SPRINGFIELD, Mass.  – MIT's women's outdoor track and field team got competition underway at Springfield College for the New England Division III Championships on Friday afternoon. Competing in the long jump, 10,000-meter run, javelin throw and hammer throw, Tech's women kicked off the meet with multiple season- and personal- best performances.

Senior Jaclyn Konopka (Novi, Mich.) recorded a new personal best performance in the long jump clearing 17-05.50, good enough for a fifth place finish. Konopka holds steady at number four on the Engineers' top-ten list.

MIT took the top two spots in the 10,000-meter run. Junior Elaine McVay (San Ramon, Calif.) crossed the line first with a time of 37:00.36, narrowly edging out senior Kaitlin Allen (Bedford, N.H.) who finished second in 37:00.54. Allen's time is a personal best by 39 seconds and she moves up to seventh on the Engineers top-ten list.

In the first of two throwing events contested on Friday, junior Tilly Taylor (South Deerfield, Mass.) recorded a second place finish in the javelin throw with a final distance of 137-05. Tech had four women compete in the hammer throw, with junior Ashley Wheeler (Milford, N.H.) finishing sixth with a throw of 154-07. Junior Ellen Liverpool (Washington, D.C.) added a point to Tech's team count with an eighth place throw of 148-02. Freshman Jackie Vahey (Winchester, Mass.) and sophomore Isabella Stuopis (Amherst, N.H.) earned the fifth and sixth spots on MIT's top-ten performers list with throws of 146-08 and 145-01, respectively.

Currently in first place with 34 points, just 19 points in front of second place Williams College, the Engineers will return to competition on Saturday in hopes of defending their team title.