It was a record-breaking weekend for the UConn track and field team, as the Huskies delivered excellent performances at the 130th Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa. The team secured multiple podium finishes and personal bests, showing off their depth and relentless pursuit of excellence as the season nears its end.
Their success was highlighted by a new program and all-time event record in the women’s distance medley relay. Brooke Strauss, Anna Connors, Sarah Trainor and Sascha Letica put together a first-place performance in 11:08.87, shattering the previous record.
Individually, several other runners set personal bests this week. That includes Trainor, as the grad student took second in the 3000m steeplechase (9:26.25), while Letica claimed seventh in the 5000m (15:48.21) and senior Chloe Trudel finishing third in the 10000m (33:54.53).
Senior Jessica Starr set a personal best of her own in the 400m hurdles (58.94), good for a 14th place finish. Freshman Brooklyn Taylor earned seventh in the 100m hurdle finals with a time of 14.05. Additionally, the 4×100 relay team of Taylor, Mia Dansby, Sarah Claflin and Audrey Kozak qualified for the event final after clocking in at 46.97.
The UConn women were just as successful in the field events, led by senior Rachel Mason who won the pole vault after clearing 3.90m. In the high jump, freshman Kaylee Meyer secured fifth, clearing 1.70m.
In the horizontal jumps, freshman Jaidah Garrett led the way with a second-place finish in the long jump (6.06m), followed by sophomore Maresa Hense in seventh (5.80m).
Junior Gabriela DeFelice set two personal bests in the discus (48.98m) and hammer throw (53.53m), earning second and 10th respectively. Senior Sinclaire Fryer also participated in the shot put, taking 11thwith a 13.62m throw.
On the men’s side, junior OJ Singletary took 17th in the 400m hurdles championship with a time of 52.51. The distance medley relay team of Mason Brosious, Noah Colangelo, Gabe Cuffey and Christian Menounos finished fifth in 9:46.20. Meanwhile, the 4x800m team placed 14th with a 7:40.41 time.
Freshman Marshall Potter had a standout weekend in the field, leading the charge for the men’s squad. He won the hammer throw with a personal best 62.61m toss, then went on to capture the shot put title with a mark of 17.99m. Also in the hammer throw, senior Alex Krause placed eighth with a 58.76m throw, and freshman Lucas DeCrescenzo took 10th with a personal best 56.74m.
To round out the Huskies’ performances, freshman Derek Shimer took second in the high jump at 2.11m, while sophomore Enaji Muhammed tied for sixth in the championship division with a 2.06m jump. Freshman Thomas Bannon reached the javelin podium with a third-place throw of 65.99m
The outdoor postseason is quickly approaching as the calendar turns to May, and the Huskies have found continued success that put them in a strong position. Nine personal bests coming in a variety of events shows UConn is going into the end of the year with momentum, with both the men’s and women’s squads seeking their fifth consecutive Big East title.
The Huskies will close out the regular season next week in Boston for the Jay Carisella and Joe Donahue Coaches Invitational hosted by Northeastern University on Saturday.