The UConn cross country team is headed to Princeton, N.J., on Saturday, Sept. 26, to compete at the Meadows Challenge.
The competition will take place at Princeton University’s Meadows Campus Course, with the women’s races slated to begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by the men’s races set for 10:15 a.m.
Featuring a newly designed layout, the Meadows Campus Course looks to entail a fast, flat terrain and wide-open starting area that could help runners post strong times.
The last time that the Huskies competed in Princeton was last year at the Princeton Fall Classic. They snagged the No. 5 overall spot, as they totaled 141 points as a team. Several current members of the team delivered standout performances, and they are looking to provide a strong foundation for this weekend’s race.
Among them was sophomore Sascha Letica, who finished No. 16 overall as a freshman and recorded a personal-best 6K time of 20:25.8. Senior Malin Rahm joined Letica in recording a personal-best performance last year as she took No. 30 overall, with a time of 20:50.1.
Sophomore Brooke Strauss and junior Claire Paci also contributed to the Huskies’ success. Strauss took 43rd with a time of 20:59.8, while Paci followed closely behind in 49th place, clocking a time of 21:02.0.
The next Princeton Fall Classic won’t be until October, but the Huskies could show even more sparks of success returning to Princeton during this weekend’s Meadows Challenge.
The Huskies are entering the Meadows Challenge after a solid showing at the Dartmouth Invitational, where Paci led the team with a 14th place finish in the women’s 6K with a time of 21:42.1.
UConn’s depth was on display at Dartmouth, as many runners posted impressive times. Samantha Moore followed up Paci’s time with a finishing time of 22:18.2, while Alexandra Morgan finished in 22:39.8. Calista Mayer crossed the line in 22:56.1 and Katie McMorrow followed at 22:57.2. Alyssa Suriano rounded out the group’s performances with a time of 23:24.8.
Sophomore Anique Poulin recently earned Big East Female of the Week as well after setting a new course record with a time of 10:39.20 in the 3K at the Hartford Invitational this year.
Every Husky has proven to be a valuable asset to the program’s successes during the first two races of the season at Hartford and Dartmouth. UConn looks to carry that same collective effort into the Meadows Challenge this Saturday and seeks another promising performance.