CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (4/22/23) – With the 2023 season already more than halfway done, the Franklin Pierce University outdoor track team spent the weekend competing at the MIT Sean Collier Invitational, which was held at the MIT Henry G. Steinbrenner Track in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The meet featured 17 total competing teams from across all three NCAA divisions, all of whom belonged to the East Region. Franklin Pierce was the only representative squad from the Northeast-10 Conference.

The opening night of the invitational featured a separate "Distance Night", which is where Pierce saw another program record broken by the efforts of junior Wondu Summa (Burlington, Vt.). As a participant in the Men's 5000-Meter, Summa finished 4^th-overall with a race time of 14:28.60, which shaved 10 seconds off his previous mark set back in 2022. One other record would fall for the Raven men in the effort, as senior Connor Everidge (Baldwinville, Mass.) once again shattered his own personal best in the Men's Hammer Throw, hitting a mark of 52.87-meters. 

On day two of the event, the Ravens saw an avalanche of 24 combined personal bests from both sides. Additionally, the program saw six individual runner-up finishes, as well as two individual wins.

PIERCE PLUS PERFORMERS – MEN'S

• Senior Devin Jones (Manchester, N.H.) was runner-up in the 200-Meter Dash (22.17), finished 7^th the 100-Meter Dash (11.13)
• Junior Angel Gonzalez (North Andover, Mass.) placed 10^th in the 100-Meter Dash (11.23)
• Junior Nathan Rinaldi (Bristol, Conn.) won the 400-Meter Dash (50.04)
• Junior Ryan Walker (Seabrook, N.H.) finished 6^th in the 800-Meter (1:56.08)
• Junior Evan McNeice (Wethersfield, Conn.) finished 10^th in the 800-Meter (1:57.35)
• Junior Wondu Summa placed 4^th in the "DN" 5000-Meter (14:28.60 – NPR), finished 5^th in the 1,500-Meter Run (3:58.28),
• Senior Sebastien Vicary (Ulceby, United Kingdom) took the win in the 5000-Meter (15:32.77)
• Senior Riley Fenoff (Danville, Vt.) placed 2^nd in the 5000-Meter (15:55.56)
• Sophomore Logan Mihelich (Northwood, N.H.) took 4^th in the 5000-Meter (16:02.81)
• Freshman Declan Morgan (West Springfield, Mass.) finished 5^th in the 5000-Meter (16:07.19)
• Junior Janvier Ntakirutimana (Burlington, Vt.) placed 2^nd in the 3000-Meter Steeplechase (10:31.03)
• The Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (Harris, Gonzalez, Jones, Rinaldi) took 1^st-overall (42.65)
• Junior Connor Nordman (Bethel, Conn.) placed 5^th in the Pole Vault (4.15m)
• Junior Ryan Outerbridge (Paget, Bermuda) claimed 4th in the "DN" 3000-Meter Steeplechase (9:47.05)
• Senior Connor Everidge finished 4^th in the Shot Put (15.02m), 2^nd in the Hammer Throw (52.97m – NPR)
• Senior Salvatore Lando (Sterling, Mass.) took 7^th in the Shot Put (13.77m), 5^th in the Hammer Throw (47.32m)
• Freshman Ben Gilbert (Windsor, Vt.) finished 9^th in the Shot Put (12.19m), 10^th in the Discus Throw (40.08m)
• Junior Brogan Bonsaint (Somersworth, N.H.) was runner-up in the Javelin Throw (52.93m)

PIERCE PLUS PERFORMERS – WOMEN'S

• Senior Nyjah Young-Bey (Montclair, N.J.) placed 2^nd in the 100-Meter Dash (12.39)
• Senior Alana Thompson (Westhampton, N.J.) finished 7^th in the 1500-Meter Run (4:54.84)
• Junior Meghan Sheline (Southington, Conn.) won the 5000-Meter Run (19:23.45)
• Freshman Jennifer Kulick (Goffstown, N.H.) placed 6^th in the 400-Meter Hurdles (1:11.00)
• Junior Emma Cutter (Newburyport, Mass.) placed 7^th in the 400-Meter Hurdles (1:13.68), 9^th in the High Jump (1.43m)
• Freshman Elizabeth Jones (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) placed 5^th in the Pole Vault (3.10m)
• Junior Teresa Deasy (Smithtown, N.Y.) tied for 9^th in the Pole Vault (2.80m)
• Junior Tyra Felton (Sterling, Mass.) chucked a 5^th place finish in the Shot Put (11.79m), 6^th in the Hammer Throw (42.69m)
• Freshman Emily Nhun (Biddeford, Maine) finished 6^th in the Shot Put (10.96m)
• Graduate Katerina Dajia (Aurora, Ontario) placed 6^th in the Discus Throw (37.77m), 9^th in the Javelin Throw (28.78m)

Up next, the Pierce outdoor program will compete at the Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) Blue Devil Invitational in New Britain, Connecticut on Friday, April 28^th.