After opening the outdoor track and field season against top Division I, II and III competition in their first two meets, the Judges took advantage of lesser opponents at last Saturday's meet at Fitchburg State College. The women's team finished second out of 14 teams with 121 points while the men's team finished seventh out of 14 teams with 33 points. Worcester Polytechninc Institute won the women's meet with 124 points and the men's meet with 201.5 points.

Normally overshadowed by the duo of Ali Sax '09 and Anat Ben-Nun '09, Lucia Capano '11 took advantage of the two getting a weekend of rest. Capano won both the triple and long jumps with leaps of 11.09 in the triple jump and 5.25 in the long jump, both of which were personal bests.

I'm really proud of [Capano]," coach Mark Reytblat said. "She's become so consistent now, so I look forward to every single event that she competes."

Suzanne Bernier '10 opened her outdoor season much like she did at the University Athletic Association Indoor Championships March 7, winning the high jump at 1.60 meters. Teammate Lily Parenteau '12 finished second behind Bernier with a jump of 1.50 meters.

"I could have done better. I was a little laggy and wasn't springy enough," Bernier said. "[But] a win is a win."

The Judges showed their depth in the long-distance events, particularly in the 1,500-meter run. The Judges finished first through seventh in the race, all within 14 seconds of each other. Marie Lemay '11 finished first for the Judges with a time of 4 minutes, 47.81 seconds.

"It was extremely impressive. I was excited because it shows the depth of our team," Lemay said. "It was very helpful that we kind of worked together and we [had] a lot of camaraderie together."

In the 800-meter run, Beth Pisarik '10 and Emily Owen '11 lapped the field, finishing first and second and distancing themselves from third-place sophomore Lindsay Kennedy of Bentley College by 7 seconds.

Michelle Gellman '11 edged out first-year Nicole Lemelin of Salem State College in the 200-meter sprint by a mere 0.16 seconds, finishing in 27.41 seconds.

Katy Agule '09 was the final women's event winner in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event in which competitors run through a course that consists of five wooden barriers, each 30-inches high, and one water pit. Agule took the event in 11:26.14.

The men's team continued to compete without any field athletes, relying upon their distance squad to finish seventh out of 14 teams.

The men's team also displayed its depth in the 1,500-meter run. Captains Matt Jennings '09 and Mike Stone '09 finished third and fourth with times of 3:57.21 and 3:58.06, followed closely by teammate Chris Brown '12 in fifth at 4:01.34. Marc Boutin '12, Sam Donovan '11 and Alex Hulse '12 rounded out the finishes for the Judges, finishing seventh, 11th and 12th, respectively.

In the 800-meter run, the Judges got a pair of finishes. Aaron Udel '10 finished fourth with a time of 1:59.69, and Ben Bray '11 ran in 2:06.31, finishing ninth.

The men's and women's track and field teams will compete at next weekend's UAA Championships at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn.