WATERVILLE, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington women's track and field team kicked off their season with a second-place finish in the two-day Elm City Classic hosted by Colby College.
The event stretched across two days, with the pentathlon taking place on Friday evening and the remaining events on Saturday. The Beavers finished with 123 points in their third-place effort. Colby topped the field with 168 points.
Top Performances:
Junior standout Lina Martinez Nocito (Mt. Vernon, Maine) opened her season on a high note, dominating the field and taking the top spot in the 3,000 meters. Martinez Nocito raced to a time of 11:14.52. Her teammate, Eve Poteet (Fairhill, Md.), also competed in the event, running a time of 12:27.46 to place fourth overall.
Senior Erica Johnson (Nobleboro, Maine) had a strong day, scoring in all four individual events she competed in. Johnson recorded second-place finishes in the triple jump and 60-meter hurdles, and fourth-place finishes in the 200 meters and pole vault. Her top attempt in the triple jump measured 10.84 meters, she posted a time of 9.80 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, ran 30.38 seconds in the 200 meters, and cleared 2.12 meters in the pole vault.
First-year thrower Natalie Simpson (Bucksport, Maine) had an impressive collegiate debut, earning two top-three finishes. Simpson placed second in the weight throw with a best attempt of 10.82 meters and finished third in the shot put with a throw of 10.31 meters.
On Friday, first-year Heather Alexander (Orleans, Vt.) performed well in the pentathlon, posting 2,468 points to finish fourth overall.
In the 60 meters, Farmington had two athletes place in the top ten. First-years Jenney Lutz (Lebanon, N.H.) and Sadie Pierce (China, Maine) finished fourth and tenth, respectively. Lutz posted a time of 8.45 seconds, while Pierce finished in 9.00 seconds. Pierce also placed sixth in the long jump (4.72 meters) and fifth in the triple jump (10.38 meters). Lutz followed closely behind in the triple jump with a mark of 10.23 meters to earn sixth place.
Junior Hannah Milliken (Greene, Maine) competed alongside Johnson in the 200 meters, placing sixth with a time of 32.28 seconds.
Senior Kennedy Todd (Scarborough, Maine) contributed 8.5 individual points, finishing fourth in the 400 meters and tying for fifth in the high jump. Todd ran 1:08.41 in the 400 meters and cleared 1.38 meters in the high jump.
Sophomore Emma Syphers (Bangor, Maine) opened her season strong, tying for fifth in the high jump and earning fifth in the long jump. Syphers cleared 1.38 meters in the high jump and reached 4.78 meters in the long jump.
Sophomore Monica Lewis (Windham, Maine) and first-year Alayna Marchessault (Thomaston, Maine) each scored in the 600 meters. Lewis ran 2:12.38 to take ninth, while Marchessault placed 11th with a time of 2:32.23. Lewis added a third-place finish and six points in the pole vault after clearing 2.12 meters on her second attempt.
Junior Abby MacDonald (Bangor, Maine) contributed five points, finishing fourth in the mile with a time of 6:53.94.
First-year Ashley Roy (Turner, Maine) recorded two eighth-place finishes in her collegiate debut, posting an 8.95-meter throw in the shot put and a 9.19-meter effort in the weight throw.
Farmington's 4x400-meter relay team of Todd, Lutz, Pierce, and Syphers finished second in 5:00.97. The distance medley relay team consisting of Kaylee Johnston (Bangor, Maine), Marchessault, Lewis, and MacDonald placed third with a time of 16:24.43.
UP NEXT
Farmington will return to action next Saturday, December 13th, at the USM Alumni Open.
