Race recap

Delaware Cross Country Takes Control of the Season Opener 5k

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A new season has begun for the University of Delaware Club Cross Country and Track and Field team. Distance, sprinters, and alumni alike, went down to Dewey Beach, Delaware for the 46th Gary P. Lister Bottle & Cork 5k road race. 

Despite it being very early in the season, the team put up many good performances, including complete ownership of the overall top 10 from nine current Delaware runners and one alumni. 

Senior Alex Horgan finished first with a dominating 15:47.3. He finished over a whole minute ahead of junior Dan Giron (16:51.3) and senior Sasha Latina (16:59.9), who rounded out the podium. Freshman Evan Diefenbeck (17:04.5) and first year competing sophomore Arvind Arunachalam (17:12.8) showed their potential with 4th and 5th place finishes. Delaware rounded out the top 10 with sophomore Brett Balthis (17:21.0), senior Chris Calandra (18:09.4), freshman Branden Debrosse (18:12.1), and sophomore Caden MacHenry (18:15.6). 

On the women’s side, freshman Geneva Laur led the Delaware pack with a second place finish of 21:21.3. The freshman girls continued their reign with CJ Williams securing the third podium spot at 21:34.7 and Jade Barrett getting Delaware’s third spot at 21:56.5. Junior Jenna Mlecko (22:05.6) and freshman Hannah Heredia (22:09.7) went back-to-back to attain the final top five spots for Delaware. Rounding out the Delaware top seven placing 8th and 9th overall came junior Natalie Pinto at 22:26.2 and sophomore Lauren Pollock at 22:47.5.

The cross country team will get their collegiate season started on September 24th at the DC Invitational. 

Full meet results can be found here.

Multiple Seniors Go Out on Top at Paul Kaiser Classic

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Delaware Club Track ended its 2022 outdoor track meet schedule on Saturday at Shippensburg in the Paul Kaiser Classic. The meet marked the last race for multiple seniors on the team. 

Their performances did not disappoint starting with the first event.

Seniors Talia Brookstein-Burke and Bailey Davin became two of the first three women ever to compete in the 10,000-meter run in team history. Both placed in the top ten for the Hens with Brookstein-Burke (40:08.98) taking second and Davin (40:57.42) snagging seventh. The duo already sits fourth and fifth all-time in the 5,000-meter run.

Tailia Brookstein-Burke (left) and Bailey Davin (right) embrace after completing their races in the 10k.

The pairs of senior roommates for the ladies and the fellas shined in the remaining long distance events. Schuyler Reed and Paul Filipow, members of the men’s track house, ended their collegiate career in the 5k within two places of one another. Filipow finished with a time of 16:22.19 and Reed in 16:34.86. Liz Steenkamer and Kendra Cutler, members of the women’s track house, rounded out the long distance performances for the senior squad in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. 

Cutler finished tenth with a time of 13:52.10 and Steenkamer in 14:40.62.

Allison Einig smashed a personal best in the 1,500-meter run and put her name on the all-time list with a time of 5:06.87. Einig is fifth all-time and surpassed Stephanie Palese’s 2017 Delaware Classic mark of 5:08.03. She doubled back for the last event of the day, the 4×400-meter relay, which finished with a time of 5:10.10.

Allison Einig passes the clock in the middle of her 1500-meter run personal best performance.

Multiple seniors of the sprints and field crew also went out in style. Kate Contini led the women in the short sprints in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Contini’s performances in both events put her second on the all-time list in the 200 (28.69) and fifth in the 100 (13.88). 

Drew Huffer competed in the triple jump (11.41m), 4×100-meter relay (46.85) and one two 4×400 teams (4:04.33). Huffer’s 4×100 time is tenth in team history. Senior Pat LaPorte made his season debut and finale alongside Huffer in the 4×4. He underwent knee surgery in October.

The end for the seniors in the blue and gold did not take away from multiple impressive performances from underclassmen. Jenna Mlecko joined Davin and Brookstein-Burke in making team history in the 10k with a time of 44:14.37.  Alex Horgan became the fourth athlete to break the four minutes in the 1500 (3:56.53), while Mike Anderson became the fifth to eclipse two minutes in the 800-meter run. 

Alex Horgan looks on in amazement after breaking four minutes in the 1500-meter run.

The team is set to compete two more times in events including a team scrimmage set for May 13 and the Frankswine Downhill Mile on May 16.

 

Men Place in Top 10, Multiple Women Make All-Time List at Bill Butler Invite

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Delaware Club Track traveled to West Chester University to begin its first of three meets in a three week stretch at the Bill Butler Invitational. 

The men took home sixth place as a team with 33 points out of a 13 team field. The women saw multiple runners score along with two sprinters earning their way onto the team all-time lists.

The fellas were led by Alex Horgan who continued his dominance across the track in the 5,000-meter run.  Horgan put nearly a minute between him and the rest of the field and finished with a time of 15:17.60. The time moves Horgan into sixth place all-time, surpassing Aidan Galasso. Senior Paul Filipow also secured points for Delaware in the event taking sixth place in 16:34.08.

In the mid-distance events, freshman Mike Anderson grabbed three points for the Hens with a time of 2:00.07. The time puts Anderson at fifth all-time in the 800-meters. Ryan Wallace and Jack Murphy also found success in the technical events for the Hens with Wallace placing fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (16.08) and Murphy fifth in javelin (42.60m). Wallace now sits second all-time in the hurdles, with Murphy fourth all-time. 

For the ladies, two sprinters found their way onto the all-time record lists in the 400-meter and 100-meter dashes. Eli Manning’s time of 1:05.42 puts her fourth all-time in the event. Manning found her name on the all-time list in the event indoors over the winter. 

Sam Radinsky’s time in the 100-meter dash (14.37) earned her the spot of eighth all-time. Similar to Manning, Radinsky found her way onto the all-time lists during indoor track in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes.

In the distance events, Kendra Cutler and Allison Einig build upon their success from NIRCA Nationals. Cutler placed once again in the top ten in steeplechase. Cutler finished with a time of 13:46.60 and placed sixth. Allison Einig took home another three points for the women in the 1500-meter run. Einig’s time of 5:17.54 put her in sixth in the event.

Delaware will travel to College Park next weekend to compete in the Terrapin Invitational, hosted by Maryland’s club running team.

Three Blue Hens Earn All-American Honors at NIRCA Nationals

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Despite spring break, the Blue Hens made the long trek out to Olivet College to compete in the NIRCA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The appearance at track nationals is the team’s first since the 2019 season.

The women were headlined by seniors Allison Einig and Kendra Cutler taking home All-American recognition in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Einig finished fourth with a time of 13:34.04, while Cutler followed closely behind. Cutler placed fifth and crossed the line with a time of 14:25.94. 

Einig and Cutler scored all of the nine total points for the women on the weekend.

On the men’s side, freshman Ryan Wallace received All-American honors after taking home second place in the 110-meter hurdles. Wallace finished in a time of 16.20 and now holds the second fastest outdoor 110 hurdle time in team history. He surpassed Andrew Villari’s 2013 NIRCA Nationals time of 16.40.

Multiple Blue Hens found success in the 5000-meter run for both the ladies and the fellas. The duo of Bailey Davin and Talia Brookstein-Burke both placed inside the top 20. Davin led the way finishing 10th with a time of 19:14.09. The time puts her fifth all-time on the team outdoor records list. Brookstein-Burke placed sixteenth in 19:37.07.

For the men, Alex Horgan continued his tear in the 5k. Horgan took home 10th place in the event with a time of 15:19.64. His time surpassed that of Brandon Quanci and puts him seventh all-time on the team in the event.

In the field events, jumpers Tyran Rice and Drew Huffer both placed in the top 20 nationally. Rice, a freshman, leaped his way to a mark of 5.60 meters in the long jump. Rice is the first long jumper to get on the outdoor all-time list since Matt Ward did so in 2019. Rice surpassed Ward’s mark of 5.58 meters and now sits sixth all-time.

Huffer left Michigan with a top 10 place after finishing ninth in the triple jump. Huffer finished with a mark of 11.30 meters.

The Hens will get the week off before traveling to West Chester University on April 16 to compete in the Bill Butler Invitational.

Men and Women’s Teams Secure First Place Finishes at Club Penn Relays

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Delaware Club Track traveled to historic Franklin Field to compete in the Club Penn Relays with both men’s and women’s teams taking home first place team victories. The women finished with a total of 44 points, while the men finished with 37.

In the individual events, the women were led by the combination of Leena Saidi, Talia Brookstein-Burke and Bailey Davin in the mile and two mile. Davin and Brookstein-Burke secured second and third places for the Hens with times of 11:57.88 and 12:31.53 in the 3200. Saidi took third in the mile with a time of 5:55.28 and placed third for Delaware. 

On the men’s individual side, the fellas placed two Blue Hens in the top three in the two mile with Alex Horgan finishing first and Paul Filipow taking third. Horgan secured the win with a time of 9:46.69. Filipow followed up Horgan with a 10:11.13 performance.

With a total of six relays over the course of the meet, the ladies placed in the top three in five of the six total relays. The women did not run a 4×400-meter relay. On the sprints side, the 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter relays took home first place with times of 1:00.20 and 2:10.83 respectively. The women placed second in each of the distance relays including the 4×800-meter relay, the 1600-meter DMR and 4000-meter DMR.

The men also found success in the sprint and distance relays with both teams entered in the men’s 4×100 taking second and third place with times of 49.19 and 51.69. Delaware secured a victory in the men’s 4×400 with a time of 3:50.88. The men’s 4×200 and 1600-meter DMR also both took home second place finishes.

Delaware is set to travel out to Michigan to race in NIRCA Nationals on April 2 and April 3 in Olivet, Michigan.