The Rensselaer indoor track team had another exceptional performance this weekend, at both the Deneault Invitational hosted by Cornell and the NYSCTC Pentathlon Championships. Although the Deneault Invitational was a non-scoring meet, the Rensselaer athletes clearly performed very well, setting multiple school records and having several NCAA qualifying times.
The men’s team proved their strength primarily through the field events amongst tough competitors from NCAA Division I, II, and III schools. Junior Dwaine Alleyne achieved a new school record, earning first place in the triple jump with a mark of 14.77 m, qualifying him for the NCAA Championships. Alleyne alse won the 60 m hurdles with a time of 8.46 seconds.
Teammate Derek McGough had similar success, winning the 60 m dash in 7.02 seconds and breaking the school record in the long jump with 7.05 m, earning him third place as well as qualification for the NCAA meet. Other qualifiers for the NCAA meet included senior Mike Johnson, who placed second in the weight throw with 16.48 m, and graduate student Jeff Banks who placed third in the pole vault with a 15’ 3”.
The talent only continued to shine on the women’s team, who experienced similar results at the Deneault Invitational. Junior Alyssa Coffey broke the school record in the 800 m for the second time this season by running a time of 2:22.01, earning fifth place overall. Junior Rebecca Rosenberg-Beran also set a new school record in the 1000 m with a time of 3:04.90, earning fourth place in the event.
On the field, both Jess Pearson and Allison Benson qualified for the NCAA Championships in the pole vault. Pearson earned first place with a vault of 10’ 11.75” and Benson was right behind her in second place with a vault of 10’ 6”. Both the men’s and the women’s athletes competing in the NYSCTC Pentathlon Championships further contributed to the teams’ weekend accomplishments at the University of Rochester. Becky Lock scored sixth place for Rensselaer with an event score of 2631 points.
In addition, teammates Cara Rosato and Heather Maffi respectively placed ninth and 11th in the event. For the men’s team, Trevor Tersmette came in third place with 3239 points along with Alleyne who placed fifth with 3206 points. Other competitors from Rensselaer included Matt Trexler who placed eighth and Jon Currie placing 13th. Congratulations to all who participated!
Athletes from the NYSCTC Pentathlon and the Deneault Invitational have many accomplishments to be proud of as they approach the end of their indoor season. The Cornell meet seems to be an exciting indicator for the NYSCTC Championship meet coming up this weekend.
