2011 CAA Day 1 Recap • Women
Senior thrower #Althea Charles# set the precedent once against for the Northeastern women’s track & field team in the first day of competition at the 2011 CAA Track & Field Championship and repeated as the CAA hammer throw champion. The West Orange, N.J. native posted a record-setting effort in the hammer throw to boost the Huskies into a tie with three-time defending champion William & Mary after the first day of action from VCU.
The Huskies had seven student-athletes score on Friday at SportsBackers Stadium Richmond, Va. along with four tracksters qualify for their final heats in tomorrow’s conclusion. Northeastern accumulated 40 points to match the Tribe while the rest follows as such: James Madison (32 points), Towson (24 points), UNC Wilmington (22.5 points), Delaware (20 points), George Mason/Georgia State (19 points) and VCU (17.5 points).
Charles’ mark of 58.36m bettered the previous CAA meet record of 57.15m set by East Carolina’s Michelle Clayton in 1999. The senior tri-captain owns the second-best throw in NU history set on April 2 at Ramapo (59.28m – 194’6). Friday’s toss was Charles’ third best of her 2011 outdoor campaign.
Just like the regular season, Charles teammates rose to the occasion and also scored in the hammer throw. Second-year hammer throwers #Julia Westover# and #Rachel Taback# secured six and one point, respectively, after third and eighth-place showings. Westover cleared 50.58m while Taback followed with a mark of 45.95m.
Sophomore #Jillena Decarteret# improved upon last year’s fourth-place effort by notching eight points with a second-place vault of 3.98m. Senior #Heather Crocker# collected the same amount after a pitch of 39.37m in the javelin throw. Sophomore tri-captain #Christina Izzicupo# picked up three Huskies’ points in the javelin throw, as well, registering a heave of 34.73m for sixth place.
Senior vet #Kristen Martin# was Northeastern’s lone point-getter on the track. The Dracut, Mass. native outlasted the 10,000-meter challenge with a fifth-place effort of 36:48.05 to gather four points.
Northeastern is in prime position to distance itself from William & Mary after senior #Seri Gordon#, juniors #Saleena Abdur-Rashed# and #Christiana Gallagher# and sophomore #Laura Coyne# qualified for their final heats tomorrow afternoon.
Gordon is the odds-on favorite for the 800-meter crown after winning the preliminary race in 2:14.51. Gordon outran 21 others in the two-lap race. Gallagher will also vie for the 800-meter crown after closing in on seventh place with a qualifying time of 2:14.92.
In the 1,500-meter race, Coyne will be one of 12 finalists tomorrow afternoon after posting a 10th-place mark of 4:49.38.
Abdur-Rashed made the final eight in the 100-meter hurdles and will be one of the favorites after racing for a fourth-place time of 13.99. Abdur-Rashed’s time also stands as the fifth-fastest clip in Northeastern outdoor history.
The Huskies look for their second CAA track & field championship (2007) with tomorrow’s final events. The Virginia 529 College Savings Plan CAA Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships continue at 9 a.m. on Saturday at SportsBackers Stadium with the decathlon and heptathlon competitions. Field events get underway at 10 a.m. and the track finals begin at 1 p.m.
