NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Sophomore Abena Asare (Berlin, N.J.) set a new school record in the long jump to help lead Wellesley College track & field to a third place finish at the Benyon Invitational on Saturday at Smith College.
The Blue totaled 86 points to finish behind first place WPI, 151.50 points, and Middlebury College, 120.50 points. Amherst College, 83 points and Division II Assumption College, 66 points, rounded out the top-five in the field of 15 teams.
Asare's leap of 5.53m in the long jump was good for first in the event. The Blue earned two of the top-five jumps in the event, as Priscilla Lee (Anaheim, Calif.) registered a leap of 4.90m to take fourth.
The Blue swept the top-two spots in the 1000m Run thanks to the efforts of senior Sharon Ng (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and junior Sonja Cwik (La Cañada, Calif.). Ng won the event with a time of 3:01.50, while Cwik wasn't far behind with a time of 3:08.64.
Senior Edie Sharon (Winchester, Mass.) also notched a runner-up performance, doing so in the 3000m Run with time of 10:35.48. The Blue then continued on to enjoy success in multiple other events before the day was over.
In the 5000m Run, juniors Alice Zhou (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and Sara Vannah (Amherst, Mass.) each finished in the top-five, with Zhou taking second in 18:57.48 and Vannah fourth in 19:20.33.
In the 1-Mile run, junior Mary Keenan (Boerne, Texas) clocked in at 5:17.93, good enough for sixth place in the field of 34 runners. Senior Jenn Harris (Vestal, N.Y.) then added another top-ten time in the 600m Run, taking tenth in 1:53.64.
First year Helen Andersen (Madison, N.J.) helped the program establish a record in the weight throw, thanks to her toss of 11.02m. Anderson's effort was also good for eighth in the event standings.
Wellesley track & field continues the indoor season with a pair of events next weekend. The Blue will take part in the John Thomas Terrier Classic on Friday, January 29, at Boston University, before competing at the Tufts Stampede on Saturday, January 30, afternoon.
