indoor track

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.

Multiple Blue Hens Claim Spots on the All-Time Indoor Performance List to Start the Winter Track Season.

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The weather getting colder means the indoor season is here. The UD Club XCTF team made its winter track debut on Saturday, December 9th at the Susquehanna Early Season Invite hosted by Susquehanna Univeristy.

The women’s long jump initiated the season and didn’t disappoint. Sophomore Lianna Greenstein extended her collegiate career, surpassing her indoor record on the performance list. She achieved a new personal best of 4.57m, securing 12th place overall and maintaining her position at the top of the indoor LJ performance list. Greenstein continued her remarkable success by breaking her previous triple jump record with each of her three jumps, securing fourth place against strong competition. Each jump set a new all-time best, raising her indoor performance to 10.66m, maintaining her top spot on the TJ performance list.

Our men’s jumpers began their season with senior Andy Spillane nearing his indoor personal best of 5.77m, securing a top-20 placement overall. Following his performance was senior Josiah Taylor (4.56) and junior Gavin Looram (4.28) making strong starts to their indoor seasons.

The track events began with our men’s and women’s spring medley relay. The men’s team, comprising sophomore Kurt Krummenacker (400m), senior Shane Isacson (200m), senior Andy Spillane (200m), and freshman Skylar Grey (800m), finished in 4:02.06, a thrilling start to the track races. The women’s SMR team, led by junior Eli Manning (400m), sophomore Grace Wertheimer (200m), senior Sam Radinsky (200m), and senior distance captain Aine Grubb (800m), finished in 5:19.9.

While some distance runners are recovering from the cross country season, notable performances were witnessed in both men’s and women’s mile events. Sophomore Evan Diefenbeck debuted on the track, securing 12th place overall with a 4:41 mile, setting the stage for a promising season. Freshman Ryan Healy made his collegiate debut, breaking the 5-minute barrier with a time of 4:59.7, securing a top-20 position. In the men’s 3k, Diefenbeck claimed 4th place with an impressive time of 9:17.6, while Jack Pelczar ran a 9:55.9, breaking the 10-minute mark for the first time. The men’s distance squad wrapped up with the 800m race, where Josh Pawlik (2:09.9) placed 9th and Evan Pawlik (2:13.26) followed closely, securing a top-15 spot .

The women’s distance team showcased star performances that secured spots on the all-time indoor performance list. Freshman Ella Malletta impressed with a 5:36.8 mile, claiming 8th place overall and 6th on the indoor performance list in her collegiate indoor debut. Graduate student Robin Collura (5:55.4) finished under the 6-minute mark and started her season strongly. Maletta and Collura continued to dominate in the 800-meter race as well. In the 800 meter race Maletta’s 2:29.5 landed her third on the indoor performance list, and an 8th place overall finish. Collura claimed the 20th spot overall with her time of 2:40.7 and added another impressive race to her collegiate career.

Our sprinters were eager for their first chance to compete this season and did not disappoint. Sophomores Rilee McMahon (8.84) and Kurt Krummenacker (7.54) secured top-40 positions in the men’s and women’s 60-meter races. Freshman Layla Rushing claimed 8th place on the indoor performance list with a 400-meter time of 1:11.6 in her collegiate debut. Rushing also competed in the 60-meter hurdle dash, securing a time of 11.45, which placed her third on the indoor performance list. Senior Sam Radinsky maintained her 7th place on the performance list, enhancing her time to 30.58 in the 200m race. On the men’s side, freshman James Jeffers placed top 30 in both the 200m and 400m races with times of 24.42 and 54.96, respectively.

The meet concluded with our men’s and women’s 4×400 meter relays. Delaware’s men, featuring Spencer Wheeler, Cole Donnelly, Sean Simonini, and anchored by Ian Levine, finished in 4:12.15. The women’s squad, comprising Robin Collura, Eli Manning, Grace Wertheimer, and Aine Grubb, finished in 4:53.7 claiming the 5th spot on the performance list and capping off an exciting season opener.

With an exciting first meet of the Indoor season, Delaware is gearing up for the next meet on January 20th, at the Collegeville Invitational hosted by Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA.

Sam Radinsky working hard at the end of her race.
Our men’s SMR relay ready to kick off the indoor season.

Full results can be found here.

The Blue Hens End Their Winter Season in Style at Penn State in the Happy Valley Invitational

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For their final meet of the indoor season, the Delaware Club Track & Field squad traveled to Penn State University for the Happy Valley Invitational. For some it was the beginning of their season, for others it was the next step of their training, but regardless, the Hens put everything they had in a heavily competitive meet. 

The distance squad kicked off the meet in style, with all four distance medley relay teams finding their way on the indoor performance list. For the women, the squad of Jenna Mlecko, Eli Manning, Leah Goodman, and Kaitlyn Burke took 6th place in the field, running 14:46.79, which gave them the fourth best time ever run indoors. The top Delaware men’s DMR team of John Papadopoulos, Ryan Lazev, Sasha Latina, and Caden MacHenry placed 8th in the field and 7th on the all-time performance list, squeaking under the 12 minute mark at 11:58.75.

After the longest event of the day concluded, the two shortest events of the day kicked off. In the 60m girls hurdles, freshmen Grace Wertheimer (11.6) and CJ Williams (11.76) set season bests in back-to-back finishes. In the 60m dash, freshman Rilee McMahan tied her personal best time of 8.62, which was good for 8th place, and junior Sam Radinsky finished in 11th place, setting a new best time of 8.93, knocking off her old time by one-one hundredth of a second. The speed continued on the track with the 4×200 meter relay, and both Delaware relays found themselves on the all-time performance lists. The women’s relay of McMahan, Wertheimer, Lianna Greenstein, and Gianna Dowling placed 5th with a time of 2:05.09. The men’s team of Kurt Krummenacker, Jude Mazzola, Max Moltchanov, and Shane Isacson followed them up with a 3rd place finish in a time of 1:42.07.

In a massive field in the men’s mile, Michael Toy (4:43.96), Aravind Arunachalam (4:46.87), and Sasha Latina (4:50.80) all broke the sub-five minute mark and secured a top 30 spot, with Arunachalam even going as far to win his heat in his first ever collegiate track race. In CJ Williams’ first ever collegiate 400m race, she landed at 4th place on the all-time indoor performance list and secured 8th place in the field with a time of 1:08.03. She immediately followed that up with a 2:39.36 800m run with another 8th place finish and her third entry on the day to the indoor performance list. On the men’s side of the 800, Michael Anderson led the Blue Hens with an 11th place finish. His race was followed by a very competitive second heat, where Josh Pawlik (2:08.74), Ryan Lazev (2:09.74), and Evan Pawlik (2:10.42) all set new season bests as well as grabbed top-25 finishes. 

In the final event that the Delaware sprinters competed in, the 200m featured two performance list eligible finishes. The duo of Rilee McMahon (30.91) and Sam Radinsky (31.26) once again finished within a second of each other, scoring back-to-back placements at 10th and 11th. McMahon entered her name in the 200m list, landing in the 8th place spot, right behind her friend and teammate in Radinsky. 

In a highly anticipated event, the 3,000 meter race featured two top-10 finishes by the distance captains. Jenna Mlecko led off, and her time of 11:59.15 was good for an 8th place finish. Alex Horgan followed her up with a meet record-setting 8:45.92. This of course gave him the win as well as the 5th best indoor time ever for the club. The meet was concluded with the men’s 4x400m relay. Delaware secured 6th place with a time of 3:43.13, run by the squad of Anderson, Latina, and the Pawlik twins. 

The field events featured five top-5 placements by four different women. Lianna Greenstein continued her dominance of the indoor jumping events. She improved her club-best triple jump to 10.08 meters, and also set a new indoor-best in the long jump, soaring 4.47 meters. She placed 2nd and 4th respectively. In the high jump, Maggie Huizinga matched her season best jump of 4′ 8″ to place second, and Gianna Dowling leaped 4′ 6″ to place 5th. Maggie Morris became the first thrower to compete for Delaware this season, and she did not disappoint. Her 8.96 meter throw of the shot put landed her in third place, and was also the furthest throw in club history.

With the indoor season complete. Delaware moves on to the outdoor season, which starts on February 25th at Capital Relays in Washington D.C.


Full meet results can be found here.

 

Anderson taking the lead in the 4×400

Papadopoulos setting the pace in the men’s DMR

Burke finishing off the final leg of the women’s DMR

Arunachalam extending his lead in the mile race

Winter Break Doesn’t Stop A Small Group of Blue Hens From Coming Out To Compete

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Despite it being their winter break, the Delaware club track team was still ready to compete at Susquehanna University at the River Hawk Invitational. Only a mere six athletes attended the meet, but that didn’t stop them from putting out their best efforts. 

Freshman Maggie Huizinga was the lone woman, sprinter, and jumper who attended this mid-January competition. She started off the day in high jump, boasting a 5th place finish on a 1.42m jump, which improved upon her season opener. She followed that up with a 1:21.66 400-meter dash, which was good for 11th place in the meet and 9th place on the all-time indoor performance list.

The men had a few more athletes across three different races. In the mile run, freshman Brenden Debrosse led the Blue Hens in his first collegiate track race, finishing in 20th place with a time of 5:16.81. He was followed by Matt Bieker (5:51.01) and Jacob Letnaunchyn (6:21.01), who came in 28th and 29th place respectively. Junior Ryan Lazev placed 13th in the 800-meter race, finishing in a time of 2:11.39, which improved upon his season opening time from a month ago. Letnaunchyn was the only Blue Hen on the men’s side to run multiple events, succeeding the mile in the 800-meter with a time of 2:47.55. Jack Pelczar wrapped up the day in the 3,000-meter. The freshman ran a new personal best time of 10:17.42, which landed him in 11th place.

Delaware will travel to Penn State University on February 11th for their final winter track & field meet of the season.

Full meet results can be found here.

Huizinga clearing the bar for a 5th place finish

Letnaunchyn and Bieker working together in the mile

Pelczar on his way to a new personal best in the 3k