2009 Season Recap

• 2009 Schedule and Results
• 2009 Roster

Following the lead of 23rd year head coach Tina Lee, the Mount Holyoke College outdoor track and field team competed in seven events in 2009. Pacing the squad were first year Miriam Larson-Koester and junior Jessica Brezicha. On April 25, Mount Holyoke hosted the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships for the first time in school history. Of the eight competing teams on the women’s side, the Lyons finished seventh.

Mount Holyoke kicked off its 2009 campaign at the Trinity College Invitational. First year Bree Ligon-Hollinger grabbed third place in the high jump with a height of 1.42 meters at the non-scoring competition. Senior Chelsea McCracken collected top honors in the hammer with a collegiate best throw of 35.95 meters the following weekend at the team’s non-scoring home invitational. A pair of Lyons then earned first place finishes at the non-scoring Eastern Connecticut State Invitational one week later. First year Courtney Carrier won the 400-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 1:13.07, while Brezicha won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 10.48.

The Lyons earned sixth place at Bowdoin College’s Aloha Relays. Leading the way was Larson-Koester, who grabbed seventh place in the discus with a personal best toss of 36.49 meters. With her performance in the event, she qualified for both the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships. Brezicha qualified for the New England Regional Championships with her score of 2,749 points in the heptathlon. In addition, her third place time of 17.36 in the 100-meter hurdles was a personal best and also made her eligible for the NCAA Regional Championships in the event.

Larson-Koester and Brezicha represented Mount Holyoke at the NCAA Regional Championships. As a result of her eighth place showing (35.77 meters) in the discus, Larson-Koester earned All-New England honors. Brezicha recorded 2,477 points (15th place) in the heptathlon and later completed the 100-meter hurdles in 17.83 (24th place). The Lyons finished 26th overall.

Larson-Koester secured 11th place in the discus (35.82 meters) at the ECAC Championships.