Four Wins on Day One of GNAC Outdoor Championships

WESTON, Mass. - The Regis College track and field team collected four event titles and broke three school records as the first day of the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place Saturday at Regis Stadium.

Justin Thuotte (Lebanon, Conn.) won the triple jump by breaking a nine-year old school record with a mark of 13.39 meters (43' 11.25") accomplished on his sixth and final attempt. He also scored points by finishing fifth in the javelin throw with a personal-best mark of 40.24 meters (132' 0").

Also in the javelin throw, Brett Kiesel (Rocky Hill, Conn.) finished second with a mark of 51.98 meters (170' 6") and Liam Austin (Boston, Mass.) placed third with a personal-best mark of 45.52 meters (149' 4"). Kiesel also placed on the podium by finishing third in the discus throw at 33.46 meters (109' 9"), just ahead of Ryan Sweeney (Lynn, Mass.) in fourth place at 33.45 meters (109' 9"), a personal-best mark, and Aiden Charles (Lowell, Mass.) in fifth place with a mark of 33.39 meters (109' 7").

Samantha Perkins (Whitman, Mass.) won the women's javelin throw for the second time in three years, finishing over three meters ahead of second place with a mark of 37.58 meters (123' 4") accomplished on her sixth and final attempt. Janet Amasa-Titus (Georgetown, Mass.) picked up a point by finishing sixth with a personal-best mark of 27.86 meters (91' 5").

On the track, the women's 4x800 meter relay team of Annabelle Jean-Philippe (Randolph, Mass.), Katie Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.), Elisa D'Sa (Bellmore, N.Y.), and Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) came from behind to win the event in 10:26.50, smashing the five-year-old school record by over 23 seconds.

On the men's side, Zach Sigman (Buffalo, N.Y.), Riley Stogsdill (San Diego, Calif.), Chris Margiatto (Suffield, Conn.), and Benjamin Happenny (Woonsocket, R.I.) combined for a second place time of 8:37.11, breaking the previous record in the 4x800 meter relay established last year by a half-second.

Erin Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) won the women's 10,000 meter run for the second straight year with a time of 41:32.74, with Ashleigh Kelley finishing third in 44:16.10 and Libby Parker (Bow, N.H.) crossing the finish line fifth in 46:29.72. Sigman finished fifth in the men's 10,000 meter run with an overall time of 39:11.70.

In preliminary events, Colleen Curran (Woburn, Mass.) qualified for the finals of the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16.94 seconds, as did Emily Aho (Pelham, N.H.) with a personal-best time of 18.68 seconds. Aho also finished sixth in the women's triple jump with a mark of 9.78 meters (32' 1").

Two Regis women qualified for the finals of the 100 meter dash, as Olivia Dench (Center Moriches, N.Y.) posted a time of 13.46 seconds, followed by Aleyo Amasa-Titus (Georgetown, Mass.) at 13.69 seconds. Thuotte came close to qualifying for the finals of the men's 100 meter dash with a time of 11.67 seconds, but missed by 0.003 seconds.

Harry Grayson (Lowell, Mass.) also came close in the 100 meter dash with a preliminary time of 11.69 seconds, plus he finished third in the triple jump at 12.68 meters (41' 7.25"), followed by Kiesel in fourth place at 12.25 meters (40' 2.25"). In the women's discus throw, Kristin Barrett (Plymouth, Mass.) finished fifth with a mark of 28.95 meters (95' 0"), followed by Pilar Brown (Rockland, Mass.) in sixth place at 27.69 meters (90' 10").

The Regis men ended day one atop the leaderboard with 58 points, followed by Saint Joseph's College with 54 points. The Pride women have 43 total points, second to Emmanuel's 61 points.

The second and final day of the 2024 GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships begins at 12 p.m. Sunday, April 28, with the men's hammer throw, women's shot put, and men's 3000 meter steeplechase.