The Rensselaer track and field team had an amazing performance this Saturday, February 14 at the UCAA Indoor Championship Meet hosted by St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.
The team set many new UCAA records while achieving numerous season’s best performances against their competitors from Hamilton, St. Lawrence, and Union.
The women’s team won their first UCAA Championship with a combined score of 228 points. Among the Rensselaer women setting new UCAA records was freshman Jen Dias who set a record in the 400m dash with a time of 59.78. Dias combined with teammates Becky Lock, Erin Coffey, and Alysia Evanitsky to set a record in the 1600m relay with a time of 4:08.67. The women’s 3200m relay team composed of Cara O’Toole, Rebecca Rosenberg-Beran, Michelle Fisher, and Alyssa Coffey, also set both a new school record and a UCAA record with the time of 9:44.08.
Another UCAA and school record was set by Felicia Tsai in the weight throw with a mark of 15.36m. Several other UCAA conference records were broken by Allison Benson in the pole vault with a mark of 3.22m and by Sue Madden in the shot put with a mark of 12.44m.
The women’s team had many other outstanding performances by athletes on both the track and in the field. While also setting two UCAA records, Dias won both the 200m dash in 26.81 sec and the triple jump in 10.34m as well as placing third in the long jump with 4.88m.
Classsmate Carol Scalice won the long jump with her mark of 4.96m in addition to placing second in the 55m dash in 7.64 and fourth in the 200m dash with 27.28. Senior Coffey won the 800m run in the time of 2:20.60 in addition to setting the new record with the 3200m relay team.
The men’s team also scored well, placing second to St. Lawrence with 182.5 points.
The individual athletes setting new UCAA records on the Rensselaer men’s team were Dwaine Alleyne who ran a time of 7.80 in the 55m hurdles and Joe Otto who ran a time of 1:55.15 in the 800m run.
The men’s 1600m relay team of Paul Legac, Verne Sylvestre, Owen Kellett, and Otto also set a new UCAA record running a combined time of 3.25.29.
Other outstanding athletes on the men’s team were Trevor Tersmette, who won the high jump with 1.90m as well as placing third in the 55m hurdles with the time of 8.13, and Jason Langley who won the pole vault with a height of 4.28m. Also, in addition to setting a UCAA record in the 55 hurdles, Alleyne won the triple jump with a mark of 13.33m.
The numerous records set by the Red Hawks along with several other solid performances in the UCAA meet are proof that the indoor track team has built a solid foundation as they begin their championship season.
Next Saturday, the team hopes to continue to improve on their past performances in the always competitve Kane Invitational in Ithaca, N.Y.
