PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Bentley University senior Ashley Nichols (Kenmore, Wash./Inglemoor HS) shattered her own school record in the 10,000 meters Thursday night during the prestigious Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Nichols posted a time of 36:08.64, bettering the Bentley standard that she set last month at another major meet, the Raleigh Relays, by 27.74 seconds. That was the second best by a Northeast-10 Conference athlete this season, and moved her from 22nd to 17th on the Division II performance list.

Nichols was second among Division II competitors in the race and 26th of 36 in the predominantly-Division I field.

The next competition for Nichols will likely be the Northeast-10 Championships May 2-3 at Stonehill College.