NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mount Holyoke College track & field team saw a number of outstanding performances on Saturday as the Lyons were in action at the 2016 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships, hosted by the Coast Guard Academy. MHC finished ninth overall in the field, paced by seven top-10 finishes.
Pacing the way was senior Elizabeth DeLeon (Boise, Idaho/Timberline), who ran to fifth overall in the 5,000 meter run. She crossed the line with a time of 19:13.15. Also placing well was sophomore Mia Barnes (Thornville, Ohio/Monteverde Friends School), who was ninth overall with a time of 19:33.92.
In the 100-meter hurdles, sophomore Shante Henderson (New York, N.Y./Brooklyn Theatre Arts School) had an excellent effort, finishing sixth overall. She powered her way to a time of 15.63.
In the 1500-meter run, the Lyons saw several strong efforts, led by sophomore Sunny Shan (Cupertino, Calif./Monta Vista), who was ninth with a time of 5:04.50. Classmate Hannah Gershone (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) was close behind in 12th with a mark of 5:16.05, while first year Veneta Cholakova (Yambol, Bulgaria/Atanas Radev Math HS) and sophomore Kelly Stevens (Southboro, Mass./Worcester Academy) were 16th (5:21.78) and 18th (5:26.70), respectively.
Shan went on to finish 16th in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:27.53, while in the 100-meter dash, MHC saw three cross the line at the same time. Sophomore Maria Lewis (Boston, Mass./Fenway) was 11th with a time of 13.48, while junior Kristyn Carter (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Mercy) was 12th in a time of 13.75. First year Zahkeyah Allen (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter School) placed 13th with a mark of 13.98.
In the relays, the Lyons saw both foursomes finish eighth overall. In the 4x100, first year Mara White, Allen and first year's Destiny Williams (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee) and Donari Yahzid (Atlanta, Ga.) posted a time of 53.97. In the 4x400, White, Cholakova, DeLeon and Shan posted a time of 4:35.66.
The field events saw Yahzid post eighth overall in the long jump, posting a distance of 5.03 meters (16-06.00), while White was 17th with a jump of 4.34 meters (14-03.00). Allen was 17th in the shot put with a throw of 8.54 meters (28-00.25).
This year's meet saw MIT post its eighth consecutive victory as the Engineers compiled 201.50 points for the victory. WPI was runner-up with 174.50 points, followed by Wellesley (108.50), Wheaton (94.50) and Coast Guard (80) to round out the top-five.
The Lyons will see qualified individuals back in action on May 6-7 at the 2016 Division III New England Championships, hosted by Springfield College.
