CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Bentley University junior Amy Varsell (Burlington, Conn./Lewis S. Mills HS), a three-time Division II All-America, shattered her own school record in the 800 meters with a third-place finish during the New England Intercollegiate Women's Outdoor Track Championships Saturday at MIT's Steinbrenner Stadium.

Varsell posted a sparkling 2.09.46, breaking the record she set at last spring's NCAA Championships by 1.61 seconds. It was the third best recorded by a Division II athlete this season, trailing only Chanelle Caldwell of Grand Valley State (2:07.74) and Amanda Raudabaugh of Shippensburg (2:09.02) on the performance list. She missed the automatic qualifying time by just eight-hundredths of a second.

In the New Englands, Varsell trailed only a pair of Division I athletes, Allison Letourneau of New Hampshire and Yolanda Ngarambe of Vermont.  Letourneau won the race in 2:08.81 and Ngarambe  finished 0.31 seconds in front of Varsell.

Varsell also combined with three teammates to record the third-best 4x400 relay team in school history, 4:03.67. Senior Natalie Caldwell (Greenbrae, Calif./Redwood HS) ran the first led, and was followed by junior Andrea Crowley (Bourne/Bourne HS), Varsell and freshman Vanessa Wegner (Westborough/Westborough HS).

As a team, Bentley was 28th overall with six points.

Varsell will be back in action May 24-26 when the NCAA Division II Championships are held May 24-26 in Pueblo, Colo.