[Pcalumnixctrack] Providence College Men’s And Women’s Track Teams Wrap Up Competition At BIG EAST Indoor Championships

[Laura A Nagel]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2016
Contact: Laura Nagel, 401-865-1245

Providence College Men’s And Women’s Track Teams Wrap Up Competition At BIG EAST Indoor Championships
Brianna Ilarda and Julian Oakley each came away with a second-place finish in the mile.

Staten Island, N.Y. – The Providence College men’s and women’s track teams wrapped up competition today (Feb. 27) at Ocean Breeze Park in Staten Island, N.Y. at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships.

Sophomore Brianna Ilarda (Perth, Australia) kicked off day two with a superb performance in the women's mile. With three laps remaining, Ilarda made her move to catch second-place. She left it to the final lap to cruise past Villanova's Nicole Hutchinson to secure the runner-up finish. Ilarda's second-place performance also was a personal best 4:49.85.

Next up was senior Julian Oakley (Tauranga, New Zealand) in the men's mile. With a slow first few laps, the race was ultimately going to end up in a kick to the finish. Oakley took charge with two laps to go, closing in 53 seconds for the last 400 and a second-place finish.

Following the miles were the 1,000 meter events. For the women, senior Molly Keating (Rehoboth, Mass.) grabbed seventh, while senior Harvey Dixon (Gibraltar, Gibraltar) and freshman Michael O'Leary (Melville, N.Y.) finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in the men’s race. All three Friars scored for Providence.

Sophomore James Campbell (Cumberland, Maine) continued to impress with yet another personal best in the 500 meter final (1:05.77). With his time, Campbell finished 7th overall to score two points for the men.

Off the track, sophomore John Olayiwola (New Britain, Conn.) and freshman Joseph Hurton (Wakefield, Mass.) were busy collecting points in the triple jump. Both of those men jumped personal-best distances, with Olayiwola recording a 13.45 meter jump for fifth place and Hurton recording a 13.09 meter jump for eighth.

Next up on the track was the women's 3,000 meters. Junior Catarina Rocha (Peabody, Mass.) and sophomore Katie Lembo (Penfield, N.Y.) captured third (9:18.76) and fifth-place (9:21.13), respectively. Rocha had yet another huge finish, catching the Hoya who was sitting in third down the homestretch, while Lembo held onto fifth. Both Friars ran personal best times, with Rocha beating previous best mark by six seconds and Lembo by seven seconds.

Graduate-student Jordan Mann (St. Louis, Mo.) then captured a third-place finish in the men's 3,000 meters. Mann gradually moved up the field over the majority of the race, finishing strong for that third-place.

The 4x800 meter relays saw the men capture third-place and the women earn a fourth-place finish. The women, consisting of Ilarda, senior Lauren Mullins (Binghamton, N.Y.), graduate-student Devyn Pryor (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Keating, moved from seventh to fourth over the course of the race, while the men, including Oakley, Dixon, O'Leary and sophomore Andrew Doherty (Taunton, Mass.), held third-place throughout.

To conclude, the men's and women's teams both finished sixth overall in the BIG EAST, with the women scoring 46 points and the men with 54 points.

The Friars will return to action next weekend at the ECAC/IC4A Championships in Boston, Mass. on Mar. 5-6.

- GO FRIARS -





Laura Nagel
Sports Information Graduate Assistant
Providence College
1 Cunningham Square
Providence, R.I. 02918
(o) 401-865-1245
Online Portfolio<http://cargocollective.com/lauranagel>
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