Three members of the Northern Essex Community College's women's track and field team were winners at this month's NJCAA Division III Track and Field Meet at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.
Freshman Noelia Figuereo of Haverhill won the 200 meter title, running 26.18 seconds over Roxbury Community College's Northeastern University-bound Nia Howard by 3 one-hundredths of a second. Howard had, earlier in the day, defeated Figuereo in the 100-meter dash.
"We really did not want the 200-meter to slip away," said NECC Track and Field coach Dawn Caputo. "Noelia was the only one in the NJCAA to run under 26 this season. We felt this was her best chance to win a title. In spite of the difficult conditions with the wind, we focused on place and were not concerned with time. Figuereo had Howard at the turn and then Howard had closed the gap. It was extremely difficult to tell who had won. Initially we thought Howard might have caught Noelia. Once the results were posted we were ecstatic with the end result."
Figuereo also placed second in the 100-meter dash, finishing in 12.72. This earned a second team All-American status in that event. She posted the fastest time run in the NJCAA this year, running 12.49 winning the Northeast District championship a week ago. She now becomes the first woman in NECC history to win a national title and joins James Mwangi, who won the 400-meter in the inaugural season of track in 2006, as the only athletes in NECC history to win national titles.
Also achieving All-American status was freshman Samantha Dietrich of Chelmsford, who placed second in the javelin with a throw of 33.85 meters (111 feet). A former softball player, Dietrich used her technical skills to advance to the finals in fifth place and nailed it on her first throw in finals.
"The swirling wind was absolutely brutal and really compromised the overall quality of the kids' throws," Caputo said. "Samantha had two very far warm-up throws only to throw sub-par in the trials. She made some adjustments prior to finals and put one out there."
Earning Honorable-Mention All-American was sophomore Kaitlyn Wallace of Newburyport. Wallace put the shot put 10.84 meters (35 feet, 6 3/4 inches) to place third in the event. Wallace also placed fifth in the hammer, bettering her school record with a throw of 33.51 meters (110 feet).
This accomplished team of women finished 8th overall of 25 scoring teams. This is the first time they have finished in the top 10. Figuereo, Dietrich, and Wallace are all planning to return next year to compete for NECC.
