The UConn track and field team were split across two states this weekend, with some of the team traveling to Florida while others stayed to compete in Massachusetts. In both locations, the Huskies performed extremely well against some tough opposition.
Leading the charge at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida was Emily Lavarnway. Lavarnway took home top spot in the heptathlon with 5473 points. This was a personal best by just under 100 points, and won the meet by a massive 239 points. The junior ran a 200m personal record and jumped a high jump personal record on the way to her overall score.
Wellington Ventura also came home with a victory in the 400m hurdles in Florida. This 50.70 clocking was his season opener in this event, and was less than a tenth of a second off from his personal best in this event. He is currently No. 12 in the country over the 400m hurdles as the senior looks to make the NCAA championships for the second year running.
Also in the sprint hurdles, Terrel Williams took home second place at the Hurricane Invitational in the 110m hurdles. His time of 13.76 seconds was just two 100ths of a second behind the winner from the home Miami team. He is now just outside of the top 20 in the country, so he will look to improve his time and cement his place in the NCAA championships after a strong indoor season.
UConn had a very strong showing in the women’s 1500m, as Jenna Zydanowicz and Chloe Thomas finished in second and third place respectively. Zydanowicz’s 4:21.95 clocking was a season’s best for the team, and was extremely close to winning the meet outright. Thomas came through in 4:22.16, pushing her teammate all the way to the line.
In the field, Jasmine Barrow was the standout performer, finishing second in the triple jump. Her 12.70m effort was not quite a season’s best, but shows promise as every one of her six jumps were over the 12m mark.
Jack Foster was the best performer in the shot put for UConn with a throw of 16.14m. This earned him third place overall at the meet, and was just short of Matthew Brady’s club best this year last week at the UConn Dog Fight.
The competition in Massachusetts at the UMass Flagship Opener was less stiff, but nevertheless the competing Huskies performed well.
Mia Dansby won both the 100m and 200m, finishing with times of 12.11 and 25.11 respectively. With the wind being unpredictable throughout the meet, the fact that she came out with the victory is a more significant metric than the times, and is an indication of good things to come in the future this season.
Anish Rajamanickam was also able to take home a win at the Flagship Opener in the 400m, clocking in at 49.11. This was a personal record for Rajamanickam as he looks to cement his place as a stalwart of the team for the rest of the season.
Next weekend the Huskies will have their second meet at the Sherman Field Complex at UConn. The Northeast Challenge will run from Friday April 14 to Saturday April 15, and will be open to the public for anybody looking to support the team at their home track.
