Varsell Earns All-New England Honors for 5th Time; Johnson Sets School Record in Triple Jump
EASTON, Mass. – For the fifth time during her impressive career, Bentley University senior All-America Amy Varsell (Burlington, Conn./Lewis S. Mills HS) earned All-New England honors, the latest coming with a strong performance in the 2013 New England Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday at Stonehill College's W.B. Mason Stadium.
Varsell placed fourth of 30 in the 1500 meters with her time of 4:31.14 a season-best. It also elevated her to 18th on this year's NCAA Division II performance list.
Senior Keisha Johnson (Randolph/Randolph HS) closed out her college career by breaking the school record in the triple jump for the second time this month. She just missed All-New England honors with a ninth-place finish, and her distance of 37 feet, 4.5 inches bettered the mark she set at last week's Northeast-10 Championships by five inches.
In the 4x400 relay, seniors Melissa Kimball (Weymouth/Weymouth HS) and Caitlin Fahey (Bridgewater/Coyle-Cassidy HS) combined with sophomore Melanie Lilly (Lawrence/Lawrence HS) and freshman Kendal Pratt (Topsfield/Masconomet Reg. HS) for a time of 4:00.66, third best in program history and 19th overall in the meet.
On the men's side, freshman Connor Hichens (Sharon/Sharon HS) established a new PR in the triple jump by finishing 13th overall and fifth among Division II athletes. His distance of 44 feet, 6.75 inches bettered his previous best by 2.8 inches.
Sophomore John Chiulli (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook HS) was third among Division II competitors and 17th overall with a throw of 130 feet, eight inches in the discus.
In the 4x800 meter relay, Bentley was tenth with the quartet of junior Conor Higgins (Randolph, N.J./Randolph HS), sophomore Christian Connolly (Kingston/Silver Lake Regional HS) and freshmen Anthony Lacey (Ogdensburg, N.J./Pope John XXIII) and Sean Nee (West Yarmouth/Dennis-Yarmouth Reg. HS) combining for a 7:48.23, the second best recorded by a Division II team in the meet.
Both Bentley teams tied for 32nd in the meet, with the women amassing five points and the men four.