Pride of 2019: Women’s Track & Field Repeats as GNAC Champions!

It was not easy. There were a couple of setbacks. But in the end, the Regis women's track and field team came together and earned its second straight GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship on April 28, 2019. Everyone is invited to celebrate the unveiling of the updated championship banner at halftime of the 7 p.m. women's basketball game against Lasell Wednesday night, Jan. 29. As part of the "Pride of 2019" series, below is the recap from the GNAC Championships. 

WESTON, Mass. – In a close contest throughout the two-day meet, Regis College was able to prevail and win its second straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship Sunday afternoon at Regis Stadium.

As a team, the Pride collected 167 points, 12 points in front of second place Emmanuel. Colby-Sawyer finished third with 122 points, followed by Saint Joseph's College with 107 points and Suffolk with 75 points.

Fatima St. Hilaire (Dorchester, Mass.) won four individual conference titles, two on the track and two in the jumping events. After posting the fastest preliminary time among GNAC competitors in the 100 meter dash at 12.46 seconds, she finished first in the league in the final at 12.57 seconds. Cassandra Froio (Tewksbury, Mass.) ended up fourth with a time of 13.62 seconds, just ahead of Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) in fifth place in 13.70 seconds.

St. Hilaire also led a strong Pride showing in the 200 meter dash, finishing first in 27.72 seconds. Froio finished third in the GNAC in 28.32 seconds, followed by Lourdes Jean-Louis (Pelham, Mass.) in fifth place in 28.34 seconds and Fagundo in sixth place in 28.59 seconds.

The senior won the long jump with a top mark of 5.52 meters (18' 1.5"), and then she finished atop the triple jump standings by almost one full meter with a top leap of 11.52 meters (37' 9.5"), breaking her own school record by 0.04 meters.

The Pride also performed well in the throwing events, led by two individual GNAC victories for senior Liz Ksepka (Calais, Vt.). She won the shot put with a top mark of 11.36 meters (37' 3.25"), followed by Elliana Boebel (Bedford, Mass.) in third place at 10.78 meters (35' 4.5") and Elisabeth Cooke (East Longmeadow, Mass.) in fourth place at 10.25 meters (33' 7.5").

Ksepka also won the discus throw by posting a top mark of 33.18 meters (108' 10"), with Cooke finishing right behind her in second at 32.88 meters (107' 10"). Cooke also finished third in the hammer throw with a mark of 32.61 meters (107'), behind Boebel's second-place effort of 36.66 meters (120' 3"). Jacqueline Samse (Wethersfield, Conn.) finished third in the GNAC in the javelin throw at 28.39 meters (93' 2").

Back on the track, Maddie Boucias (Buckland, Mass.) finished second in the 3000 meter steeplechase, setting a new school record with a time of 12:04.98 to qualify for the New England Championships. Erin Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) finished third in the GNAC in the 5000 meter run with a time of 20:54.56, while Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) placed second in the 1500 meter run in 5:11.43 and fourth in the 800 meter run in 2:36.68.

In the hurdles, Karen Di (Lowell, Mass.) finished third in the 100 meter hurdles, improving upon her preliminary time of 17.10 seconds with a finals time of 16.94 seconds, and fifth in the 400 meter hurdles in 1:17.24. Malaysia Cabral (Boston, Mass.) posted one of the fastest times overall in the preliminaries of the 100 meter hurdles at 16.86 seconds before finishing sixth in the finals.

Jean-Louis led Regis in the 400 meter dash, finishing second in 1:03.86, followed by Erin Sheehan (Pembroke, Mass.) in fifth place in 1:05.32 and Fagundo in sixth place in 1:05.88. The three freshmen joined St. Hilaire for a second place finish in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 4:27.07. The Kelley sisters, Boucias, and Desiree Jones (Oceanside, Calif.) smashed the school record in the 4x800 meter relay Saturday night, finishing third in the GNAC in 10:49.53, over 45 seconds faster than the previous record set three years ago.

The men also picked up three individual titles, including two event wins for senior thrower Daniel LaFlamme (Watertown, Conn.). LaFlamme set a school record in the shot put with a top throw of 13.48 meters (44' 2.75"), plus he won the discus throw with a top mark of 39.28 meters (128' 10"). Matthew Malone (West Roxbury, Mass.) won the GNAC title in the 110 meter high hurdles, qualifying for the finals with a time of 16.16 seconds, and then crossing the finish line in the finals with a time of 16.48 seconds.