WESTON, Mass. – The Regis College men's and women's track and field teams will feature several student-athletes contending for individual titles as the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships take place this Sunday, Feb. 16, at Boston University's Track and Tennis Center.
In the pre-championship coaches' polls conducted by the league office, the Pride were picked to finish third in both men's and women's track and field. On the men's side, Suffolk received five first place votes to finish atop the poll with 35 points, followed by Saint Joseph's College with 29 points, including the other first place vote, and Regis with 24 points. Emmanuel was the unanimous selection to win the women's indoor championship with all six first place votes for 36 points, with Suffolk's 28 points placing the Rams just ahead of the Pride with 26 points.
Senior JJ Pedersen (Milford, Conn.) is expected to be one of Regis' top performers on the men's side, as he enters the meet second on the GNAC performance list in the 3000 meter run, third in the one mile run, and fourth in the 800 meter run. Fellow senior Nicholas Sahagian (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is fifth in the league in both the one mile run and 3000 meter run as well as sixth in the 800 meter run.
In the sprints, Brett Kiesel (Rocky Hill, Conn.) is second in the 200 meter dash, fifth in the 60 meter dash, and sixth in the 400 meter dash. Meanwhile, Nicholas Pastore (Norwood, Mass.) is currently second on the GNAC performance list in the 60 meter dash and fifth in the 200 meter dash. In the jumps, Kiesel is third in the league in the high jump and eighth in the long jump, and Pastore is seventh in both the long jump and triple jump.
Junior Cole Anderson (Falmouth, Maine) leads the Pride in the throwing events, as he enters the weekend second in the GNAC in the weight throw and fifth in the shot put. Mark Dumas (Brooklyn, Conn.) will also be a contender in both events, coming into the league championships fourth on the conference performance list in the weight throw and sixth in the shot put.
On the women's side, Elisabeth Cooke (East Longmeadow, Mass.) is anticipated to be a contender in the throwing events, as she currently sits third on the GNAC performance list in the weight throw and fourth in the shot put. Freshman Olivia Juneau (Wakefield, Mass.) leads the league performance list in the 400 meter dash, plus she is fourth on the list in the 60 meter hurdles and fifth in the 200 meter dash.
Emily Fagundo (Dover, N.H.) brings championship experience from last year's conference outdoor meet as well as top placements on the performance list, as she begins the weekend third in both the 60 meter dash and long jump, fourth in the 200 meter dash, and fifth in the 400 meter dash. Erin Sheehan (Pembroke, Mass.) looks to contribute to the team's success as she enters the meet seventh on the league performance list in both the 60 meter dash and 200 meter dash.
In the distance events, Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) aims for the top of the podium as she enters the meet fourth on the performance list in both the one mile run and 3000 meter run. Maddie Boucias (Buckland, Mass.) currently sits fifth in the conference in the 800 meter run, sixth in the 3000 meter run, and eighth in the one mile run.
The 2020 GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships are scheduled to begin Sunday, Feb. 16, at 11 a.m. with field events. The first track event, the 60 meter hurdles preliminaries, is set to start at 12:30 p.m.