Salve Regina triumphs in second straight CCC invitational championship

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. - The Salve Regina University women's track and field team captured its second straight Commonwealth Coast Conference Invitational Championship with a tight 211 – 207.5 win over Roger Williams. Gordon College was third with 82 points while Nichols (37.5) and Eastern Nazarene (34) took the last two spots.

The Seahawks proved to be the quality team of the meet recording eleven first place finishes, eight seconds and four thirds in the 19 events.

The woman of the meet was clearly Madison Stanley (Warwick, R.I.). She crossed the finish line first in the 100m (season's best 13.23), the 200m (season's best 27.07) and soared to an event winning and season's best of 11.11m (36'5.5") in the triple jump. Stanley also ran legs on the winning 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

The meet was not without controversy as it ended with the scoring computer indicating a half point victory for Roger Williams. Hours later however, it was discovered that a second Roger Williams 4x100m relay team had erroneously been awarded four points when NCAA rules clearly state that an institution can score only one team. Removing those four points from the Hawks' score gave the Seahawks the three and a half point margin of victory.

"These things happen and Sean Livingston was very gracious and sportsmanlike given his considerable level of disappointment," said Salve Regina University head coach Matt Hird referring to the Hawk head coach. "We didn't get to have the trophy presented to the team and missed out on the photo opp with the CCC banner, but discovering we had won after thinking we had finished second by the slimmest of margins is tremendously satisfying."

Other first place winners were Raquel Pouliot (Coventry, Conn.) in the 800m with a season's best of 2:22.72, missing qualifying for the New England Championships by tenths of seconds, and Natalie Kopiec (Manchester, Conn.) with victories in both hurdle races (100m hurdles in a season's best 17.01 and the 400m hurdles in 68.96). Also claiming the top step on the podium were Victoria Varone (Providence, R.I.) in the 3000m (11:12.45), Katie Simoniello (Killingworth, Conn.) in the discus (29.75m – 97'7"), and Tiffany Davila (Smithfield, R.I.) with a school-record toss in the hammer of 37.38m (122' 8"), eclipsing her old mark by a foot.

Both relays found the winner's circle as the 4x100m team of Erin Gunther (Sayesville, N.Y.), Devin Smith (Ipswitch, Mass.), Kopiec and Stanley crossed the line in 51.18 and the 4x400m relay of Pouliot, Stanley, Megan Jenkins (Walpole, Mass.) and Kopiec recorded a winning time of 4:12.24.

Smith was timed in 62.69 in the 400m, good for second place and leapt to a second-place finish in the high jump (1.47m – 4'10") and a New England Championship qualifying performance of 10.68m (35'0") in the triple jump. Cianna Lynch (Cranston, R.I.) was second across the line in the 1500m in 5:09.63, Gunther jumped to a second place in the triple jump (11.08m – 36'4.25") only 1.5" behind her team mate. In fact, all three Salve Regina triple jumpers broke the old meet record held by former Seahawk Emily Ogden '07. Gunther also placed second in the 400m hurdles in a career debut of 72.93. The javelin saw Elicia Nemirow (Warwick, R.I.) throw her spear 28.16m (92'5") for second place in that event.

"We knew going into the meet that the competition was going to be fierce and all our athletes came up huge. We saw other teams on the infield getting big emotional speeches from their coaches and leaders, but I knew we didn't need that because we all came to the meet with that inner desire to succeed and perform at our best from which champions and championships are made. I can't be prouder of our team and the way they responded to the challenges they faced, both individually and as a team. This is a truly great group of women who we love to coach."

The Seahawks take to the road next Friday and Saturday for the New England Division III Championships held at Williams College. In addition to the three triple jumpers, Kopiec in the 400m hurdles and Alexandra Demeo (Burlington, Mass.) and Varone in the 10,000m will make the trip. The Seahawks will also enter teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.