Posted: Apr 25, 2019

CCC Women's Track and Field: Championship Preview

Natalie Kopiec and the Seahawks seek to claim their third title in four years. (Original photo by Jen McGuinness)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) is set to host its second annual Women's Track and Field Championship at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, R.I. on Saturday, April 27. The meet is schedule to begin at 10 a.m. with the field events, while running events will get underway at noon.

Student-athletes from Endicott, Gordon, Nichols, Roger Williams, and Salve Regina will compete at this year's championship met.

Last year Roger Williams claimed the first-ever CCC Women's Track and Field title with a team score of 191. The Hawks featured seven of the 19 individual champions including returners Sarah Mawdsley (Sandy Hook, Conn.) who won both the 3000 and 5000 meter runs, Madison Fancher (Gloversville, N.Y.), who took the 100 meter hurdles crown, and NCAA Championship Savannah Fox Tree-McGrath ( Billerica, Mass.), who won the high jump and javelin.

Salve Regina finished second at last year's championship meet with 173 points. They bring back Natalie Kopiec (Manchester, Conn.) who was the 400 meter hurdles champion a year ago. Also returning for the Seahawks is triple jump champion Erin Gunther (Sayville, N.Y.) and discus champion Katherine Simoniello (Killingsworth, Conn.).

The third place team in 2018, Gordon, also brings back two individual champions as Amanda Page (Manchester, N.H.), who won the pole vault, and Maddie St. Julien (Wareham, Mass.), the 2018 long jump champion, both return.

Nichols will return one individual champion in Kaitlyn Anthes (Cumberland, R.I.), the winner of the 2018 hammer throw.

Saturday's championship will feature the following 19 scoring events:

Pole Vault
High Jump
Long Jump
Triple Jump
Hammer Throw
Discus
Javelin Throw
Shotput

5000 meter run
4x100 meter relay
1500 meter run
100 meter hurdles
400 meter run
100 meter dash
800 meter run
400 meter hurdles
200 meter run
3000 meter run
4x 400 meter relay

The team with the most points accumulated will be crowned the CCC Women's Track and Field Champion. Salve Regina head coach Matthew Hird believes the meet might be close with the outcome not decided until the final event. "It is very hard to predict the final result accurately because there are so many variables. But we have been training well, and have some very talented athletes who will do their very best, so I am cautiously optimistic."

The CCC Men's Track and Field Invitational will be held in conjunction with Saturday's Championship with Gordon, Nichols, and Roger Williams competing for the title.

This is one of the last chances that student-athletes have to qualify of the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held from May 23-25 at the SPIRE Institute Outdoor Track and Field facility in Geneva, Ohio.