Sophomore multi-event athlete Dominique Biron showed off her versatility on the track and in the field, taking first place in the womens’ pentathlon at the UConn multi-event challenge on Feb 20. Sophomore sprinter Sydney Robinson also competed in the women’s pentathlon while sophomore multi-event athletes Lionel Beane and Liam Landau competed in the men’s heptathlon.

Biron paced the field in dominant fashion, winning the 60-meter hurdles by 0.17 seconds in 8.97 seconds, placing second in the high jump with a 1.70-meter jump and winning the shot put by 0.53 meters with an 11.51-meter toss. She also bounced back from a first attempt fault to win the long jump by 0.14 meters with a 5.67-meter leap, which contributed to her overall pentathlon win by 108 points with 3,868 points. The closest competitor was UConn’s Kelly Ward with 3,760 points. 800-meter results were not made available, but Biron took first.

Robinson finished fifth overall with a score of 2,561 points. Her best finish came in the long jump, where she placed third with a jump of 5.38 meters. Landau and Beane came in fifth and sixth, respectively, with scores of 4,006 and 3,779. Landau’s best finish was in the pole vault, where he came in third with a 4.00-meter vault. Beane’s best finish was in the 1000-meter run, where he placed fourth with a time of 3:04.28.

Biron’s score of 3868 set a new Northeastern women’s pentathlon record. The accomplishment had been on her mind throughout the meet.

“Going into the meet I knew I had really good marks and was close to the school record. I wanted to see where I was at because the previous girl had set the record her sophomore year,” Biron said. “Going into the 800 I knew I was in a good position to take the record and wanted a strong race to secure it.”

The 800-meter race was held under an unconventional format, with Biron racing alongside her teammate Robinson and the UConn teammates racing together. While the setup removed some competitive fire from the determining event, the two Husky roommates enjoyed racing together.

“The weirdest part of the whole meet was toeing the line of the 800 not facing Kelly,” Biron said. “I was really nervous about pacing without her competition. I knew I had set myself really well going into the 800 and did not want to waste all that hard work. The race wound up being really fun. Competing with just Sydney brought me extra motivation.”

Biron may still be improving, a scary thought for Northeastern’s future track & field opponents. She was unimpressed by her performances in the 60-meter hurdles and shot put, two events she won by a significant margin. 

Looking forward, Biron is hoping to set the school record in the outdoor heptathlon, which currently stands at 5,063 points, but she emphasized that she was more focused on team goals.

“I just really want to win the CAA championships and be able to see the trophy in Coach’s office. I haven’t won a team title since middle school and I think we have a great group of really fast girls with a really good shot,” she said.