ROOKIES, PIRINELLI IMPRESSIVE IN SAINT HOLIDAY RELAYS

Dec. 8: The combination of a talented group of first year students and one of the premier athletes in the country provided the highlights for the St. Lawrence University women’s track team on Saturday, as the team opened its 2007-08 Indoor season by hosting the Saint Holiday Relays in the Newell Field House.

Several rookies picked up victories in the season’s first event, with participating teams including St. Lawrence, Cortland State, Ithaca College, Oswego State and Plattsburgh State. Meanwhile, sophomore Alyssa Pirinelli picked up where she left off last season, winning both throwing events.

First year student Katrina Loignon won the 1 mile run with a time of 5:58.31, while fellow rookie Wendy Pavlus, fresh off a fantastic season with the women’s cross country team, earned a victory in the 5000m run with a time of 18:12.84.

First year student Jessica Venezia also added to the Saints’ success on Saturday, earning a win in the triple jump, posting a final jump of 10.59m, which qualified the newcomer for the ECAC Championships.

St. Lawrence also did well in the relay events, as both the women’s 4x800 and 4x400 teams were victorious. The team of Alexis Nuffer, Chelsea McKenzie, Hillary St. John and Elizabeth Atwood used a time of 10:25.18 to win the 4x800, while Nuffer and McKenzie joined Whitney Koch and Lindsey Taylor to win the 4x400 with a time of 4:20.12.

Finally, Pirinelli, who had one of the best seasons by a female thrower in St. Lawrence history last year, continued to prove why she is a favorite to compete for a national championship again in 2007-08. She won the weight throw with a toss of 13.17m, earning a spot in the ECAC Championships in the first time competing in the event.

The North Tonawanda, NY native then went on to win the shot put by 2.1 meters with a throw of 13.30m. Pirinelli’s throw was an NCAA Provisional Qualifier.

“I think our women’s team has both talent and depth this season, and it will be fun to watch the development of our young first year athletes,” said Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Mike Howard. “We’re getting good leadership from our returning athletes, and with a number of our women finishing in the top-3 in their events today, we’re pretty excited about the upcoming meets.”

The Holiday Relays are the Saints’ lone event this semester, as the women’s track team will next compete after the Winter Recess on January 19th when they host the St. Lawrence Open.

YOUNG SAINTS OPEN 2007-08 INDOOR SEASON

Dec. 6: A veteran group of distance runners who were steady point producers has graduated from St. Lawrence University’s women’s indoor track and field program, but a large class of promising newcomers will be out to fill the gap as the Saints open their 2007-08 season with the Saint Holiday Relays at the Newell Field House on Saturday.

Laura Clarke, Liz Ludovici and Katie Thompson, all among the top distance runners in the state last season, graduated last spring from a program which produced a Liberty League indoor championship and was second in the league outdoor meet and fourth in the NYSCTC outdoor championships.

The 2007-08 Saint roster includes just four seniors…sprinters Lindsey Taylor and Meghan Moore, hurdler and jumper Maia Moyer and javelin standout Carleigh Fedorka…but has 16 rookies, several of whom come in with impressive high school credentials.

A solid junior class, several of whom will miss the opening meet while concluding programs abroad, and some talented sophomores will give the Saints solid scoring in all events as they look to contend for both league and state titles.

Among the key returnees for the Saints are sophomore Alyssa Pirinelli, who was All America indoors in the shot after finishing third in the NCAA Division III championships and won Liberty League, NYSCTC and ECAC shot titles both indoors and outdoors, setting St. Lawrence records in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Sophomores Chelsea and Alexis Nuffer are both coming off injuries which curtailed their fall cross country seasons, but when healthy are solid contributors in the middle distance and distance events while multi-event competitors Sarah Mills and Meaghan White, both juniors, will miss Saturday’s opener while completing semester abroad programs, but will be key producers when the season resumes in January.

Taylor and Moore will lead a sprint contingent which also includes juniors Libby Fellows, Allison Gulka and Krystin Harper and sophomore Stacy Lowell and juniors Holly Irion and Lauren Chrapowitzky join Pirinelli among the veteran Saint throwers.

NCAA cross country qualifier Wendy Pavlus, who was the Liberty League Rookie of they Year in that sport, will be a key in the distance events with cross country teammate Katrina Loignon also joining the track program.

Among other top first year performers are Chelsea McKenzie, who had the fastest 800 meter qualifying time in the state of Hawaii as a senior, running a 2:20 which is just two seconds off the Saint record, Michelle Laframboise, a field hockey player in the fall who was fourth in the 1500 and sixth in the 3000 and also competed in the long and triple jumps in the Vermont State Championships and Jessica Venezia, a highly-regarded triple jumper.

The Saints will have a busy home indoor season as they host three straight meets to open the year and are also

hosts for the Liberty League Championship, the NYSCTC Multi-event championship and the NYSCTC Championships.