UConn track and field turned in a strong performance Saturday at the Sykes and Sabock Challenge in University Park, Pa. They faced off against more than a dozen programs and recorded four top 10 marks in the event.
Women’s Track and Field
The Huskies started off strong on the track with an impressive showing in the 60m hurdles. Three Huskies, freshmen Brooklyn Taylor and Ruby Tillson, along with sophomore Maresa Hense all qualified for the final. Taylor secured the victory with a personal best of 8.40, a mark that ranks fifth all-time in school history.
Freshman Emerson Flaker followed with a standout performance of her own, setting a personal record of 54.77, earning her second in the 400m.
Senior Alyssa Elliott looked dominant in the 600m event, winning her heat by over a second and taking first in the final with a time of 1:34.18. Her performance was the sixth-best in program history.
Hense continued her solid day in the 200m, placing third behind a pair of Cornell runners with a time of 24.67. Senior Mia Dansby also cracked the top ten, finishing seventh in 25.00 flat
On the field side, junior Gabriela DeFelice kicked it off with an eighth-place finish in the weight throw at 15.16m.
In the pole vault, senior Rachel Mason took sixth at 3.75m, with sophomore Piper Lin not far behind in eight at 3.45m.
Prior to her impressive track victory, Elliott showed off her elite versatility by placing third in the long jump at 5.72. Freshmen Jaidah Garrett and Jalynn Smith rounded out a strong group performance, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.
Three Huskies finished in the top 10 of the shot put. Senior Sinclaire Fryer’s 13.81m throw netted her fifth place, and freshmen Brook-lynn Roberts and Ella Karp followed her lead, taking sixth and ninth in the event.
Freshman Kaylee Meyer added another solid result for UConn, finishing fourth in the high jump after clearing 1.72m.
Men’s Track and Field
On the men’s side, the Huskies found early success in the 60m hurdles, where freshmen Mohamed Wahdan and Wyatt Gravier, qualified for the final. Wahdan narrowly missed the win, placing second at 7.96, just a hundredth of a second off first. Gravier followed close behind, finishing fifth with a time of 8.17.
Sophomore Del Lindsay turned in a strong performance of his own in the 400m, placing fifth with a time of 47.94.
Another standout performance came from Gabe Cuffey in the 600m, where he finished third with a time of 1:19.95. The mark puts him at seventh in UConn program history.
Freshman TJ Jarvaza continued the Huskies’ success in the sprints, winning the 200m in 21.63, with fellow freshman Peyton Butler battling for a hard fought sixth place in 21.85.
In the field events, graduate student Emi Erekosima delivered a highlight performance after winning the triple jump at 15.23m.
Junior Josh Mooney started off his day finishing 11th in the long jump at 6.77m and went on to place sixth in the pole vault after clearing 4.60m. Close behind him, freshman Wyatt Martin finished eighth in the pole vault at 4.45m.
Freshman Marshall Potter recorded seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 18.87m, while senior Alex Krause placed 12th at 17.24m. Potter also earned fifth place in the shot put, throwing 16.80m.
Finally, in the high jump, sophomore Enaji Muhammad cleared 2.06m, earning him second in the event, while junior Dar Jankovic placed fifth after clearing 1.96m.
Up next, the Huskies return to action with a busy schedule this weekend, competing in Boston on Friday, and Cambridge, Fayetteville and Clemson across Friday and Saturday.