The UConn men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Durham this weekend to take on the Duke Invitational, headlined by a record-breaking performance and success across the board.
Starting off on the women’s side, freshman Brooke Strauss stole the show for the Huskies, shattering the program record in the 1500m by over two seconds with a time of 4:14.36. She finished fourth in a competitive field alongside over 100 other runners. The young distance runner has now cemented herself in UConn history and has established herself as a threat at the national level.
The women’s middle-distance runners also had a productive weekend, including freshman Kiley Shatzel’s personal best 1:00.47 finish in the 400m hurdles. That mark is good for fifth-best in program history and 10th place in the meet.
Meanwhile, freshman Brooklyn Taylor qualified for the 100m hurdle finals, claiming fifth in the event in 13.73. Junior Anna Connors took 22nd in the 400m with a time of 56.33.
It was a busy weekend for women’s field, with 11 athletes taking on seven events. UConn’s jumpers had a strong outing, led by a third-place high jump result from freshman Kaylee Meyer, setting a personal best of 1.68m. In the pole vault, sophomore Piper Linn cleared an outdoor personal best 3.78m to take fifth in group B, while senior Rachel Mason matched that height in group A. Sophomore Abigail Bernas set a personal best of her own, with a height of 3.63m netting her 14th place in group B.
A duo of freshmen competed in the long jump, with Jaidah Garrett earning 12th with a 5.87m jump and Jalynn Smith closely behind, setting a personal best 5.64m.
In the throwing events, senior Sinclaire Fryer finished 15th in the shot put with a 13.96m, while junior Gabriela DeFelice managed solid results in both the hammer throw (48.55m) and discus (43.24m). Senior Caitlin Dumouchel also claimed 12th place in the javelin throw at 38.36m.
On the men’s side, the Huskies found similar success with a few podium finishes and record-book results.
The sprints featured junior Medwin Odamtten blazing through the 100m, claiming third overall with a time of 10.37. That set a personal best and moved him into a tie for the third-fastest mark in UConn history.
Sophomore Nicholas Wright clocked a personal best of his own in the 200m at 21.68. Meanwhile, in the 400m, senior Mekhi Stone led the charge finishing 23rd with a 47.84, followed closely by sophomore Del Lindsay, who finished 29th in 48.41. Junior OJ Singletary rounded out the track events with a strong performance in the 400m hurdles, earning 16th place with a time of 53.37.
The Huskies stood out in the field events, securing impressive marks all around. That was especially the case in the high jump, where freshman Derek Shimer took the victory with a leap of 2.14m, tied for seventh-best in school history. Sophomore Enaji Muhammed (2.06m) and junior Dar Jankovic (2.01m) also both cracked the top 10, earning seventh and eighth, respectively.
Freshman Wyatt Martin impressed in the pole vault, clearing 4.81m for a first-place finish in group B.
Freshman Marshall Potter had a busy weekend, taking on three field events. He finished fifth in the hammer throw, setting a personal best 61.93m, putting him seventh all-time in program history. Potter went on to claim second in the shot put with a 17.63m toss and finished his weekend with a 14th place finish in the discus at 47.25m.
Also in the hammer throw, senior Alex Krause took eighth place with a 58.85m throw, and freshman Lucas DeCrescenzo followed closely in 11th, achieving a personal best of 54.32m.
The Huskies proved that they’ve hit their stride at the perfect time, as it’s already halfway into April. Their standout performances in Durham solidify their momentum as they eye a strong finish to the outdoor season.
UConn returns to action this weekend at home in the UConn Northeast Challenge. The event will run Friday through Saturday at George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex. The Huskies will also send three runners to the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. to compete in multi-events on Wednesday and Thursday.