CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Led by All-Conference performances from seniors Sonja Cwik (La Canada, Calif.) and Isabella Narvaez (Cali, Colombia), Wellesley College track & field amassed 53 points to finish in sixth place at the 2017 New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Track & Field Championships on Saturday at MIT's Steinbrenner Track.
Cwik took home the title in the 5000m, earning her first NEWMAC All-Conference first team honor in track & field with a New England Division III Championship (NE DIII) qualifying time of 18:08.95. Cwik led a Wellesley contingent that also included a fourth place finish by senior Sara Vannah (Amherst, Mass.) in 18:52.95 and a 16th place (21:34.38) finish by first year Sarah Halabe (Los Altos, Calif.).
Narvaez grabbed the second NEWMAC All-Conference honor of her career, finishing second overall and in her heat in the 400m to earn All-Conference second team honors with a time of 58.24. Narvaez also earned All-Conference recognition in the event in 2015. Narvaez just missed on a second All-Conference award in the 200m, finishing third in 25.46, but her time in the 200m qualified her for both the NE DIII and NEICAAA Open New England Championships. Narvaez's time in the 400m was also an NE DIII mark.
The Wellesley senior was joined by a pair of first years in the 200m, as Lauren Dines (Tenafly, N.J.) took 17th (27.50) and Yashna Shivdasani (Mumbai, India) was 21st (29.00). Dines and Shivdasani also ran in the 100m, taking 13th (13.51) and 15th (14.11), respectively.
Two more Wellesley seniors finished with NE DIII qualifying marks following their final appearances at the NEWMAC Championships. In the triple jump, senior Emma Scalisi (Waltham, Mass.) finished third with an NE DIII leap of 10.63m. Scalisi was also eighth in the long jump with a mark of 4.92m. Classmate Edie Sharon (Winchester, Mass.) added the final NE DIII time for the Blue, securing a third place finish of her own in the 3000m Steeple. Sharon, an All-Conference performer in 2016, just missed repeat honors with a time of 11:36.79.
After advancing from the prelims with a school record and NE DIII qualifying fifth place finish of 15.89, sophomore Cathy Chen (Parsippany, N.J.) posted a time of 15.93 to take sixth in the finals of the 100m hurdles. Classmate Jenn Harris (Vestal, N.Y.) joined Chen in the hurdles, taking 20th in the 100m prelims in 18.32. The duo also competed in the 400m hurdles, with Chen finishing 15th (1:14.01) and Harris taking 18th (1:15.76).
Chen and Narvaez helped the Blue score three points in both the 4 x 100 and the 4 x 400m relays. The duo teamed with Dines and junior Priscilla Lee (Anaheim, Calif.) to take sixth in the 4 x 100 in 51.00, before combining with Cwik and Isabella King (Cincinnati, Ohio) to finish sixth in the 4 x 800 win 4:13.23. Lee also cleared 1.43m to take 13th in the high jump and was 14th in the long jump (4.75m). King had a busy day for the Blue, as she also ran in the 800m, taking seventh in 2:22.94, and finished in 12th (29.44m) in the javelin.
Also in action on Saturday, first years Fiona Harrigian (San Marino, Calif.) and Elizabeth Lambert (Kensington, Md.) took 12th (5:21.04) and 17th (5:39.38) in the 1500m, while sophomore Helen Andersen (Madison, N.J.) led the way for the Blue in both the shot (13th - 10.09m) and the hammer (10th - 39.94m) and first year Silvie Coheleach (Bernardsville, N.J.) was 19th (24.26m) in the discuss.
Qualifiers from Wellesley track & field will now head to the New England Division III Outdoor Championships, Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6, at Williams College.
