Fresh off the Penn Relays, the UConn Huskies will travel to Boston, Mass. this weekend for Northeastern University’s Jay Carisella Coaches Invite.
Connecticut will be competing against Boston College and the University of Rhode Island, as well as many local Massachusetts institutions.
The Huskies performed very well at the rainy Penn Relays, winning awards and etching their names into the school record books.
Sarah Trainor earned Big East Women’s Track Athlete of the Week, while Travis Roux took home the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. Trainor finished the 5,000 meter steeplechase in 10:05.46, good for second place all-time in UConn history. Roux competed in both the hammer throw and discus, setting a personal best in discus and finishing sixth in hammer throw. Roux’s personal best discus throw stands at eighth all-time in program history.
Other top ten entries from over the weekend include Brendan Kovar, Mekhi Stone, Del Lindsay and OJ Singletary in the 4×400 meter relay (third best in program history), Griffin Mandirola with an 8:56.08 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase (fifth all-time) and Patrick Oatman in the pole vault (ninth all-time).
On the women’s side, Jessica Starr broke one minute in the 400-meter hurdles, which is second all-time. Malin Rahm, Caroline Rice, Calista Mayer and Faith Kiplimo finished the distance medley relay in 11:26.62 (second best in program history). Jenna Zydanowicz continued to put her name in the distance record books with a time of 4:18.03 in the 1,500 meter (third all-time). Rounding out the entries were the sprint medley relays of Audrey Kozak, Mackenzie Braunstein, Gabby Davis and Rice, who broke into the record books with the tenth-fastest time in the SMR.
The men’s team, who entered the spring season as ranked 19th on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association, have maintained their spot in the top 100 collegiate teams in the country. Their ranking of 19th was the highest in program history. The 13-time Big East Champions will have their hands full with Villanova and Georgetown as they look to defend their four consecutive wins at the Big East Championships.
The women’s team is peaking at the right time, holding a ranking of 72nd in the country—the highest of the season for them so far. The women will also battle with the Georgetown Hoyas for supremacy a top the Big East Conference.
The Jay Carisella Coaches Invite takes place on Saturday, with the field events beginning at 10 a.m. and the action on the track beginning at 11 a.m. The events will take place at the Solomon Track & Field Facility.
As UConn gears up to host the Big East Championships in two weeks, this meet will be a good tune-up for the Huskies against some of the top teams in the New England area.