Fortnam, Mahlandt Earn All-Conference Honors at NEWMAC T&F Championships

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-- Senior Taylor Fortnam (Portola Valley, Calif.) finished in second place in the 3000m steeplechase and sophomore Taylor Mahlandt (Ephrata, Pa.) finished second in the 5000m run to lead Wellesley Track and Field in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships on Saturday at Springfield College. Wellesley finished sixth overall with a total of 62.50 points and Fortnam and Mahlandt earned All-Conference Second Team honors.

Fortnam earned DIII New England and NEICAAA qualifying marks in the 3000m steeplechase when she finished second overall with a career-best time of 11:27.11. Mahlandt finished in second place, also securing DIII New England and NEICAAA qualifying marks in the 5000m run when she finished at 18:38.61.

Sophomore Tatenda Rameau (Syracuse, N.Y.) brought in several DIII New England qualifying marks as well. Rameau had career-bests in the long jump at 5.43m with a third place finish. A fourth place finish in the 100m dash at 12.49 to earn a NEICAAA qualifying mark. She also had a third place finish with a DIII NE qualifier in the 200m dash with a 25.91 time.

Senior Isabella King (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished in sixth place overall with a DIII New England qualifying mark of  4:49.87 in the 1500m run. First year April Chu (Fremont, Calif. ) followed behind, clocking in a 5:05.45 time in the 13th spot overall.

Junior Cathy Chen (Parsippany, N.J.) earned a DIII New England qualifying mark in the 100m hurdles as she finished fourth overall with a 15.72 time. Chen also clocked in a 1:09.33 time in the 400m hurdles. Classmate Jenn Harris (Vestal, N.Y.) recorded a career-best in the 400m hurdles when she finished in ninth place at 1:13.07.

First year Shanez'e Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) completed the discus throw in fourth place to earn a DIII New England qualifying mark at 35.83m. Sophomore Crystalina Guo (Montgomery, N.J.) threw 34.00m to finish at seventh overall, also earning a DIII New England qualifying mark.

Guo also finished with a sixth place mark in the shot put breaking a Wellesley College record with a career-best, 10.82m throw. Junior Helen Anderson (Madison, N.J.) competed in the shot put for the Blue, finishing at 10th overall at 10.07m. Anderson earned a career-best in the hammer throw as she finished in 15th place overall with a 35.58m throw.

The 4x100 relay team of first year Hana Sugioka (Newbury Park, Calif.), senior Priscilla Lee (Anaheim, Calif.), Chen, and Rameau finished in fourth place at 50.81.

Senior Isabella King (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished in sixth place in the javelin throw tying her season-best at 29.50m. King also competed in the 800m dash with sophomore Liz Wegman (East Sandwich, Mass.), where they took 15th and 16th overall. King finished 15th at 2:28.06 and Wegman finished right behind with a career-best, 2:28.36 time.

Wellesley will compete again next at the New England Division III Championships on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5 at MIT.