ITHACA, NY – University of Rochester women's track & field junior Nora Chen notched the 12th-best mark in NCAA Division III this season in her pentathlon debut, leading five Yellowjacket multi-athletes competing in the pentathlon on Sunday inside Glazer Arena at the Ithaca College Bomber Invitational.
 
Chen came in second in the 20-competitor field, scoring 3,290 points in her first-ever attempt at the pentathlon, the 12th-best score in DIII so far this season, and an All-Atlantic Region (AARTFC) qualifier. Scranton's Molly White topped the field, besting Chen's score by 56 points.
 
Chen topped the field in both the 60-meter hurdles and 800 meters, running a new personal-best time of 8.84 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, another regional qualifier, and the 11th-fastest 60-meter hurdles in Division III. In the 800 meters, Chen crossed the finish line with a first-place time of 2:18.63, the 46th-best time in DIII and another AARTFC qualifier.
 
The junior added another top-three finish in the long jump, placing second with a 5.27m leap, and took ninth in the high jump (1.36m) and 11th in the shot put (8.01m).
 
Julia Largett was Rochester's next-highest competitor, placing 12th with a score of 2,501 points. Largett's best performance came in the 800 meters, where the senior came in ninth with a time of 2:38.01. Largett also came in 12th in the long jump (4.66m), 13th in the 60-meter hurdles (10.37), 14th in the shot put (7.74m), and 15th in the high jump (1.30m).
 
Grace McInerney finished right behind Largett in 13th place, tallying 2,477 points. McInerney wrapped up the pentathlon with a PR in the 800 meters, clocking in at 2:36.84, good for eighth, and added top-eight finishes in the shot put (5th, 8.91m) and long jump (6th, 4.97m). The sophomore also came in 16th in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 11 seconds flat, and 17th in the high jump (1.21m).
 
Cassie Ward made it four 'Jackets in the top-15 with a 14th-place result, tallying 2,420 points. The first-year came in third in the high jump, clearing the 1.51m bar, and added another top-10 finish in the long jump with a 4.90m leap, good for seventh.

Ward also came in 13th in the shot put (6.93m), 16th in the 800 meters (2:51.61) and 19th in the 60-meter hurdles (11.63).
 
Julie Durham rounded out Rochester's five multi-competitors in the pentathlon with an 18th-place result and 2,221-point score. Durham earned her best finish in the shot put, setting a new personal-best mark with an 8.71m toss, good for seventh, and came in 13th in the 800 meters (2:46.16), 15th in the 60-meter hurdles (10.82), 17th in the long jump (4.44m) and 18th in the high jump (1.18m).
 
The Yellowjackets will be back in Ithaca, NY next Saturday, Feb. 7 for a dual-meet against the Bombers beginning at 12:00 p.m.