The second annual Blue Hen Invitational, held on April 19th in Newark, Delaware, was a standout day for the University of Delaware Club Track and Field team. With increased team participation and strong support from alumni and current members, the home meet brought excitement, personal bests, and record-setting performances across a wide range of events.

The women’s 5k was a standout distance event, with senior Lauren Pollock running 18:56.24 to break 19 minutes for the first time, finish second, and move to fourth-fastest in club history. Sophomore Kate Kershaw followed with a personal best of 20:04.10, finishing sixth overall. Seniors Hannah Pash and Natalie Greger ran together and crossed the line hand in hand in 24:21.07. On the men’s side, junior Evan Diefenbeck ran an impressive 15:36.01 to grab tenth on the all-time list by just one second. Freshman Aiden Loy followed with a time of 17:49.03 to place 14th, while sophomore John Healy finished 15th in 18:06.83.

Delaware’s sprinters had a standout day in the relays, highlighted by the women’s 4x100m A team of Rilee McMahan, Amanda Desenchak, Grace Wertheimer, and Gianna Dowling, who sprinted to a 54.43 finish, tying for second-fastest in club history. On the men’s side, the 4x100m team of Kurt Krummenacker, Michael Obode, James Winston, and Parker Small put together a strong race to finish in 45.35, placing them fourth on the all-time performance list. The women’s distance 4x100m squad of Claire Merchant, Kate Kershaw, Lauren Pollock, and Gabriella Maletta also contributed with a 1:04.71 finish.

Sprinters continued their success with sophomore Amanda Desenchak, who placed second in the women’s 100m with a time of 13.6. In the men’s 100m, Michael Obode placed second in 11.70, tying for ninth in club history. Daren James Seals ran 11.94 for third, and Kurt Krummenacker followed in 11.99 to round out the top five.

In the 800m, freshman Zoe Morawski ran 2:31.56 to win the women’s race and earn the tenth spot on the performance list with a season best. Sophomore Ella Maletta placed fourth in the 800m with a time of 2:43.89, followed by seniors Leah Goodman and Aine Grubb in fifth and sixth. Both seniors closed out the race with season bests, as Goodman ran 2:45.50 and Grubb crossed the line in 2:57.87. On the men’s side, senior Michael Anderson also ran a season best of 2:01.61, ending his season on a high note. Junior Josh Pawlik followed in 2:05.03, with sophomore Devan Wasserman close behind in 2:06.09. Freshman Giovanni Palermo rounded out the top 15 with a 2:07.91.

In the 400m, Rasi-Tael Joshua broke the club record with a winning time of 1:01.60. Sophomore Anna Callaghan followed in 1:05.80, moving her to seventh on the performance list. For the men, freshman Parker Small led with a 54.69, followed by sophomore James Winston in 56.35 and junior Spencer Wheeler in 56.36.

Since most outdoor meets run the 1500m, the Blue Hen Invitational included the 1600m instead, contributing new performances to the club’s 1600m performance list. Sophomore Claire Merchant led the women with a personal best of 5:33.21, earning third place overall and setting the fastest time in club history. Lauren Pollock notched her second PR of the day, running 5:39.87 for sixth. Sophomore Kate Kershaw also finished under six minutes in 5:55.40. Seniors Amanda Ciaramella and Emily Sposato wrapped up their collegiate careers in 7:32.3 and 7:36.68, respectively. On the men’s side, junior Dave Kelly now sits atop the 1600m leaderboard with a time of 4:15.00. He was followed by junior Matthew Kwiatkowski in 4:31.11, Evan Pawlik in 4:47.20, and sophomore Cole Donnelly in 4:50.19.

In the women’s 200m, Rasi-Tael Joshua won in 27.58, tying her for third on the club’s performance list. Amanda Desenchak placed third in 28.42. In the women’s 4x400m, the A team of Morawski, Pollock, Maletta, and Callaghan ran 4:44.13 for second place, which moved them up to tenth all-time. The B team of Erika Danysh, Aine Grubb, Leah Goodman, and Grace Wertheimer finished in 5:06.78. On the men’s side, the A team of Wheeler, Wasserman, Small, and Pawlik clocked 3:49.71 for fifth place, while the B team of Lazev, Healy, Simonini, and Aks followed in 3:58.84.

In the field events, junior Gianna Dowling cleared 4-10 (1.47m) in the women’s high jump to take first place and move into second on the club’s all-time performance list. Lianna Greenstein placed fourth in the same event with a jump of 4-06 (1.37m), which also ranks fourth in club history. In the women’s long jump, Greenstien placed second with a jump of 4.62m, followed by Dowling in third at 4.13m. On the men’s side, senior Gavin Looram matched Greenstein’s mark with a 4.62m jump. Greenstein went on to win the women’s triple jump with a jump of 10.29m.

The day concluded with the signature 4x200m chocolate milk relay, a Delaware club classic. With more teams competing, the second Blue Hen Invitational was a huge success. The team now turns its focus to the Paul Kaiser Classic at Shippensburg University on Saturday, April 26, for the final meet of the season!

Full results can be found here.

The Blue Hens traveled down the street to their home turf in Newark, DE, hosting the first-ever Blue Hen Invitational on April 20th. With a mix of current athletes, visiting alumni, and our fierce competition, the day was filled with remarkable performances and record-breaking achievements.

The day got started with the Women’s Distance Medley Relay, with the alumni team of Jenna Mlecko, Allison Einig, Haley Reid, and Emily Hansell securing victory in 14:22.9. Following closely, Delaware’s team of Aine Grubb, Lauren Pollock, Marleigh Ballard, and Kate Kershaw claimed second place in 15:17.2, which now sits as the second fastest time on the all-time list.

The sprinting events kicked off with the Men’s 4x100m relay, Kurt Krummenacker, Daniel Toms, Emmanuel Carreno, and Shane Isacson crossing the finish line first with a time of 48.82. The Women’s 4x100m relay witnessed a historic moment as Sam Radinsky, Rilee McMahan, Autumn Williams, and Amanda Desenchak set a new team record with a time of 53.51. The women’s B team, consisting of Julia Boyce, Gianna Dowling, Eli Manning, and Lianna Greenstein, followed closely, securing the third spot on the all-time list in 55.53.

In the Women’s Mile, Junior Delaney Oeth and Freshman Natalie Greger broke the 6-minute barrier for the first time, securing first and second place overall with times of 5:53.9 and 5:56.7, respectively. This marked a significant milestone for both athletes. Freshman Carly Curnutt followed just behind, also finishing under 6 minutes, running 5:57.6. In the Men’s 1600m, alumni Sasha Latina led the charge, finishing in 4:42.9, with freshman Liam Hutchenson following close behind in 4:49.1. Senior Matt Scarpelli and freshman Liam Trageser continue to work together, crossing the finish line just seconds apart at 4:52.4 and 4:56, respectively, with Trageser achieving a new personal best.

Graduate student Robin Collura showcased her talent in the Women’s 400m, advancing to fourth all-time with a time of 1:04.13. Junior Eli Manning and freshman Anna Callaghan finished just behind, placing third and fourth overall running 1:05.8 and 1:06.3 respectively. Freshman Devan Wasserman continued his success in the Men’s 400m, setting a season-best of 52.2 and moving up to 6th on the all-time list. Sophomore Spencer Wheeler had a breakout race, breaking the 54-minute barrier for the first time, and placing second overall running 53.84.

In the Women’s 100m, Freshman Autumn Williams continues her incredible season securing first place with a time of 12.75. Freshmen Amanda Desenchak and Ella Maletta rounded out the top three for Delaware, clocking in at 13.33 and 13.87 respectively. Desenchak set a new PR moving her up to third on the all-time list. Maletta also made her way to 8th on the performance list in her 100m debut. Sophomore Grace Wertheimer dominated the Women’s 100m hurdles, breaking the 19-second mark for the first time with a time of 18.53, promoting her to the 4th fastest time in team history.

In the Women’s 200m, Autumn Williams set a new season personal best of 26.58 maintaining her second-fastest time in team history. Freshman Amanda Desenchak and senior Sam Radisnky rounded the top 3 for Delaware running 28.23 and 29.5 respectively. Daren-James Seals led the men’s 200m running an impressive time of 22.78. This time sits as the third-fastest time in team history. Sophomore Kurt Krummenacker improves his 200m time advancing to the ninth spot on the performance list running 23.58. He battled it out to the line with freshman James Winston finishing just behind in 23.59 placing him 10th fastest all time.

Freshman Anna Callaghan led Delaware in the Women’s 800m, finishing second overall running 2:36.8. Freshman Samantha Paez finished next for Delaware running 2:49.7. Sophomore Evan Diefenback led the race in the Men’s 800m kicking hard at the end to 2:07. Followed by Alumni Sasha Latina in 2:10.2 and Spencer Wheeler making his 800m debut running 2:13.8.

In the Women’s 5k, junior Delaney Oeth continues to smash personal records setting a new personal best of 20:55 and taking the win. Freshman Ella Maletta finished second running 21:23 showing her broad range of talent after placing in the 100m earlier in the day. Freshman Marleigh Ballard made her collegiate debut running 21:41 followed by junior Lauren Pollock setting a new personal best in the 5k with her time of 21:46. In the Men’s 5k, Sophomore Matthew Kwiatkowski continues to lead the Delaware pack running just under 16 minutes in 15:59. Close behind was sophomore Evan Diefenbeck and freshman Dave Kelly both running respectable times of 15:05 and 16:30 taking 3rd and 4th overall.

The running events concluded with the 4x400m relays and the Women’s A team set out for success to break the team record. The team of Eli Manning, Anna Callaghan, Robin Collura, and Ella Maletta successfully set a new club record running an impressive 4:24.5. The underclassman shined in the men’s 4×400 anything but a baton race which consisted of Wheeler, Wasserman, Carreno, and Winston running 3:56.4.

Sophomore Maggie Morris kicked off the throwing events with an impressive performance in the shot put, showcasing her talent with a throw of 8.72m. In the men’s shot put event, John Diossi also made his mark with a throw of 12.44m, securing the 7th spot in team history. Sophomore Lianna Greenstein continues to dominate the jumping events winning the long jump with a mark of 4.57m. Sophomore Gianna Dowling, placed just behind with her jump of 4.35m earning her the 5th spot on the all-time list. Freshman Maya Morefield earned her place on the performance list with a jump of 4.0m, securing the 9th spot overall. Greenstein and Morefield continued to shine in the triple jump, achieving distances of 10.05m and 9.44m, respectively. Gianna Dowling excelled in the high jump, jumping a height of 1.2m. In the men’s long jump, Jack Sowinski reached an impressive distance of 5.07m, while John Shaw dominated the triple jump with a remarkable leap of 10.6m.

It wouldn’t be a Delaware meet without the classic chocolate milk 4x200m relay which was the official last event.

After a successful Blue Hen Invitational, Delaware will travel to Shippensburg PA this Saturday 4/26 for their final meet of the season!

Full results can be found here.