Cass Sets School Mark to Lead Women's Track & Field at River Hawk Invitational

By Jim Fenton

BOSTON, Mass. -- Junior  Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) broke the school record in the 3,000-meter run to lead the Bridgewater State University women's track & field team at the non-scoring River Hawk Invitational hosted by UMass Lowell.

The meet, held at The Track at New Balance on Saturday, featured predominantly Division I and II schools.

Cass placed 14th in the 3,000 with a time of 10:10.49 as she eclipsed BSU Hall of Famer Molly Rouillard's previous program mark of 10:19.00 set in 2013.

Graduate student Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.) and senior Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) were the top finishers for the Bears at the meet.

McDonough, in her second meet of the season, placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with a finals time of 8.84 seconds.

McDonough was the first non-Division I runner to finish the race, won by sophomore Lucija Grd (Zagreb, Croatia) of Yale University in 8.55 seconds.

Abrantes was also sixth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.05 seconds.

Like McDonough, Abrantes was the first non-Division I runner to cross the finish line.

Two BSU athletes finished eighth in their respective events.

Senior Serenity Sands (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was eighth in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 3 inches (1.60m).

That was the best showing of any non-Division I jumper.

The 4x400 relay team of Abrantes, freshman Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.), Grover and senior Kate Brown (Acushnet, Mass.) was 16th in 4:12.67.

Graduate student Jailene Escalera (Rockland, Mass.) was 44th out of all competitors in the 200-meter dash (invitational and open) with a time of 26:01. McDonough recorded the 48th best time in the event with a time of 26.07 seconds while Inacio checked in at 26.09 seconds to finish 50th. Both McDonough and Inacio recorded personal-best times in the 200 while McDonough also qualified for the Division III New England Championships.

Freshman Bella Grover (Warren, Mass.) posted the 48th best time in the 400-meter dash (invitation and open) with a personal-best time of 1:05.03.

Brown finished 36th in the 1,000 in 3:14.27 and senior Ana Imrie (Arlington, Mass.) was 66th in the 800 in 2:42.78.

Over at the Lyon Invitational at Wheaton College in Norton, BSU senior Natalie Kalgren (Ayer, Mass.) competed in the shot put.

Kalgren finished 11th with a toss of 31 feet, 3.75 inches (9.54m).

BSU will be at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on Friday at 9 a.m. for the Roxbury Community College Open.

That will be the final meet before the MASCAC Championships on Feb. 16 at Wheaton College.