Blue Hens Impress at NIRCA Nationals Earning All-Time Performances and All-American Recognition

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The Blue Hens made the long trek out to Richmond, VA to compete in the 2024 NIRCA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Competing against teams from all around the country, Delaware athletes did not fall short of notable performances.

Saturday’s running events were off to an exciting start in the Women’s 100m preliminaries. Freshman Autumn Williams showcased her talent, securing 6th place with an impressive time of 12.64. Advancing to the finals, she earned one of three All-American awards. Notably, Williams’s remarkable performance now stands as the fastest 100m time in team history. Freshman Amanda Desenchak showed improvement in the 100m, finishing 32nd, clocking in at 13.73. Freshman James Winston led Delaware in the Men’s 100m, finishing 36th overall, and securing the 7th fastest time in team history with a time of 11.69. Sophomore Grace Wertheimer and junior Jude Mazzola showcased their skills in the 400mH, with times of 1:22.5 and 1:11.9, respectively.

The Women’s 4x800m of Pollock, Grubb, Callaghan, and Burke secured a spot on the all-time list with their time of 11:39.5. The Men’s 4x800m teams also made their mark, with Group A (Pawlik, Sheaffer, Lobo, Kelly) securing fourth spot on the performance list with a time of 8:34.9 and Group B  (Hutchinson, Donnely, Christie, Lazev) sneaking into the 10th spot securing it with a time of 9:20.0. The Women’s 1500m showcased a series of impressive performances. Freshman Carly Curnutt placed within the top 50 and set a fast pace, clocking an impressive time of 5:39.5 to lead the Blue Hens. Sophomore Katie Burke closely followed, finishing in a respectable 5:40.8. Freshman Kate Kershaw clocked in at 5:52.5, comfortably below the 6-minute barrier. Senior and captain Daniel Giron led the pack and finished strong in the Men’s 1500m with a time of 4:34.9. Giron set a new personal best and placed 110th out of 247 competitors. Sophmore Evan Diefenbeck followed behind Giron finishing in 4:36.3. Senior Matt Scarpelli and sophomore Liam Trageser both achieved new personal records while battling at the line for the third Delaware spot. Scarpelli finished with a time of 4:38.3, closely followed by Trageser at 4:38.4, with just a tenth of a second separating them.

In the Women’s 4x100m relay, Delawares “A” team of Samantha Radinsky, Autumn Williams, Rilee McMahan, and Amanda Desenchak, showcased an impressive performance, clocking in at 54.43. Their outstanding effort secured them 7th place overall, earning an All-American award and solidifying the fastest 4x100m time in team history. The Men’s 4x100m relay team, consisting of Kurt Krummenacker, Dan Toms, Emmanuel Carreno, and Shane Isacson finished with a time of 48.17, placing 15th overall. Autumn Williams continued to shine in the Women’s 200m, qualifying for the finals with a time of 26.74 by securing 4th place in the prelims. Her impressive performance places her as the second fastest time on the team outdoor records list. In the finals, she finished 8th with a time of 26.78, successfully earning her third All-American award, becoming our most decorated athlete of the meet. Following Williams was freshman Amanda Desenchak placing 26th overall with a time of 28.75, and junior Eli Manning also placing within the top 30 crossing the finish line in 29:03. Senior Dan Toms and sophomore Kurt Krummenacker represented Delaware in the Men’s 200m both securing positions in the top 60 overall. Toms finished with a time of 24.12 with Krummenacker closely following at 24.18.

In the Women’s 400m, Ella Maletta maintained her fifth spot on the performance list finishing 24th overall with a time of 1:05.44, followed by junior Eli Manning finishing just behind placing 28th in 1:06.2. Freshman Devan Wasserman led the Men’s 400m with an impressive time of 54.68, followed closely by senior Ryan Lazev at 55.59, both placing in the top 50. Day one concluded with the the women’s 5k, but did not fall short of outstanding performances. Freshmen Natalie Greger and Kate Kershaw both set new personal records in the 5k, with Greger finishing in 20:41.3 and Kershaw in 21:11.3.

Sophomore Lianna Greenstein excelled in field events, securing 5th place overall in the triple jump and setting a new personal record with a mark of 36ft (10.9m). Her impressive performance earned Greenstein an All-American award for the triple jump, and still sits at the top of the all-time list.

Kicking off day two was sophomore Matthew Kwiatkowski’s men’s 5k time of 15:37.3, overtaking the 10th spot on the all-time list and setting a new personal record. Grace Wertheimer maintained her fifth spot on the performance list in the Women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 19.27. Ella Maletta and Anna Callaghan shined for Delaware in the Women’s 800m, with Maletta taking 11th overall finishing in 2:29.5 and Callaghan placing 28th in 2:36.2. Dave Kelly led the charge for the Men’s 800m also placing 11th overall with a respectable time of 1:58.9. Freshman Ryan Healy and sophomore Evan Pawlik rounded out the top three for Delaware finishing in 2:10.0 and 2:11.5 respectively. Sophmore Katie Burke showcased her skills in the Women’s 3k steeple, placing 9th overall with a time of 12:43.9, which improves her previous time and moves her up to third all-time on the team in the event.

In the 4×4 relays, both the Delaware Men’s and Women’s teams delivered solid performances, In the Women’s 4x400m relay, the Delaware “A” team of Eli Manning, Grace Wertheimer, Aine Grubb, and Anna Callaghan finished in the top 20 with a time of 4:43.5, and now holds seventh fastest 4x4oom time in team history. In the Men’s 4x400m relay, the Delaware “A” team composed of Ryan Lazev, Devan Wasserman, Josh Pawlik, and Spencer Wheeler finished in 3:39.7, placing them ninth on the performance list.

Delaware showcased their skill and dedication, earning multiple All-American awards and achieving new personal records. The Blue Hens will continue working hard to prepare for our inaugural Blue Hen Invitational on April 20th, located on our home turf in Newark, DE.

Full results can be found here.

Burke racing the 3k steeplechase.
Delaware team photo at NIRCA Nationals.
Our most decorated athlete, Autumn Williams.

Both Men and Women Take Third at the Lloyd Sigler Spring Meet

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Delaware headed to Salisbury University to compete at the Lloyd Sigler Spring Meet. Despite a smaller-than-usual team due to the weather, both the men’s and women’s teams secured third place overall showcasing impressive performances.

The day commenced with field events as our jumpers and throwers got a head start on the day. Sophomore Lianna Greenstein placed 4th in long jump with her best mark being 4.40m. Greenstein continued her success securing 2nd place in triple jump with a distance of 10.09m. Freshman Anna Callaghan impressed in women’s discus, earning a notable spot on the outdoor performance list with a throw of 18.76m. Freshman Anastasia Burns displayed her talent in javelin throwing for 27.19m, placing second overall, and claiming the second spot on the performance list. On the men’s side, senior Josiah Taylor placed 7th in the long jump with a jump of 4.31m and Andrew Dubois with a javelin throw of 28.04m. 

Spring track means that the 3k steeplechase race is upon us. The rain made the water jump pit deeper than usual, regardless, Senior Natalie Pinto represented the Delaware women with a time of 15:04. Freshman Nik Anna Led the men’s Delaware crew 3rd with a time of 11:35.3. This time places Anna 8th on the performance list. Fellow freshman Cole Donnelly makes his way onto the performance list with a time of 11:45.5. Junior Sean Bernado followed close behind with a time of 12:08.02. 

The distance events continued with the 1500m race. Freshman Carly Curnutt placed 7th overall running a respectable time of 5:45, while junior Lauren Pollock also stayed under 6 minutes at 5:54.4. Pollock was also the only Delaware runner to run the 5k finishing in an impressive 22:13. Senior Aine Grubb closed out the women’s 1500m Delaware pack finishing in 6:32. Sophomores Evan Diefenbeck and Matthew Kwiatkowski displayed impressive performances placing 4th and 6th with times of 4:21.5 and 4:23.4 respectively. Senior Daniel Giron and Matthew Scarpelli finished strong in 4:37.3 and 4:39.7 placing 9th and 10th overall. In the 800m race, freshman Anna Callaghan stood out with her impressive performance securing second place in 2:32.16. This time solidified yet another spot on the performance list, ranking 8th. Sophomore Josh Pawlik led the Delaware pack placing in the top 5 with a time of 2:08.5. Sophmores Evan Diefenbeck and Even Pawlik followed close behind in 2:11 and 2:15 respectively. 

The sprinting events had equally as impressive performances starting with the 4x100m relay. Our women’s team A squad of McMahan, Greenstein, Manning, and Desenchak took the victory in 54.37. The men’s relay team of Winston, Toms, Spillane, and Krummenacker closed strong for second place with an impressive time of 46.84. Sophomore Grace Wertheimer represented Delaware with solo performances in the 100mH and 400mH running 19.9 and 1:21.9. This time improved her 400mH second-place spot on the performance list by a second. Freshman Ryan Healy was also our only blue hen in the 400mH running a 1:11.6. In the open 100m race freshman Amanda Desenchak took second place overall in 13.78 claiming the 5th spot on the performance list. Freshman James Winston finished with a time of 12.05, while senior Daniel Toms closely followed with a time of 12.12, securing positions within the top 10 overall. Toms continued his successful day in the 200m race leading the Delaware crew with a time of 24.75. Amanda Desenchak and senior Sam Radinsky scored points in the women’s 200m event, clocking respective times of 29.08 and 30.86. Although there was no 4x400m relay, we still had Blue Hens compete in the open 400m race. Junior Eli Manning takes 4th and displays improvement with her time of 1:08.8. Senior Ryan Lazev and sophomore Spencer Wheeler battled together to place in the top 15 with times of 54.37 and 55.13 respectively. 

Despite Salisbury’s rain, our Blue Hens displayed impressive performances. Delaware will kick off their spring break on March 23rd in West Chester, PA, at the Purple and Gold Invitational!

Full results can be found here. 

Pollock finishing her 1500m.
The men’s 4x100m final handoff.
Delaware’s 3k steeplechase crew.

Delaware Dominates at Spring Season Opener

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The Blue Hens kicked off their 2024 spring season at the Capital Relays hosted by American University on February 24th. With both the Women’s and Men’s teams securing first place, it was a remarkable start to the season, achieving a Delaware sweep.

The day began with the 5k race. The women’s team showcased their strength, and were all making their collegiate spring track debut. Junior Delaney Oeth climbed her way up to 13th place with an impressive time of 21:19. Freshman Kate Kershaw also stayed under the 22-minute mark finishing in 21:56. Junior Hannah Pash set a new 5k PR with her time of 22:22. The men’s 5k also did not disappoint. Sophomore Evan Diefenbeck and Sophomore Brady Sheaffer displayed impressive performances. Diefenbeck placed 7th in 15:42 which earns him the 10th spot on our outdoor performance list. Sheaffer placed 10th and broke the 16-minute mark for the first time in 15:46. Junior Sean Bernardo set a new collegiate PR with a respectable time of 17:38.

The distance events continued with the 1600m race. The women’s team was led by sophomore Katie Burke finishing in the top 15 in 5:53, breaking that 6-minute barrier for the first time. Freshman Carly Curnutt continues to show improvement with her time of 6:15. Junior Lauren Pollock nailed her seed time coming in at 6:20.  The men’s 1600m was led by senior distance captain Dan Giron finishing in 4:57. Freshman Nik Anna and senior Matt Scarpelli followed close behind both crossing the line in 5:03. Closing out the distance events was the 800m race. Freshman Ella Maletta set the pace for the Blue Hens and took third place overall. She stayed under the 2:30 minute mark clocking in at 2:29.1, placing her 4th on the outdoor performance list. Freshman Anna Callaghan and sophomore Katie Burke followed as they finished strong in 2:37 and 2:43 respectively.  In the men’s 800m races, sophomore Dave Kelly put on an impressive performance in his spring track debut taking 2nd place and finishing with a remarkable time of 1:58.9. This race places Kelly 6th on the outdoor performance list. Freshman Skylar Grey also had a breakout race drastically improving his time from the indoor season. He finished 6th overall in 2:04.3. Sophomore Josh Pawlik followed close behind clocking in at a respectable 2:04.7. 

The Blue Hens had some stand-out performances in the sprinting races. This began with the 100m race as Freshman Amanda Desenchak won the event with a time of 12.63. Sophomore Rilee McMahan placed 5th with a time of 13.25, while senior Sam Radinsky took 6th place clocking in at 13.64. Due to hand timing complications official times for the men’s 100m race are unclear. However, sophomores Dave Kelly, Kurt Krummenacker, and freshman James Winston placed top three for Delaware. In the womens 200m race freshman Amanda Deshenchak continued her successful day by taking first place, with a time of 27.58. This impressive time places her second on the outdoor performance list. Senior Sam Radisnky broke 30 with her time of 29.9, followed by sophomore Lianna Greenstein clocking in at 29.97. Senior Daniel Toms led the Delaware crew in the men’s 200m finishing in a respectable 23.88. Freshman James Jeffers and James Winston finished close behind in 24.17 and 24.54 respectively.  In the womens 400m, Graduate student Robin Collura came in third overall with a time of 1:06.6 which places her 5th on the outdoor performance list. Junior Eli Manning and Anna Callaghan finished just behind in 1:07.5 and 1:07.7 respectively. The men’s 400m was led by freshman Devan Wasserman placing 3rd, displaying improvement with a time of 52.45 and earning him the 9th spot on the performance list. Following was freshman James Jeffers finishing 8th place with a time of 53.91. Senior and President Ryan Lazev places 10th overall with a time of 54.3 inching closer to breaking the 54-second mark. 

Our sprint relays displayed highly competitive performances as the Delawares womens 4×100 team anchored by freshman Autumn Williams, came in second place with a time of 55.8 claiming the third spot on the performance list. The men’s 4×100 team A also performed to a high standard, with senior Shane Isacson anchoring and taking the win in 46.42, placing them 8th on the performance list.  

The day concluded with a thrilling anything but a baton 4×4 relay! Our men’s A team of Stohr, Pawlik, Grey, and Kelly, secured victory in 3:48, and the women’s A team of Collura, Manning, Wertheimer, and Callaghan took 3rd in 4:48. 

Overall, it was a successful start to the season for the Blue Hens, who now look to maintain their momentum at the Lloyd Sigler Invitational at Salisbury University on Saturday, March 2nd.

Full results can be found here. * Please note all results were hand-timed.

Kershaw finishing her 5k.
Giron leading fellow Blue Hens during the 1600m.
Isacson anchoring the 4x100m relay.

Delaware’s Winter Season Concludes at the Happy Valley Invitational

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The Delaware Club Track & Field team traveled to Penn State for the Happy Valley Invitational to close out their indoor season. Many performances landed a spot on the indoor performance list. With strong performances across sprints, field events, mid-distance, and distance events, the teams demonstrated their competitiveness and determination as they continued to strive for success throughout the season.

Starting the day was Delaware’s first mixed 4×4 relay. Our relay team, consisting of junior Eli Manning, and seniors Aine Grubb, Daniel Giron, and Ryan Lazev, put on an impressive performance, securing 9th place with a time of 4:23, placing them first on the indoor performance list. Following shortly after were the Women’s and Men’s distance medley relay teams. Junior Delaney Oeth, freshman Anna Callaghan, and sophomores Katie Burke and Meghan Tekelenburg worked together in the women’s DMR finishing with a time of 15:38 and securing 8th place on the indoor performance list. The men’s DMR team of sophomores Evan Diefenbeck, Josh Pawlik, Brady Sheaffer, and freshman Cole Donnelly, finished in 11th place with a time of 11 minutes and 45 seconds and secured 7th place on the indoor performance list.

There were notable performances across both the men’s and women’s teams in the sprints and field events. Freshman Autumn Williams impressed in the Women’s 60m Dash, placing 6th with a time of 8.27. Freshmen Amanda Desenchak followed closely behind, securing 14th place with a time of 8.77. In the Men’s 60m Dash, senior Daniel Toms led the way with a 28th-place finish at 7.68 seconds. Junior Jude Mazzola represented our hurdlers in the men’s 60m hurdles clocking in at 11.08. Both the men’s and women’s 4×2 relay teams showcased their speed, as the men’s team (Krummenacker, Toms, Lazev, Isacson) finishing 9th with a time of 1:44.75 and the women’s team (Radinsky, Lomax, Manning, Greenstein) finishing 6th with a time of 2:05.8.

Freshman Emmanuel Carreno represented the men’s team with a time of 26.1 in the 200m. Freshmen Autumn Williams (27.4) and Amanda Desenchak (28.5) dominated the women’s 200m placing 5th and 8th overall, and securing the second and fourth spots on the indoor performance list. Freshman Devan Wasserman represented the men’s team with a time of 55.1 in the 400m, while Callaghan led the women’s team with a time of 1:09.9, securing 8th place on the performance list. Continuing her successful season, sophomore Lianna Greenstein showcased her talents in the Women’s Long Jump, securing 4th place with a jump of 4.7 meters, setting a new indoor personal record, and solidifying her position at the top of the performance list. Additionally, in the triple jump, Greenstein continued her success, placing 4th with a jump of 10.16 meters.

The distance events saw strong performances from the men’s and women’s teams. Sean Simonini broke the 5-minute barrier for the first time in the men’s mile, clocking in at 4:58.5. Senior captain Daniel Giron also stayed under 5 minutes with a time of 4:58.9. Retruning from injury sophomore Evan Pawlik finished close behind in a respectable 5:02. Sophmore Josh Pawlik dominated the men’s 800m race set a new collegiate pr with his time of 2:04. In the Women’s Mile, Freshman Ella Maletta led the way with a time of 5:58, followed closely by sophomore Katie Burke at 6:07.

The men’s and womens 3k race did not disappoint. Sophomore Brady Sheaffer achieved a significant milestone in the Men’s 3k, breaking 9 minutes for the first time with a personal best of 8:59.5, earning him 8th place on the indoor performance list. Sophomore Evan Diefenbeck followed closely behind, securing 10th place with a time of 9:07.5. In the Women’s 3k, freshmen Natalie Greger and Kate Kershaw showcased their hard work, finishing with times of 12:21.6 and 12:27.4, respectively.

As the Happy Valley Invitational drew to a close, so did Delaware’s Indoor season. Our athletes showcased their talent and are ready to dominate the spring season. On February 24th Delaware will head to American University in Washington, DC to compete at Capital Relays!

Full results can be found here.

Delawares mixed 4×4 relay team.
Sheaffer racing to break 9 minutes in the 3k.
Desenchak starting her 200m race.

Winter Break Doesn’t Stop Our Blue Hens From Competing

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While our Delaware athletes enjoy their long winter break, some Blue Hens took the opportunity to compete in the Collegeville Invitational on Saturday, January 20th at Ursinus College, where they showcased and displayed their efforts from winter training. Despite being a small group comprised of our men’s distance team, our Blue Hens competed in three events at Ursinus College and worked together while racing the clock.

The day commenced with the men’s mile group where freshman Sean Simonini led the Delaware pack with a great race, finishing 21st with a time of 5:02 just shy of breaking the 5-minute barrier. Following close behind was fellow freshman Nik Anna clocking a respectable time of 5:06. Capping off our Delaware milers were Freshman Dylan Aks (5:16), Emmanuel Carreno (5:44), and Ethan Storm (5:48).

Our middle-distance runners had their chance in the 800-meter race, with sophomore Josh Pawlik leading the group and securing a top-20 finish in 19th place with a time of 2:08. Freshman Skylar Grey followed closely, finishing in 2:12, while freshman Nik Anna, having just raced the mile, claimed the third Delaware spot with a time of 2:19.

The day concluded with our 3k men’s group taking on this taxing indoor race. Graduate student Chris Calandra led the pack, finishing in 12th place with a time of 9:39.7, and achieving a new indoor personal best. Sophomore Jack Pelczar finished just behind securing 20th place with a time of 9:57.51 and consistently staying under the 10-minute mark. Junior Caden MacHenry, in his first indoor 3k, finished with a respectable time of 10:14. Freshman Sean Simonini continued his indoor collegiate career, completing the race in 10:27.

Delaware will travel to Penn State University on February 10th for their final meet of the winter track & field season.

Full meet results can be found here.

Calandra working through his 3k race.
The freshman starting their race off strong.