By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Their first race together for the Bridgewater State University women's outdoor track & field team ended with a disqualification.

Graduate students Alison McDonough (Halifax, Mass.) and Jailene Escalera (Rockland, Mass.), senior Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) and freshman Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.) made their debut as the 4x100-meter relay team on April 11 at the BSU Bears Invitational.

But a faulty handoff eliminated the group from that initial race.

More than five weeks later, though, McDonough, Escalera, Abrantes and Inacio are preparing to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships.

They broke the BSU record on May 10, then qualified for the nationals with another record-breaking performance on May 15.

That stumble in the first race together for the foursome is a distant memory as the relay team heads to Geneva, Ohio, seeded No. 18 in a 22-team field.

It marks the first time that BSU is sending a women's relay team to the NCAAs.

The Bears will take part in the qualifying race on Thursday at 5:25 p.m., hoping to advance to the championship race on Saturday at 1:15 p.m.

"I think it's a cool achievement," said Escalera, a 2023 graduate who has been a graduate student for two years. "I feel on top of the world with it. I keep telling my family, 'We made history. Catch us in the history books.'

"It's super cool. What a cool way to close this chapter at Bridgewater."

Said McDonough, "It's pretty impressive. We've worked hard for as long as I can remember and we all want the best."

McDonough, Escalera and Abrantes had been relay partners for three seasons before this spring.

They were part of first-place Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference performances in 2022 and 2023 with Madison Ashley and Maeve Grosschedl, respectively.

The '23 relay squad finished in 47.85 to break a school record that had been set in 2016.

This season, the addition of Inacio has helped boost the Bears into the NCAAs.

BSU broke the record from '23 on May 10 at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association meet, placing fifth at the all-divisions race in 46.97.

Five days later, at the MIT Final Qualifier, the Bears earned their spot in the NCAAs with a school-record time of 46.58 to place second.

"Each race, we got better and better and stll are getting better," said Escalera. "I'm super excited. I think we can finish in the top eight if everything comes together."

McDonough is making her sixth appearance in the NCAAs -- three indoor, three outdoor while Abrantes ran the 400-meter race in her NCAA debut during the winter.

McDonough owns two BSU indoor and two outdoor records while Abrantes has set school marks three times during her indoor career and two in the outdoor season.

Escalera has been an All-NEICAAA, All-New England and All-MASCAC performer during her career. At one time, she held the Bears' outdoor marks in both the 100 and 200.

Inacio had a standout first season during the winter and that has carried over into the spring where she has been the MASCAC Rookie of the Week five times after earning the honor seven times in the winter.

Racing with three veterans has helped Inacio jump right into the collegiate scene.

"I don't think I would have improved or had the confidence without them there,'' said Inacio. "I'm sad they are leaving. It's been amazing to have people to look up to.

"It's amazing to be going to the nationals. I didn't think I would have come this far. I'm so excited.

"It was always talked about that we could go. With our times, having the speed, we knew we could go, but for it to be happening is exciting.''

The addition of Inacio has given the Bears an extra burst of speed on the relay team.

She received All-New England and All-NEICAAA honors in the 200, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.

"We just never had that fourth leg," said Abrates. " We always needed that and Grace came along and it was perfect. She's helped a lot."

Said Escalera, "We knew as soon as Grace got on the team and we practiced, we said it'd be the best 4x100 we ever had. We all had that mindset all season."

McDonough runs the first leg on the relay followed by Abrantes, Inacio and Escalera.

They will be one of five New England teams in the 4x100 race, joined by Colby, Wheaton, Williams and Amherst.

The three veteran sprinters at BSU have been clicking, and Inacio has filled a void.

"We all want more and we all want the best, so we dig deep and try to do what we have to do,'' said McDonough.

What they have done is make history at BSU as the first women's relay team to be in the NCAA Championships.

"To be part of the relay is such an honor," said Abrantes. "I'm so excited for all of us to go there and compete. I know it'll be a good experience.

"It's crazy. I feel like we're making history together. It means so much. It's so cool to be part of that."

Escalera will be ending her collegiate running days at BSU at the nationals and will be attending graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall.

"I'm so excited," she said. "I always wanted to go to nationals and it's actually happening. It's very surreal to me. I'm happy I get to go with all these other amazing girls, we're all friends."