By Draven Dabrowski
Sports Writer
The Owls’ track and field programs continued their dominance at the NE10 Championships. Both the men’s and women’s teams captured conference titles this past weekend.
The women won their third consecutive NE10 Championship while the men extended their historic run to nine straight, a standard the athletes have come to expect.
“Winning the NE10s is an expectation,” Uliana Pokutnia, a sophomore, said.
The women’s team left little doubt, piling up 269 points to finish more than 100 points ahead of second place, Saint Anselm College.
The university’s depth showed across the board, with strong performances on the track, in the field and in relays fueling the title run.
Darla Jagrosse, a senior, led the way in the field events, earning Most Outstanding Field Performer honors after winning the discus and finishing second in the shot put.
Kayla Johnson, a sophomore, added a first place finish in the shot put while Pokutnia captured gold in the triple jump.
The Owls consistently placed multiple athletes near the top. On the track, Patrice Mansfield, a senior, delivered a standout performance, winning the 100-meter hurdles in a personal record time that ranks among the top marks in Division II.
Mansfield also ran a leg on the first-place 4×100-meter relay team. That relay group, which included Ella Maclean, a graduate, Avery Winters, a senior, and Paige Wilks, a freshman, set a new NE10 Championship record.
“Having such a good group of teammates and coaches makes a difference,” Winters said. “They really help you win and boost your confidence.”
Maclean and Winters were key contributors throughout the meet. Maclean won the 100-meter and finished second in the 200-meter.
Winters took gold in the 400-meter and added another medal in the 200-meter. Distance runners also played a major role.
Courtney Henchcliffe, a senior, won the 5,000- meter.
McKenzie David, a sophomore, and PJ Dauphinais, a junior, each earned podium finishes.
In the heptathlon, Bella Sorrentino, a junior, secured gold with a dominant performance, winning multiple events and finishing comfortably ahead of the field to add to the Owls’ scoring total.
The men’s team matched that dominance with 291 points, more than doubling the total of second-place Franklin Pierce University.
Their success was highlighted by a mix of individual standouts and strong relay performances.
Osaretin Osagie, a graduate, was named Most Outstanding Track Performer after winning both hurdle events and anchoring the firstplace 4×400 relay team.
His time in the 400-meter hurdles not only broke the meet and program records but also ranked among the best in Division II this season.
Chris Amy, a freshman, earned Most Outstanding Field Performer honors after winning the shot put and finishing second in the discus.
Jayden Brown, a freshman, added another first-place finish in the discus to give the university a strong presence in the throwing events.
On the track, Marquis Ward, a sophomore, captured gold in the 100-meter race and added two more medals.
Jack Mulcunry, a junior, won the 800-meter with a personal record performance.
Sam Sandler, a sophomore, and Max Musial, a junior, each contributed with strong finishes in the winning 4×400 relay team.
In the multi-events, Aidan Lanciault, a sophomore, claimed the decathlon title by a wide margin, adding another gold to the university’s total and continuing the team’s trend of strong performances across every event group.
With both teams once again atop the conference, the Owls continue to set the standard in the NE10, showing dominance that has defined their run of success.
