Cooley Repeats Record-Breaking Performance; Qualifies for ECAC Championship
NEWTON, Mass. (2/14/16) – Senior Melissa Cooley (Huntington Beach, Calif.) qualified for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship in the 400m race on Friday afternoon at the David Hemery Valentine Invite hosted by Boston University.
NEWTON, Mass. (2/14/16) – Senior Melissa Cooley (Huntington Beach, Calif.) qualified for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship in the 400m race on Friday afternoon at the David Hemery Valentine Invite hosted by Boston University.
Cooley set a new school record in the event - which she previously set earlier this year - finishing at 59.63 to hit the ECAC qualifying mark for the first time in her career. In a race of 195 participants, Cooley placed 92nd, outrunning a montage of athletes across all divisions. The ECAC Championship will be held in Staten Island, New York at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex during the weekend of March 4.
To add to her stellar performance in the meet, Cooley set a PR and Lasell best in the 200m dash, finishing at 26.73, just missing the ECAC mark by .23 seconds.
Joining Cooley in the sprinters circle was junior Ayumi Ranucci (Auburn, Maine) who finished the 200m in 28.26, a PR for her career. Ranucci also ran the 60m bolt in the first event of the afternoon, crossing the line at 8.76 seconds.
Senior Jaime Russo (Watertown, Mass.) rounded out the event in the 800m race with a final time of 2:38.99.
While the Lasers gear up for the outdoor season, Cooley will prepare for her departure to the ECAC Championship on Friday, March 4.