Women’s Track & Field Duo Claims All-New England
Suffolk women’s track & field competed against the best-of-the-best in the region this weekend as the Rams traveled to Williams for the NCAA Division III New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Suffolk women's track & field competed against the best-of-the-best in the region this weekend as the Rams traveled to Williams for the NCAA Division III New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
For the first time in program history, Suffolk finished with a team result, finishing 20th in the field of 34. The 20th-place finish was the highest GNAC team at the regional meet.
Individually, the junior duo of Emily Manfra and Emma Weisse had standout performances resulting in New England DIII Cross country & Field Association All-New England honors, a first for both Suffolk's runners and the program.
In her appearance at the outdoor regional event, Manfra ticked in a personal-best time of 4:34.58 in the 1500 to claim second out of her 21 competitors. The Stoneham, Massachusetts, local now sits 12th across NCAA DIII, which should qualifiy her for the 2019 NCAA DIII National Championships set for later this month at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The official field of the national meet will be released May 18 with the top 22 performers from each event heading out to The Buckeye State.
Weisse, made her second straight regional appearance, compete in the in the 10K for the first time in her career. The Hampden, Massachusetts, product clocked in at 39:00.48 to finish fourth in the field of 14.
Mariama Kamara also participated in the regional meet for the second time in her career and in as many years. The sophomore sprinter from Chelsea, Massachusetts, put together a personal record of 12.56 in the 100-meter dash, good for a 12th-place performance.
Allison Rodrigues became the first-ever Suffolk fielder to compete at a regional tournament. The freshman, who calls North Andover, Massachusetts home, participated in a pair of events, the shot put and javelin. She took home 13th in the shot put with a mark of 10.93 meters and 17th in the jav behind a toss of 29.14 meters.
Suffolk has one last chance to make the national championships next weekend when it competes at the MIT Final Qualifier Saturday, May 16. From there, those who have a top-22nd performance across NCAA DIII in their respective events will compete at NCAA Championships over Memorial Day Weekend.