The UConn Huskies are headed to Boston to compete in the Crimson Elite and Scarlet and White meets on Feb. 3 and 4. Coming off of record-breaking performances at the Dr. Sander Colombia Invitational, the team will return to the track looking to build on their momentum.
This past weekend, the Huskies attended the Dr. Sander Colombia Invitational to claim top titles. The men’s team placed second with a score of 95 following closely behind UCLA’s score of 101. Similarly, the women battled it out for a third place finish with a score of 76.5, not too far behind UCLA’s 187 and South Carolina’s 108.
Last weekend’s performances dominated all events. Travis Snyder continued his winning streak with a vault of 5.47 meters to break his own school record. Snyder is now ranked No. 13 in the NCAA for pole vault and was named the Big East Field Athlete of the Week.
On the track, Terrel Williams displayed an impressive showing in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.75 seconds to take home a first place win. For the women, A’liyah Thomas was the competitor to watch as she set two personal records in the long jump (6.07 meters) and 60 hurdles (8.62 seconds). These accomplishments granted Thomas the Big East Field Athlete of the Week, alongside Snyder. In the 5,000-meter, Caroline Webb took home a first place win and a personal record with a time of 17:07.56. This event placed Webb at No. 23 in the NCAA.
Looking ahead, Boston is set to host the Crimson Elite and Scarlet and White meet this upcoming weekend. The Huskies are on track to continue a hot streak of personal bests whilst climbing the ranks toward UConn’s records. The men’s 200 will be an event to watch as Wellington Ventura and Joseph O’Brien are both hovering closely around the Big East all-time record of 21.04 seconds. Earlier this season, Ventura and O’Brien demonstrated outstanding times of 21.41 and 21.50.
The men’s team also features mile-runner, James Maniscalco. Maniscalco’s personal best of 4:05.57 in last weekend’s showing has placed him at No. 8 all-time in UConn’s record books. Maniscalco is a top contender in the mile for the upcoming meet with Samuel Geislers’s time of 4:08.53. The women’s team also features A’Liyah Thomas and Taylor Woods battling it out in the long jump with marks just millimeters apart.
The women’s mile will continue to be one of the most anticipated events as trio Jenna Zydanowicz, Chloe Thomas and Randi Burr continue to place just seconds apart. Zydanowicz currently maintains the team’s top seed with a remarkable time of 4:48.20. This time placed her at No. 10 in the all-time UConn record books. Chloe Thomas is close on Zydanowicz’s tail — with a time of 4:48.30, nearly identical.
O’Brien is another athlete expected to dominate the track this upcoming weekend. O’Brien, the current school record holder of the men’s 300 with a time of 33.55, maintains an exceptional record this year.
The team is expected to carry this momentum into their seventh meet of the season. Amidst fierce competition, the Huskies will expect strong performances across all events including, Kasey Savage (high jump), Natalia Surdej (weight throw) and Jailya Ash (60 hurdles).
