SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Saint Francis women's track & field team leads the competition for a Northeast Conference crown entering the championship meet's final day, while the men's team is in the hunt for a team title following Saturday's competition.

The Red Flash women have 46 points entering Sunday – 11 points clear of second-place Sacred Heart. The SFU men are at 32 points heading into the final day of competition, currently in third and with numerous opportunities to cut into the total of Saturday leader Wagner.

The Meet: NEC Championships
Location: Bryant University (Smithfield, R.I.)
Teams: Saint Francis, Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary's, St. Francis Brooklyn, Sacred Heart, Wagner

WOMEN'S HIGHLIGHTS

• The Red Flash began Saturday by taking two of the top three spots in the 10K. Sophomore Mackenzie Walker finished second in 38:04.43 with senior Madison Wright following in 38:10.91 to earn SFU 14 points in the day's opening event.
• Junior Emily Lunger won the high jump at 1.64m (5' 4.5"), while sophomore Caroline Ratchford tied for second at 1.61m (5' 3.25"), to help the Red Flash to 17 points in the event.
• Junior Adrian Page was fifth in the shot put with a toss of 12.17m (39' 11.25"), while sophomore Caroline Fyock had a throw of 11.79m (38' 82.5) to help SFU collect six points.
• Sophomore Madeline Murphy captured five points for the Red Flash in the long jump with a fourth-place mark of 5.53m (18' 1.75").
• Junior Katherine McLaughlin earned Saint Francis a point in the hammer at 45.75m (150' 1").
• The quartet of senior Taya Whitfield, freshman Mariclare Anderson, sophomore Hailey Prestash, and sophomore Monica Gregg earned SFU three points from the 4x800m relay with a time of 9:35.29.
• Sophomore Gabrielle Stanavich and freshman Maria Ferraro qualified for 100m hurdles finals with two of the top four times in the field.
• Sophomore Rhoda Alaban-Tafon moved on to 400m finals with a qualifying time of 57.23 that ranked second in prelims.
• Saint Francis recorded three of the top four times in 100m qualifying, led by an 11.84 from junior Mylan Crews on her birthday. Junior Jalurah Moore was second in qualifying at 12.09 and sophomore Aaliyah Vandergrift was fourth at 12.24. The sprinter trio will all move on to Sunday's final in both the 100m and 200m, as Crews and Moore took the top two spots in 200m prelims with Vandergrift eighth.
• Senior Hannah Jones qualified for the 800m final with a time of 2:17.56.
• Lunger, Stanavich, and sophomore Marlena Jacobs moved on to 400m hurdle finals with three of the top six prelim times.

MEN'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Sophomore Nickolas Hyde provided 15 of Saint Francis' 32 points on the opening day of competition, with a winning shot put toss of 17.48m (57' 4.25") and a fourth-place result in the hammer at 49.83m (163' 6").
• Freshman Bryce Collins won the high jump at 2.09m (6' 10.25"), missing the program-record clearance by one hundredth of a meter. Junior Taemar Willis placed sixth at 1.88m (6' 2") to help the Red Flash earn 13 points in the event.
• Freshman Kameron Stevens earned three points for SFU in the long jump with a leap of 6.62m (21' 8.75").
• Senior Colton Sunderland grabbed a point for the Red Flash in the 10K with an eighth-place time of 32:23.19.
• Freshman Tobias Jones qualified for the 1500m final with a time of 4:10.14. Jones' time was 0.22 seconds off the top time in prelims.
• Freshman Ardonntrell Williams and sophomore Kobe Jenkins moved on to 110m hurdle finals with Williams' time of 14.73 second in prelims.
• Graduate student Christian McFadden qualified for 100m finals with a time of 10.80 and the 200m final with a 21.97 qualifying time.
• Junior Barry Ndeh earned a spot in the 400m hurdle final at 56.47.

UP NEXT
The Red Flash closes out the NEC Championships Sunday in Smithfield. Live coverage is available on NEC Front Row.

Follow Saint Francis Track and Field & Cross Country on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash.

To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.