Zhou and Narvaez Lead Blue Track & Field to Sixth at NEWMAC Championships

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College first-year Alice Zhou earned All-Conference honors and classmate Isabella Narvaez recorded four podium finishes as the Blue notched a sixth place finish at the 2014 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Track and Field Championships. The event was hosted by Mount Holyoke. 

Zhou and Narvaez led a balanced Wellesley squad that recorded 17 scoring finishes. Zhou was second in the 10,000-meter event, running a personal best time of 38:45.56 to earn the Blue's first All-Conference finish since 2012. Narvaez recorded two individual top-six finishes and also finished in the top-five on a pair of relay teams. The rookie was third overall in the 400-meters (58.84) and sixth in the 200-meters (26.68). 

Zhou's 10,000 time qualifies her to compete in the Division III New England, the open New England, and ECAC Championships, while Narvaez also hit qualifying standards, earning championship spots in the 400-meter event. 

Wellesley had three scoring finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, including a pair of New England Division III and ECAC qualifiers. Junior Nicole Chui led the way with a third place finish, recording a time of 11:42.60. Sophomore Alessandra Gavin followed with an 11:50.56 to join Chui with a qualifying time. First-year Edie Sharon also scored in the event for the Blue, ranking eighth overall in 12:26.93. 

Three other Wellesley student-athletes recorded top-five finishes at the meet, as junior Kendra Waters, sophomore Sharon Ng, and first-year Mary Keenan all ranked fifth in their respective events. Waters ran a 1:01.23 in the 400-meters, Ng clocked in at 2:18.93 in the 800, and Keenan finished the 5,000 in 17:59.60. 

Wellesley senior Doris Berman and sophomore Caitlin Bailey each finished sixth for the Blue, while sophomore Priyanka Fouda recorded a pair of seventh place finishes. Berman ran the 10,000-meter event in a time of 39:07.72, while Bailey ran a 1:08.81 in the 400-meter hurdles. Fouda scored in the 1,500 by finishing in 4:54.16, and in the 5,000 by recording an 18:18.79.

Rounding out the individual scorers for the Blue were first-year Emma Scalisi and junior Kathleen Hanlon. Scalisi was seventh in the triple jump, with a best leap of 9.92m, while Hanlon was eighth in the 400-meters, recording a time of 1:02.55. 

Wrapping up the competition for Wellesley was a pair of top-five relay performances. Racing in the 4x400m, Ng, Narvaez, Hanlon and Waters, combined for a fourth place time of 4:07.71. In the 4x100, senior Sheena Dupuy, Narvaez, Hanlon and Waters teamed up to rank fifth in a time of 51.20.

Wellesley's 63 team points were the most since the 2011 meet, in which the Blue recorded a program-best 68 points. The team collected 51 points a year ago and 56 in 2012.

MIT won the women's title for the sixth consecutive season. The Engineers racked up 224.333 total points. Wheaton finished second with 149.333 points followed by WPI (100.833), Coast Guard (74.5), Springfield (70), Wellesley (63), Smith (43), Mount Holyoke (27) and Babson (23).