EWING, N.J. (May 14, 2021)  – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's and women's outdoor track & field teams combined to set three new school records Thursday at the Last Chance Meet, hosted by The College of New Jersey.

Graduate student Nicholas DiMaria set a new record in the 400-meter dash, while graduate student Gina Dello Russo set one in the 100-meter dash. Sophomore Laura Mathews closed out the record-breaking performances by setting a new mark in the 100-meter hurdles as the Ducks continued their march towards securing slots at the upcoming national championships. The top 17 male student-athletes and the top 19 female student-athletes in each individual event will qualify for NCAA's. 

DiMaria completed the 400-meter dash in 48.10 seconds, finishing second in the race, sandwiched between a pair of runners from the University of Pennsylvania. The Spotswood, New Jersey native completed the race in 48.10 seconds, topping the mark DiMaria set at the second Middle Atlantic Conference-only meet earlier this season. DiMaria then ran the 200-meter dash in 21.89 seconds, finishing third behind two student-athletes from Princeton University. His performance in the 400 was the 10th-fastest time in Division III to date and DiMaria remains ranked 11th in the 200. 

"Despite a stumble out of the blocks and a mistimed (early) lean, Nicholas DiMaria ran the most complete 400-meter race of his career, measuring his effort perfectly and making up considerable ground on his competitors over the final 200 meters of the race," said head coach Lance Harden. "His start in the 200 was outstanding, so he is primed for a breakthrough once he combines all of these elements into the same race."

"Nick DiMaria had another big race in the 400,  breaking his own school record and just narrowly missing the win," added assistant coach John Kolibab. "Nick executed a very well-rounded race and it's great to see him consistently performing at such a high level. With a slight adjustment to his start, Nick can continue to improve on his time."

Already in possession of the 100-meter dash record, set during the 2018 season, Dello Russo knocked eight-hundredths-of-a-second off that time, touching the finish in 12.35 seconds, which is the fourth-fastest time in the Atlantic Region this season. Dello Russo also turned in a strong performance in the 200, completing the race in a season-best 24.76 seconds, marking the third-fastest outdoor 200 of her career. The Morris Plains, New Jersey native is currently ranked 11th in Division III in the 200 and second in the 400.  

"Gina Dello Russo had another stellar meet, breaking her own school record in the 100-meter dash and running the fastest 200 meters in her career outside of the NCAA Championships," Kolibab commented. "Showing this speed in these shorter races bodes incredibly well for her 400 and I'm excited to see what she can do the next time she runs arguably her best event."

After setting the 100-meter hurdles record earlier this year, Mathews improved upon that performance Thursday, reaching the finish in 14.61 seconds. Her time in the event has improved by over a second since the beginning of the season and she is ranked 22nd in Division III currently, just one-hundredth-of-a-second behind three student-athletes tied for 19th. Regionally, Mathews is ranked eighth in the 100 and fourth in the 100 hurdles.

"Laura Mathews was able to break her own school record again in the 100 hurdles," Kolibab said. "Laura had a 60-meter split in this race that was faster than her indoor school record, which means she's primed to go even faster with just a few tweaks to the last four hurdles. This stat is especially impressive when you consider that there are five hurdles in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and Laura has cleared six hurdles by the 60-meter mark of the 100-meter hurdles."

Two student-athletes competed in the shot put, with junior AnaMaria Laccetti reaching 11.25 meters on her fourth attempt and classmate Meghan Douglas reaching a career-best 11.19 meters on her third. For Laccetti, the competition marked her second meet in three days after competing in the Charm City Invitational on May 11. At the Charm City Invite, the Allentwon, New Jersey mative touched 36.29 meters in the discus and a personal-best 44.16 meters in the hammer, achieving a regional ranking in the hammer. Laccetti is now regionally ranked in each of her three events.

"AnaMaria Laccetti had her second-farthest tosses of the season in shot put Thursday and discus on Tuesday at Johns Hopkins to go along with a new personal best in hammer," Harden said. "Over the last month, she has been consistently strong across all three events and the trend in marks has been upward. With a full calendar year to work on technique, she will be a force at the conference, regional, and national levels in 2022."

"Meg Douglas improved her personal best in shot put by over a foot today, breaking the 11-meter barrier for the first time," Harden continued. "Her best throw was a line drive, which demonstrates how powerful she is and indicates that there is room for improvement once she masters her release angle."

Senior Amar Bindra rounded out the Ducks' performances by completing the 400-meter hurdles in 57.28 seconds 

Up Next: Track & Field is scheduled to head to Salisbury, Maryland on May 18 for the Salisbury University Final Qualifier. Please note that all event times, dates and opponents are subject to change. 

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