Former Raider runner named college Rookie of the Year

Anna Lastra

Former Fryeburg Academy all-conference runner Anna Lastra has been named Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Track Rookie of the Year.

A freshman at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., Anna wad selected four times as NE10 Rookie of the Week during the indoor season for her outstanding performances. She earned the first accolade on Jan. 17 as she opened up her first indoor collegiate season with a time of 5:10.95 in the mile run at the Beantown Challenge.

She then took on the 3000-meter run posting a time of 10:15.94, finishing fourth at the URI Sorlein Invitational bypassing NE10 and New England qualifications. Her third weekly award topped all 1000-meter competitors by finishing first with a time of 3:01.83 at the Tufts Stampede. The Bridgton native posted a career-best time of 10:04.55 in the 3000-meter event at the Hemery Valentine Invitational, hosted by Boston University for her fourth individual honor.

Anna was also part of the distance medley relay team that finished fourth with a time of 11:45.29 at the Bruce Lehane Scarlett & White Invitational, hosted by Boston University. The freshman kicked off the relay with a 3:36.72 1200-meter opening leg, which would help qualify the squad for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships hosted by the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

Anna ran in three events at the NE10 Championship, including the 1000m, mile, and 4x800m. She assisted the 4x800m in winning its sixth-straight NE10 crown, while she finished second in both the 1000m and the mile events, giving the women’s team its fourth-straight NE10 title. She later ran in the 4x800m, the DMR, and the mile run at the NEICAAA Indoor Championships. The DMR finished first, while the 4x800m took 10th and Anna crossed the finish 11th in the mile.

To conclude the season, Anna got the chance to compete at the NCAA Championship in the DMR, once again tackling the 1200-meter leg, with an unofficial split of 3:38.37 and assisting the squad to a 13th-place finish and a time of 11:46.65.