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North Andover, MA — Saint Francis U's drive for the coveted triple crown reached its destination on Sunday at the 2023 Northeast Conference (NEC) Outdoor Women's Championships.
The Red Flash racked up 105 points on Sunday's final day to edge runner-up Central Connecticut and claim the league title for the third time in as many seasons with 147 total points.
Merrimack, which held a three-point lead over Saint Francis U after day one of the championships, finished in third place with 118 points, while newcomer Stonehill edged LIU by 2.5 points to round out the top four (94.5).
Twenty of Saint Francis U's points came courtesey of NEC Most Valuable Performer (MVP) Madeline Murphy. Winning the long jump on Saturday, the senior made it a sweep in the horizontal jumps on Sunday after she struck gold in the triple jump in record-breaking fashion. Her leap of 12.69m shattered the previous conference-best mark, which was set 27 years ago in 1996.
In addition to her MVP honors, Murphy was pegged the Most Outstanding Field Performer (Jumps) of the meet.
Central Connecticut landed three major award winners. Blue Devils' rookie Tamara Rawles scored in four events, and as a result, she was named the Most Outstanding Rookie Performer of the meet. Garnering a second-place finish in the 400m, she was also the anchor of Central Connecticut's 4x100m relay team that came in first place.
Behind the efforts of junior Brooke Morabito and veteran Ashley Dana, who shared the honor of Most Valuable Track Performer in the distance events, the Blue Devils dominated the distance events. The duo combined for four of their team's gold medals, with Morabito coming out on top in the 5,000m and 10,000m, and Dana claiming first in the 800m and the 1500m.
In total, Central Connecticut racked up 98 points on the track, including 10 in Sunday's 4x100m relay.
Senior Shantelle Riley made it a sweep in the dashes for FDU after winning the 100m and the 200m events. She posted times of 11.83 and 23.97 to tack on 20 points for the Knights and earn the NEC Most Outstanding Track Performer (Sprints).
Rounding out the major award winners was LIU junior Faith Shaw, who placed fourth in Saturday's shot put before she landed on top of the podium in the discus on Sunday.
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS:
Most Valuable Performer (MVP): Madeline Murphy, Saint Francis U
Most Outstanding Track Performer (Sprints): Shantelle Riley, FDU
Most Outstanding Track Performer (Distance): Ashley Dana, Central Connecticut & Brooke Morabito, Central Connecticut
Most Outstanding Field Performer (Throws): Faith Shaw, LIU
Most Outstanding Field Performer (Jumps): Madeline Murphy, Saint Francis U
Most Outstanding Rookie Performer: Tamara Rawles, Central Connecticut
FINAL STANDINGS
| 1. |
Saint Francis U |
147 |
| 2. |
Central Connecticut |
137 |
| 3. |
Merrimack |
118 |
| 4. |
Stonehill |
94.5 |
| 5. |
LIU |
92 |
| 6. |
Sacred Heart |
90.5 |
| 7. |
Wagner |
72 |
| 8. |
FDU |
37 |
| 9. |
St. Francis Brooklyn |
28 |