May 8, 2011

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Jackie D'Antonio, Noreen Petrash Samantha Westley and the 4x400-meter relay team set school records on Sunday afternoon, helping the Loyola University Maryland women's track and field team finish fifth at the 2011 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships at Rider University.

D'Antonio ran 2:18.79 to finish seventh in the 800 meters and improve on her previous Loyola best of 2:20.13 set in 2010.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Marissa Buccellato, Chika Dunga, Jacqueline Porter and Kristina Krupa closed the meet with a fourth-place finish, clocking a time of 4:05.64. That dropped nearly three seconds off the previous best of 4:08.31 set in 2007.

Petrash cleared 2.95 meters to improve of the mark of 2.90 set last year.

Stephanie Gibney and Marissa Galante finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 5,000 meters, running times of 18:10.67 and 18:23.83.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Westley, Megan Trainer, Paige Godfrey and Courtney Willeford ran 50.74 to earn a fourth-place finish, edging the Marist entry by six-hundredths of a second.

Emily Doucette picked up a point in the 1,500 meters, placing eighth in 4:44.22, and Westley garnered a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter high hurdles, running 15.29.

Alyssa Harrison took sixth place in the high jump with a leap of 1.50 meters.

Gibney earned All-MAAC honors, as did Willeford (javelin) and Victoria Szczawinski (3,000-meter steeplechase).