The UConn Huskies Track and Field squad showed that one meet in a weekend is not enough for their talents, as they competed in the Crimson Elite and Scarlet and White meets over the past few days. The sensational performances across both days were a testament to the depth in the team.
Friday saw the Huskies travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they competed in the Harvard Crimson Elite competition. One could argue that Travis Snyder should be nicknamed ‘The Postman,’ as he delivered a first place finish in the pole vault at both Harvard and Boston University. He vaulted 5.37 meters on both occasions, which was just shy of his record-breaking performance from last week at the Dr. Sander Colombia Invitational. Kalli Knott also took home second place in the women’s competition, vaulting 3.91 meters. This was a new school record, and a great indicator of a tough winter of training paying off.
Also in the field early in the day, Patricia Mroczkowski managed to secure a win in the women’s high jump. The junior matched her 1.70 meter clearance from last week, as well as falling just short of her season’s best. With two other women also clearing 1.70 meters, the margins were tight, but Mroczkowski ultimately managed to come out with a win on count-back.
Sprinter and jumper Richmond Kwaateng was in action twice on Friday, competing in both the long jump and 60-meter. He and Marc Morrison managed to secure a UConn 1-3 in the long jump, as they jumped 7.28 meters and 7.20 meters respectively. Kwaateng had less luck with the 60, missing out on the final amongst a tough field. Despite Kwaateng’s absence, Joseph O’Brien ran a new school best this season in the 60, securing a 6.79 second clocking.
Terrel Williams had yet another successful meet, winning the final of the 60-meter hurdles in emphatic fashion at Harvard. Finishing just short of a 10th of a second ahead of his nearest competitor, he showed that he is in a class of his own this season. His 7.71 second clocking was also a season’s best, showing that he is still finding ways to improve on his already impressive indoor season.
The team then made the short trip to Boston University for the Scarlet and White Invitational on Saturday. With Boston University’s track being notoriously fast, it is no surprise that the Huskies managed to throw down some quick times.
Wellington Ventura won the men’s 400-meter by a mere thousandth of a second, with a time of 47.10 seconds. He managed to best Akeem Bloomfield, who was a silver medalist at the NCAA championships back in 2018. Anish Rajamanickam also ran under 50 seconds for the third time this season.
In the 800-meter, Mahamed Sharif was the highest finishing college athlete with a time of 1:49.10. He was also the only college athlete to break the 1:50 barrier on the day, and it was his first time surpassing the milestone. With only professional athletes finishing ahead of him, Sharif will look to continue to dominate in the coming weeks against more college competition. This effort was also a new school record, and he does not show any signs of slowing down.
In the field, Rachel Mason made it two wins in two days for the UConn women’s pole vault squad. The freshman vaulted 3.65 meters, which was a new personal record. Manson and Knott seem to be a fantastic training partnership, and it would not be surprising to see them threatening the 4-meter barrier later this season.
Overall, the Huskies had a great showing across the Crimson Elite and the Scarlet and White invitationals. They will next take to the track on Feb. 10, where they will return to Boston University to take part in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
