NIRCA

Last One Fast One at Paul Kaiser Classic

leahgood

For the final meet of the season, the Delaware Club Track & Field team traveled to Shippensburg, PA, to compete in the annual Paul Kaiser Classic. Despite the challenging weather conditions, the Blue Hens showcased outstanding performances, filled with new personal bests and team records. Emotions were high as we celebrated our seniors and their remarkable achievements in their final season.

Freshman standout Autumn Williams led the charge in the Women’s 100-meters dash, finishing just 17th overall with a time of 12.95 seconds. Freshman Amanda Desenchak followed closely, clocking in at 13.83 seconds, while senior Sam Radinsky concluded her last 100m race with a time of 14.07 seconds. Sophomore Grace Wertheimer showcased her hurdling skills in the Women’s 100 Hurdles Preliminaries, securing 23rd place with a time of 19.26 seconds. Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Daren-James Seals continued to impress in the 100-meters, securing 14th place with a respectable time of 11.34 seconds, marking the second-fastest time in club history.

The Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Team A, featuring Sam Radinsky, Amanda Desenchak, Autumn Williams, and Rilee McMahan, achieved a respectable 10th place with a time of 53.40, improving their time that sits first in club history. In the Men’s 4 x 100m Relay, Team A, comprising Shane Isacson, Kurt Krummenacker, Daniel Toms, and James Winston, delivered a solid performance, securing 7th place with a time of 46.58.

The rain did not stop senior Natalie Pinto from having an impressive last collegiate 3k Steeplechase race. Pinto secured 12th place overall with a time of 14:07.90, improving her 7th place spot on the all-time list by a vast 23 seconds. Freshman Cole Donnelly continues to improve in the Men’s 3k Steeplechase securing 14th place with a time of 11:21.10, moving to 7th all-time, while freshman Nik Anna secured 15th place with a time of 11:27.26 placing just behind Donnelly on the performance list.

The Women’s 1500-meter race had an abundance of personal bests as Junior Lauren Pollock set the stage for Delaware setting a new personal record with a time of 5:38.35 and placing within the top 50. Junior Leah Goodman trailed closely, nearly matching her personal best with a time of 5:47.01 after making a comeback from injury. Freshman Kate Kershaw achieved her new personal record of 5:48.26 closing out the top 3 Blue Hens. In the Men’s 1500-meters, freshman Liam Hutchinson impressed with a solid performance, securing 34th place with a time of 4:30.69, while sophomore Evan Pawlik secured 43rd place with a time of 4:43.95.

Freshman Anna Callaghan continues her success in the Women’s 800-meters, earning 31st place with a time of 2:34.37. Natalie Pinto closed out her impressive collegiate track career with a time of 3:09.17. Sophomore Dave Kelly displayed his endurance in the Men’s 800, securing 12th place with a remarkable time of 1:56.5, ranking 5th all-time, while freshman Devan Wasserman made his 800m debut running 2:10.1. Senior Ryan Lazev concluded his inspirational collegiate career with his final individual race in the Men’s 400 meters, clocking in at 54.44 seconds. Sophomore Spencer Wheeler secured a place in the top 50 with a time of 57.01 seconds.

Amanda Desenchak maintained her momentum in the Women’s 200-meter race, claiming 50th place with a time of 29.25 seconds. Senior Sam Radinsky ended her collegiate career on a high with a time of 29.64, improving her time on the all-time list. In the Men’s 200-meters, Daren-James Seals continued to impress, finishing 19th with a time of 23.19 seconds.

In the Women’s 3k race, Lauren Pollock continues to break out, placing 6th overall with an impressive time of 12:03.16, marking a 21-second personal record and advancing her to 10th place on the performance list. Kate Kershaw also displayed improvement, securing 7th place with a new personal best time of 12:15.71.

In an electric Men’s 4 x 400m Relay, Team A, comprising Ryan Lazev, Devan Wasserman, Spencer Wheeler, and Dave Kelly, showcased their talent, securing 6th place with a time of 3:32.18. This achievement stands as the fastest time in club history, excluding teams comprising former D1 runners.

In the Women’s Long Jump, freshman Maya Morefield advanced to 7th on the performance list with a distance of 4.25 meters. Sophomore Lianna Greenstein closely followed, with her mark of 4.16 meters. Greenstein ends her successful season in the Women’s Triple Jump, earning 7th place overall with an impressive distance of 10.61 meters. Freshman Anna Callaghan showcased her throwing skill in the Women’s Discus, securing 43rd place with a season-best throw of 18.88 meters.

In the Men’s Long Jump, freshman Emmanuel Carreno leads Delaware with a jump of 5.03 meters. Senior Josiah Taylor marked his final jump with a distance of 4.82 meters. John DiOssi demonstrated his strength in the Men’s Shot Put, securing 8th place in team history with a throw of 12.08 meters. Sophomore Michael Anderson represented Delaware in both the Men’s Discus and Javelin, achieving distances of 17.87 meters and 34.47 meters, respectively.

The Paul Kaiser Classic marks the end of an incredible spring season for Delaware. As the season comes to a close, the team anticipates summer training to gear up for what’s to come in the upcoming cross-country season in the fall.

Full results can be found here.

Sam Radinsky after an incredible senior season.
The current fastest 4x400m team in club history.
Natalie Pinto racing her last 3k steeplechase.

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

leahgood

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.

Delaware Dominates at Spring Season Opener

leahgood

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 Exceeds Expectations at NIRCA Nationals

leahgood

The Delaware Club Cross Country team traveled to Shelbyville, Indiana to cap off their season at NIRCA Nationals on Saturday, November 11th. Despite the courses for both men and women being ~200 meters long, our runners showcased their skills, achieving personal records across all races.

The day began with the upperclassman women’s 6k race. Despite the long course, junior Leah Goodman worked her way up to finish 26th overall and achieving a new personal best of 26:54. Not far behind was Junior Margaret Fogarty with a time of 27:37 also earning a new personal best in her debut cross-country season. Senior Natalie Pinto concluded her cross-country career by coming in at 28:17 leaving a lasting impact on the girl’s team. Senior and girls captain Aine Grubb crossed the line with a time of 32:01 and capped off the women’s upperclassman squad.

In the upperclassmen men’s 8k race, all three Delaware runners concluded their cross-country careers on a high note, setting new personal bests. Graduate student Anthony Stohr crossed the line with a new personal best of 29:46. Senior Matt Scarpelli had an impressive performance with a respectable time of 30:10. Despite a setback of a torn ACL in March, senior Ryan Lazev completed his goal of running in NIRCA Regionals and Nationals for the first time and finishing with a new personal best of 35:22.

The Delaware men’s team met the requirements to earn a championship race at NIRCA Nationals. The seven runners representing the Blue Hens were Evan Diefenbeck, Matthew Kwiatkowski, John Papadopoulos, Chris Calandra, Brady Sheaffer, Alejandro Lobo, and Daniel Giron. All five finishers set new personal records on this flat and fast course. Sophomore Evan Diefenbeck leads the pack once again with a respectable time of 26:42. Sophomore Matthew Kwiatkowski finished close behind with an impressive time of 26:48. Graduate student John Papadopoulos’s (27:53) hard work paid off with his impressive performance. Fellow grad student Chris Calandra (27:57) also ended his XC career on a high note. Sophomore Brady Sheaffer ended his sophomore season finishing 5th for the Delaware men and a time of 28:09. Unfortunately senior Daniel Giron and sophomore Alejandro Lobo were battling injuries and had to cut their race short, but still fought hard and had a successful season.

Our underclassman women’s 6k were up next and did not fall short of excellence. Ella Maletta and Camila Montes placed 9th and 14th respectively overall and earned their way onto the stage for awards. Freshman Ella Maletta led the underclassman girls and crossed the line in an impressive 25:18. Sophmore Camila Montes continues to improve each race finishing second for Delaware in 25:31. Fellow sophomore Hannah Heredia (26:01) followed just a few spots behind finishing 20th overall. Freshman Ariana DeNicola (27:05) and Natalie Greger (27:25) rounded the top five underclassmen for Delaware all putting up respectable performances. Freshmen Kate Kershaw (27:30) Anna Callaghan (27:53) Carly Curnutt (28:47) and Kaeley Jucewicz (29:33) all had notable performances as they made their nationals debut.

Delaware’s underclassman 8k capped the long yet exciting day of racing. Sophomore Jack Pelczar had a breakout day leading the pack with an impressive time and PR of 28:30. Sophomores Evan Pawlik (29:07) and Josh Pawlik (29:55) worked together to claim the next two spots and both achieved personal bests. Freshman Dylan Aks (31:36) was next to cross the line for Delaware earning a new best time as well. Freshman Cole Donnelly (32:09), John Healy (32:26), and Ethan Storm (33:11) rounded up the top seven each establishing new pr’s and finishing their first national level collegiate race. Notable mention for sophomore Liam Trageser (33:35) as he displayed his improvement with a big personal best.

Although Delaware’s cross-country season has come to an end, the winter and spring track seasons are just around the corner. Delaware track and field is set to kick off its season on December 9th at the Susquehanna Early Season Invite!

All official times are a result of a 200-meter-long course for both men and women and should be adjusted accordingly for all 8k and 6k splits.

Full results can be found here.

Delaware’s XC Nationals team
Jack Pelczar finishing his race.
John Papadopolous closing out his XC career.
Leah Goodman eyeing the finish line.
Camila Montes and Ella Maletta with their awards.

Men Place 5th, Women Place 10th at NIRCA Mid-Atlantic Regionals.

leahgood

Club cross country began their championship season at the NIRCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Race, hosted by Lehigh University. This fast course led to multiple personal bests and notable performances for our Delaware athletes.

The women’s 6k began the day with an impressive 10th-place team finish. In addition, out of the top seven girls, four of them set new personal bests. Junior Delaney Oeth led our girls’ team with a respectable time of 25:26. Oeth set a 45-second personal record as well as earned a top 50 spot overall. Freshman Ella Maletta also improved by 30 seconds with her time of 25:39.1. Sophomores Jade Barrett (26:07), Camila Montes (26:13, over a minute PR), and Hannah Heredia (26:19.4) claimed the next three Delaware spots respectively. Junior Margaret Fogarty ran this fast course for the first time and set over a minute personal best of 27:37. The Delaware top seven was rounded out by freshman Ariana DeNicola who finished in 27:51. Following close behind were noteworthy performances, Hannah Pash (27:55) breaking 28 minutes for the first time, senior Natalie Pinto’s racing at NIRCA Regionals for the last time, and junior Leah Goodman (27:57) following close behind setting a small personal best.

The men’s 5th-place finish in the 8k race resulted in impressive individual performances. They also qualified for the championship race as a team at NIRCA Nationals. The top five Delaware athletes had a remarkable average time of 27:39 setting them up for success in the upcoming championship race. Leading the Delaware men was sophomore Matthew Kwiatkowski finishing 23rd overall in 27:13. Kwiatkowski also earned the eighth spot on the Lehigh course club performance list. Close behind was sophomore Evan Diefenbeck finishing in 27:22.1 and barely claiming the ninth spot on the performance list. Setting a new personal best and taking the third spot for Delaware was sophomore Brady Sheaffer with a respectable time of 27:33. Sophmore Alejandro Lobo (27:51) finished fourth for our team going below 28 minutes. Graduate student John Papadopoulos (28:18), and senior Daniel Giron (28:48) took the fifth and sixth scoring spots. Finishing one second later and rounding out the top seven was graduate student Chris Calandra (28:49). An honorable mention for the following five Delaware finishers (Brett Balthis, Dave Kelly, Jack Pelczar, Evan Pawlik, and Anthony Stohr) all setting personal bests and breaking the 30-minute barrier for the first time.

Delaware club cross country will finish their seasons strong and head to Shelbyville, Indiana on November 11th to compete at the NIRCA Cross Country National Championships.

Full results can be found here.

Matthew Kwiatkowski leading Delaware to a fifth place team finish
NIRCA Regionals 2023