Women’s Track to Head to Providence and Host Wildcat Invitational This Weekend (April 15-16)

Friday, April 15

Providence, RI

5 PM

University of New Hampshire

Providence College

Photo by: Elise Austin-Washburn

Women’s Track to Head to Providence and Host Wildcat Invitational This Weekend (April 15-16)

4/14/2016 8:49:00 AM | Women's Track & Field

DURHAM, N.H. –The University of New Hampshire women's track & field team will tackle two meets this weekend, the Ocean State Invitational at Providence College on Friday (April 15; 6 p.m.) and will host the Wildcat Invitational on Saturday (April 16, 11 a.m.) against the University of Maine, Bates College and Lesley University at the Reggie Atkins Track & Field Facility.

Meet Info
Eight student-athletes will compete at Providence on Friday at the Ray Treacy Track & Field Complex. The events will kick off at 6 p.m. for the women with the 800-meter unseeded run. At the second straight home meet, UNH will begin at 11 a.m. with field events before starting the running events around 1 p.m.

Before the recent home meet, sophomore Danielle Gajewski (Danville, N.H.) set a new personal best time of 2:12.37 in the 800-meter run at the Colonial Relays (March 31-April 2). She is set to run the 800-meter race this weekend and attempt to maintain her top-marks amongst the competition. Junior Hannah Kimball (Atkinson, N.H.) will be running the mile after placing second (4:58.55) in the event at the America East Indoor championships (Feb. 19-20).

Senior Chelsey Serrano (Raymond, N.H.) will take on the 3000-meter steeplechase once again after coming out on top at home last weekend with a personal best time of 10:59.12. Sophomore Elinor Purrier (Montgomery, Vt.) and senior Laura Rose Donegan (Melbourne, Australia) will be making their first appearances back in the event since the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June of 2015. There, Purrier placed seventh overall with her personal best time of 9:53.69 while Donegan placed tenth overall with a time of 9:59.45, each collecting All-American status.

Sophomore Riley Gilmore (Haverhill, Mass.) will take on the 5K for the first time since the America East Indoor Track & Field Championships in February of 2015, where she placed tenth overall with her best time of 17:39.07. Coming out of the 2016 America East Indoor championships placing sixth overall, senior Samantha Blais (Keene, N.H.) will take on the 5K, as well, in hopes of beating her last time of 17:24.35 at the recent indoor conference championships. Senior Brianna Boden (Keene, N.H.) is also set to take on the 5K after coming in fifth place in the event at the 2016 ECAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in March with a time of 16:43.97, a personal-best mark.

Home Sweet Home
The Wildcats have a total of three home track meets this season kicked off last weekend by a 220.0-point effort to place first in the quad meet. After this Saturday, the team welcomes conference foes for the America East Pre-Conference Meet on Saturday, April 30. With that said, UNH track & field supporters and alums have a few more chances to check out the team this season.

With this weekend's home meet, the team is focused on building their progress before the championships. Last weekend, Jessica Hackett (Dover, N.H.), Lauren Perrodin (Coral Springs, Fla.), Sydney Kay (Fairfield, Conn.), and Gajewski came out on top of the competition at home in the 4x100 relay with a time of 48.76 seconds. Sophomore Emily Wernig (Gilford, N.H.) also had a stellar day, placing second overall in the discus with a throw of 133 feet, 3 inches.

Kay placed top-2 in all three events she competed in last weekend, taking home the first spot in the 200-meter run (25.18 seconds) and as a member of the 4x100 relay team (48.76 seconds). She also placed second in the 100-meter with a time of 12.11 seconds.

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