Edebeli Leads the Way For Track and Field at Aloha Relays

BRUNSWICK, Maine (Apr. 23, 2011) – A total of nine members of the Mount Holyoke College women's outdoor track and field team earned points this weekend at Bowdoin College's Aloha Relays. The Lyons took sixth place overall with their score of 24 points. In addition, senior Jacinta Edebeli grabbed second place in the heptathlon.

Maeve Stier Host Bowdoin won with a score of 227.50. The Polar Bears were followed by Bates College (128), the University of Southern Maine (83), Smith College (82.5), Colby College (76) and Mount Holyoke.

Edebeli racked up 3,400 points on her way to a second place showing in the heptathlon. With her score, she qualified for the New England Division III Championships in the event. The senior was just 58 points off the school record established by Carrie Turbin in 1995.

She was at her best in the shot put, where she took home top honors with a toss of 28.40. In doing so, she made herself eligible for the New England Division III Championships in the event. Edebeli won the 200-meter dash with a time of 28.40 and also secured third place finishes in both the long jump (4.67 meters) and javelin (25.59 meters).

Mount Holyoke's top performance during the team competition came from first year Bianca Routt, who earned six points with her third place time of 1:03.35 in the 400-meter dash.

Sophomore Angelica Pascual and junior Alicia Forrest each contributed four points with their fourth place performances. Pascual recorded a time of 13.45 in the 100-meter dash, while Forrest posted a distance of 9.59 in the shot put.

The quartet of Jenna Slipke, Maddie Ballon, Whitney Bailey and Kathleen O'Connor combined to earn six points with their third place time of 4:46.79 in the 4x400-meter relay.

Meanwhile, junior Emily Follo added a pair of points with her fifth place time of 43:22.54 in the 10,000-meter run. Ballon and first year Maeve Stier chipped in with one point apiece to round things out for the Lyons. Ballon posted a height of 2.60 meters in the pole vault, while Stier cleared 1.42 meters in the high jump. They both finished sixth in their respective events.

Mount Holyoke is slated to compete in the NEWMAC Championships next Saturday at the Coast Guard Academy. The meet is scheduled to get underway at 11:00 a.m.