Looking to continue their strong performance from their opening race at the University of Hartford Invitational on Sept. 6, head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said that “September has been a great month of consistent training.”
At the Ted Owenn Invitational, the Huskies finished first out of nine teams with a low score of 20 points.
Out of the top 10 individuals, a notable seven are UConn runners, highlighting the strength and depth of the team’s roster. Brooke Strauss, a native of Glastonbury, Conn., made a remarkable showing in her college debut this past Saturday. She finished second overall in the 5k race, trailing only Ruth White from New Hampshire, with an impressive time of 17:12.4.
Additionally, two other athletes making their debut for UConn, Sascha Letica and Teanne Ewings, both showcased their talents by finishing in fifth and sixth places, with times of 17:18.30 and 17:36.00, respectively. Their performances not only mark individual success but also demonstrate the burgeoning strength and potential of this young core, signaling promising future developments for the team. Following Strauss up, Malin Rahm came third overall, with a personal best of 17:14.00.
Allison McCarthy followed up her strong performance from two weeks ago with a seventh-place finish at a personal best time of 17:41.20. Rounding out the top 10 are Claire Paci, who ran a personal best time of 17:43.00 and Calista Mayer, with a time of 17:47.00, finishing eighth and 10th, respectively. Logan Hughes, Samantha Moore and Megan Minicucci took 13th, 15th and 30th overall with times of 17:54.50, 17:58.40 and 18:40.50, respectively.
Other top performers include Rylee Ferretti from Wagner, who finished ninth overall with a time of 17:44.5, Lucy Afanasewicz from Lehigh, who took 11th overall with a 17:47.40 and Juliana Cancellieri from CCSU, who placed 12th with a 17:53.90.
“Nine out of the 10 of our runners finished under 18 minutes,” coach Alford-Sullivan praised. She shouted out the freshman trio of Strauss, Letica and Ewings for finishing in the top five and notes that Moore made an immediate impact despite being under the weather.
It will take approximately another two-week training cycle to fully prepare the Huskies for the upcoming Paul Short run, which is considered a significant and challenging event. The meet is often regarded as a crucial early test to gauge athlete performance and readiness for the championship month of October, a period packed with competition.