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April 26, 2008
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Sophomore captain Lauren Blackburn became just the second female in Babson track and field history to earn All-Conference honors on Saturday, as she placed second in the 400 meter hurdles at the 2008 NEWMAC Championships at Smith College. The women's team finished eighth at the event, while the men placed sixth. Continuing her spectacular season, Blackburn recovered from a slow start with a huge finish in the 400 hurdles, passing numerous opponents to finish just 0.16 seconds behind event winner Leanne Veldhuis of MIT. Blackburn's time of 1:05.04 broke her own school record and was just 0.90 seconds off of the provisional qualifying time for the NCAA National Championships. As a result of her second place finish, she earned a spot on the NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team, joining senior teammate Nadine Lussier as the only two women in Babson history to garner all-league honors. Along with her stellar effort in the 400 hurdles, Blackburn also added a fourth-place finish in the 100 hurdles. She finished off her day by joining senior captain Claudia Schulz, first-year Nicole Crowley, and sophomore captain Katie Trant on the Beavers' 4x400 relay team, which broke it's own school mark with a time of 4:25.66. Other top performers for the women included Schulz and first-year Larina Kleynerman, who both competed in multiple events. Schulz placed ninth and set a new Babson record with a time of 2:25.66 in the 800 meter run and then placed eighth with her second fastest time of 5:03.87 in the 1500. Kleynerman, meanwhile, finished sixth in the 100 meter dash, including a personal best time of 13.13 seconds in the qualifying heat, while also placing 10th in the 200 meter dash and 11th in the long jump. Trant added finishes of ninth in the high jump and 11th in the triple jump, and first-year Elana Hogan posted a personal best of 89 feet, six inches in the discus.
Leading the men's team was junior Kevin Butera, who continued his tremendous comeback season by setting a new Babson record in the triple jump. The veteran jumper, who missed significant time in his first two seasons due to major injuries, posted a top distance of 41 feet, 4 1/2 inches, placing eighth overall and surpassing the former mark of 41'1" set by sophomore teammate Charlie Brown last spring. Other hightlights for the men included two more strong outings for senior captain Dan Cowan, who placed eighth overall in both the 110 and 400 meter hurdles, including a time of 1:01.30 in the latter - his second fastest time in the event. Brown added a 13th-place performance in the 100 meter dash, junior Greg Keshian placed 13th in the 5000 meter run, and first-year Jared Bartlett posted a personal best time of 4:48.99 in the 1500 meter run. |
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