NEW HAVEN, Conn. (December 5, 2021) -- Graduate student Bethaney Donnelly (Manchester, United Kingdom) won the 3000 meters, while junior Nyjah Young-Bey (Montclair, N.J.) was victorious in the 200 meters, as the Franklin Pierce University women's track & field team opened its season on Sunday at the Art Kaddish Elm City Challenge, hosted by Southern Connecticut State in the Moore Field House. The Ravens collected 79.5 points in the meet on the way to a fourth-place finish, out of 10 teams. Franklin Pierce trailed New Haven (99 points), Southern New Hampshire (87.83) and host SCSU (81.5).

Young-Bey had a day for the Ravens in the sprints. She was victorious in the 200 meters, with a run of 25.87 seconds. In the 55-meter event, she ran a 7.31-second heat to advance to the final, where she posted an identical time to take second place. Three Franklin Pierce runners took points in the 600 meters, as senior Alena Masterson (Pelham, N.H.) was fourth (1:47.47), sophomore Meghan Sheline (Southington, Conn.) took fifth (1:49.22) and junior Victoria Van Houten (Wantage, N.J.) finished sixth (1:51.75).

At longer distances, the Ravens chalked up a win in the 3000 meters, courtesy of Donnelly, who turned in a program-record time of 10:24. Masterson doubled back to score in the mile as well, with a run of 5:56 to take sixth.

On the relay front, it was a fifth-place finish for Franklin Pierce's 4x400 squad. A lineup of Masterson to senior Alana Thompson (Westampton, N.J.) to Sheline to Van Houten put together a time of 4:36.

The Ravens had five point scorers across the four jumping events, highlighted by third-place finishes in both the high jump and the pole vault, as senior Paola Brena (Queretaro, Mexico) cleared 1.55 meters in the former, and fellow senior Stephanie Phoenix (Wallingford, Conn.) got over 2.90 meters in the latter. Phoenix was one of four scorers in the pole vault, as Teresa Deasy took fifth (2.45m), sophomore Emma Cutter (Newburyport, Mass.) was eighth (2.00m) and sophomore Grace Silva (Warren, R.I.) finished ninth (1.85m).

As for the throwers, it was three scoring performances across a pair of events. Senior Samantha DeSouza (Sebago, Maine) chalked up a third-place finish in the shot put, with a heave of 11.50 meters. Sophomore Tyra Felton (Sterling, Mass.) scored in both, as she took fifth in the shot put (10.96m) and eighth in the weight throw (11.94m).