WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - The Utica University women's track and field team went back out to Williamstown, Massachusetts, to compete in the AARTFC Regional Championships over the past two days. During the multi-day event, the Pioneers saw a plethora of top performers, including a few program records and some high-ranking finishes.
 
Day One - Wednesday, May 14th
 
To start off the meet, all-around ace Stefania Grimaldi (Poland, NY/Poland Central) began her quest for yet another first-place finish in the heptathlon after her Empire 8 Championship performance just a few weeks ago. The heptathlon began with the 100m hurdles, a race in which Grimaldi set a personal record with a 15.81, leading her to the fifth-best showing in program history for the event. Also on day one, Grimaldi got eighth in the high jump with a 1.47m, 11th in the shot put with an 8.86m, and 14th in the 200m with a time of 28.11.
 
For the other day one women's event that the Pioneers took part in, the pair of Catherine Manna (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Marlo Townsend (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) competed in the 5000m, with both athletes turning in excellent outings. Townsend recorded a 12th-place finish, notching an 18:23.76 to land in the upper half of the field. A few spots ahead of her was Manna, who grabbed a 10th-place finish thanks to a time of 18:12.98.
 
Day Two - Thursday, May 15th
 
During day two, Grimaldi used two top-three finishes in specific events to complete her historic heptathlon outing. The Poland, New York product ended 14th in the 800m, recording a 2:43.12. She shone bright in the remaining two field events, though, snatching third in the javelin throw with a 33.06m and second in the long jump with a leap of 5.37m. These top placements pushed her to an outstanding fifth-place finish, achieving the program record with a final total of 4,139 points. This exceeded the 4,027-point record set by Laura Meade (Glenville, NY/Scotia-Glenville) in 2023.
 
In the 800m, Jade Dening (Remsen, NY/Remsen) brought her storied career to a spectacular close, racing her way into the record books with a personal and program best time of 2:20.13. The long-time Pioneer etched her name into the history of the program one last time, narrowly topping MaKenna Cooley's previous program record of 2:20.30 set in 2017.
 
The Pioneers saw some great results in various field events during the second and final day of the meet.
 
Senior Nora Devitt (Beverly, MA/Beverly) finished with a 10.75m leap in the triple jump, claiming her longest attempt on her third try.
 
Hannah Allison (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) competed in the high jump, finishing her regional championship outing with a 1.52m.
 
Riley King (Oswego, NY/Oswego) capped off a great two-day run for the team with her top-10 finish in the hammer throw. The sophomore star broke her previous school record of 47.41m with a 48.26m launch in her very first throw of the event. King's mark was good enough for a ninth-place finish. Ending the AARTFC campaign on a high note for the Pioneers.