NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (Dec. 4, 2010) – The Mount Holyoke College women's indoor track and field team kicked off its 2010-11 slate at the non-scoring Smith College Winter Classic today.

Highlighting the day for the Lyons was sophomore Maddie Ballon, who grabbed first place in the pole vault. In addition to tying her school record with her height of 2.75 meters, she also qualified for the New England Division III Championships.

Senior Jacinta Edebeli posted top 10 finishes in two events. After taking eighth place with a distance of 10.11 in the shot put, she qualified for the New England Division III Championships with her fourth place time of 7.62 in the 55-meter dash.

Junior Gizelle Fletcher joined Edebeli in the finals of the 55-meter dash, taking eighth place overall with her time of 8.10. She then took home third place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.92.

Junior Felicia Cordeiro secured sixth place in the one mile run with her time of 5:59.31. She later competed in the 800-meter run, crossing the line in 2:45.26 to collect fifth place overall.

Mount Holyoke also received a boost from first years Bianca Routt and Maeve Stier, who each excelled in their collegiate debuts. Routt grabbed fourth place in the 400-meter dash with her time of 1:07.25, while Stier nabbed sixth place in the high jump with her height of 1.42 meters.

The Lyons will return to action on Saturday, January 22, when they take part in the Wesleyan University Invitational.