UMBC

Senior Sara Parkinson won the gold in the 5,000-meter run.

Freshman Amanda Deller won the bronze in the weight throw.

BOSTON—Senior Sara Parkinson (Chorley, England/Loughborough University) earned gold and broke the school record in the 5,000-meter run as the UMBC women’s track and field team completed first day action at the 2010 America East Indoor Championships. The Retrievers currently sit in fourth place with 19 points.

Parkinson finished the 5,000 in an ECAC qualifying time of 16:47.69, while fellow senior Suzanne Gabriel (Falls Church, Va./McLean) finished sixth in 17:33.74.

In the weight throw, freshman Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) continues to make a mark on her debut campaign, earning bronze with a season-best throw of 15.14m (49’8.25”). She is ranked first going into tomorrow’s shot put.

In the pentathlon, freshman Chowan Brightful (New Market, Md./Linganore) recorded a season-best score of 2,954 points. Her best event was the 55-meter dash, in which she finished third in 8.64.

In preliminary action, sophomore Imani Colbert (Upper Marlboro, Md./C.H. Flowers) qualified second in the 55-meter hurdles in an ECAC-qualifying time of 8.19, while fellow sophomore Fallon Rovel-Jones (Owings Mills, Md./New Town) eighth in 8.50.

In the 55-meter dash, senior Britney Foreman (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) was the fourth-fastest qualifier in a time of 7.22.

After one day of competition, New Hampshire leads with 56 points, with Boston University (50) and Albany (48) right behind. UMBC is next, followed by Binghamton (15), Vermont (14), Maine (12), Stony Brook (11) and Hartford (9).

Day 2 action starts Saturday at 10 a.m.