and rain for most of the day. Our team showed up ready to go, and overcame our conditions and performed pretty well overall.”
Seventeen athletes competed across nine different events for the Rams, two of whom earned a spot on the MASCAC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Weekly Honor Roll.
Newcomb earned a spot on the weekly honor roll with her outstanding performances in the 800-meter run and the 1,500-meter run. She placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:29.66, and placed fourth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5:09.97.
Newcomb said, regarding the 800-meter run, “I ran only a few seconds off my PR [personal record], which is faster than I was running at this same point last year, so I was pretty stoked about that.
“This year, I would really like to win the 800 at MASCACs and I think the results of our first meet have shown me that I’m off to a good start,” Newcomb added.
Newcomb set the school record with her time in the 1,500-meter run. “I haven’t run a 1,500 since my sophomore year, so I was a bit out of practice.
“I would love to race it again at another meet this season to see how I could do if I changed my racing tactic,” she added.
Alyssa Caputo also earned a spot on the weekly honor roll for her performance in the shot put throw and hammer throw, placing sixth and eighth, respectively.
Caputo said, “The honor roll mention is huge for both Emily and me and our team as well. It’s important to me knowing that others see the hard work we are putting in and it shows in our results.”
She said her hammer throw of 32.88 meters was a new PR and the second-best distance in the team’s history.
Caputo said, “Hammer was the first event which went very well.
“With shot, I know I can do better and will in the upcoming meets. It was hard to get a good throw in when it was raining and hailing,” Caputo added.
Other highlights of the meet included the fifth-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay by Becca Morris, Brooke Fenton, Lydia Manurowski, and Elizabeth Dykstra.
Fenton said, “My mindset was to definitely focus on nailing my handoffs and really using my form when I was running.”
Fenton said their finishing time is the second best in the team’s history. “We feel really good about it and we feel like we can definitely improve in future meets.”
In addition to these top 10 finishes, Framingham’s Casey McAuliffe and Olivia Poole placed ninth and 10th, respectively, in the 5,000-meter run, Manurowski placed eighth in the triple jump, Bella Kondi placed 10th in the discus throw, and Kaylee Beck placed fifth in the hammer throw.
Caputo said, “The team is constantly having girls hit new PRs and placing high.
“The FSU community can expect this track team to become a really good team that is very competitive in the MASCAC over the next few years,” she added.
The Rams travel to the UMass Dartmouth Corsair Classic April 1.