Brena New England Champ in High Jump, Track & Field has Five Compete at NEICAAA Championships
BOSTON (February 4, 2022) -- The third time was the charm for senior Paola Brena (Queretaro, Mexico) on Friday afternoon. After runner-up finishes in 2020 (indoor) and 2019 (outdoor), she claimed the 2022 New England title in the indoor high jump, by clearing 1.65 meters at the Reggie Lewis Center. Brena was one of five members of the Franklin Pierce University track & field program in action at the NEICAAA Championships on Friday.
The day got started for the crimson and grey just prior to noon, as senior Croix Albee (Trenton, Maine) took to the circle for the men's weight throw. A heave of 12.68 meters allowed him to finish 16th.
Next up for the Ravens were a pair of men's athletes on the track. First up, in the 800 meters, sophomore Ryan Walker (Seabrook, N.H.) competed in the second of three heats, and turned in a time of 2:05.30, which was ultimately good for 21st place.
Shortly thereafter, sophomore Stephen Harris (Billerica, Mass.) partook in the second of seven heats in the 200-meter dash. Much like last week, stole the show, this time in a field filled with New England's best collegiate runners across all three divisions. Harris won his heat in 21.72 seconds, which stood as the fastest time among 22 competitors, and qualified him for Saturday's event final.
After one Raven punched his ticket to shoot for a New England title on Saturday, Brena took care of claiming hers on Friday. Brena was one of two athletes to get up and over the bar at 1.65 meters in the high jump, as she was matched by University of Rhode Island sophomore Olivia Featherston. However, Brena cleared the height on her first attempt, while Featherston needed two tries, which left Brena as champion via tiebreaker, after neither could clear 1.70 meters.
The Mexican became the 11th athlete in program history to earn an individual New England title.
While Brena was collecting the hardware in the high jump, sophomore Tyra Felton (Sterling, Mass.) rounded out Franklin Pierce's day in the women's weight throw. She finished 22nd, with a throw of 10.43 meters.
In addition to Harris, four other Ravens will be in action on Saturday, at the second and final day of the NEICAAA Championships. Franklin Pierce will also have athletes in action at Boston University on Saturday, at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invite.