The UConn track and field team enjoyed a weekend at home for the UConn Northeast Challenge. Featuring familiar teams Columbia, Quinnipiac and Albany, the pool of programs was no problem for the Huskies as they championed the weekend.
The accomplishments at the Northeast Challenge would not have been possible without acknowledging the results from the previous weekend in Miami. The Hurricane Invite at the University of Miami provided a fresh force of competition. Teams such as Fort Lauderdale, the University of The Bahamas and Florida Memorial provided an entirely new landscape of competitors for the Northern Huskies.
The standout results from Miami placed a few of the Huskies among the best of the best in the conference. Wellington Ventura, a veteran in the sprints, earned the best time in the Big East and the 12th best time in the NCAA for his performance in the 400 hurdles. Astonishingly, that was Ventura’s first time running the 400 hurdles this season as he effortlessly blew away seasoned competitors from Miami, Northeastern and more. Equally as impressive, Emily Lavarnway’s score in the heptathlon put her 13th in the NCAA. These scores earned Ventura and Lavarnway Track and Field Athletes of the Week.
The other exceptional results from Florida include Joseph O’Brien in the 200m, Samuel Geisler in the 1500m, Jasmine Barrow in the triple jump and Jalah Cooper in the 400m.
All in all, an exceptional weekend in Miami rendered victory on the Huskies’ home turf. As 18 personal records were earned, the Huskies enjoyed well-earned success in Storrs.
Taking home the gold for the men’s and women’s teams was the icing on the cake as the team celebrated the seniors. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on Saturday as the team commemorated the dedication and hard work their cherished seniors have poured into the program over the past four years.
Just a few of the seniors that have greatly impacted the team this season are distance duo James Maniscalco and Chris Lepore. This past weekend, Maniscalco earned a personal best in the 1500m. Similarly, Randi Burr placed second in the 5000m and Caroline Webb followed closely behind to place fourth.
As seasons come and go, the Huskies are in good hands as the underclassmen have put the team on a successful trajectory. From this weekend’s Northeast Challenge alone, sophomore A’Liyah Thomas took home the gold in both the 100 hurdles and long jump while simultaneously earning second place in the 200m. To add to the freshman power, Marc Morrison took home the gold in the long jump.
Some of the other noteworthy accomplishments of the weekend include Alyssa Elliott and Emma Phelps in the heptathlon. The heptathlon, which features various track and field events over the course of two days, puts the athletes’ versatility to the test. From throws, jumps, distance and sprinting events, the athlete’s speed, strength and endurance are all pushed to the limit. Elliott and Phelps finished 7-8 with Elliott earning personal records in three out of the seven events.
Similar to the heptathlon is the decathlon which features four running events, three throwing and three jumping events for the men. Freshman Marc Morrison dominated across the board as he finished in fourth with personal records in seven events.
The noteworthy achievements of the weekend didn’t end there. Elise O’Leary placed second in the 800m, followed closely behind by a cavalry of fellow Connecticut athletes Danielle Adams, Madison Relyea, Celia Chacko and Caroline Rice.
As for the relays, some of the most anticipated events of the season, the women’s 4×100 and 4×400 both placed fourth with the 4×100 taking home a season-best time. Similarly for the men, the 4×100 finished sixth with the lineup running for the first time this season. In addition, the 4×400 earned a season best.
Looking ahead, the Huskies are set to travel down to the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville for a jam-packed three-day weekend. As now only two meets stand in between UConn and the Big East Championships, it is getting down to the wire. Since Connecticut has already taken down teams in the conference such as St. John’s, and other programs Harvard and Columbia, the Huskies are looking towards success.
