The UConn Club Track and Field team has been consistently competing well against strong opposition, but this past weekend was a chance to directly compete against some of the Division I schools at the UConn Dog Fight.
Last year, there were only a handful of UCCTF athletes allowed to compete, but this year it was different. With numerous athletes competing across almost every event on the schedule, it was a showcase of what this club team is all about.
There was a near complete re-writing of the history books in the 200m, with five of the six club record spots being taken by the men and women. Alanna Smith ran an imperious 26.25, with her twin Kayla Smith not far behind at 26.67. Both were right up with some tough Division I talent, and they certainly stepped up to the plate.
In the men’s 200m, Jon Garcia topped the table with a majestic 22.38 second clocking. Oscar Frost (22.52) and Brandon Drummond (22.68) also ran well, taking second and third spot in the record books respectively.
President Joe Rychwalski showed that he could compete with the big dogs, clocking in at 11.14 seconds in the 100m. This deposed a club record that had been in place since 2016, as well as being competitive against some of the UConn track athletes. Garcia also made his way into the top three of the record books, with an 11.27 clocking.
In the 400m, Nick Sivo continued his stellar form to run a 50.07. This puts him as the second fastest UCCTF athlete of all time, right behind current Division I athlete Anish Rajamanickam. The 4x400 squad of Sivo, John Gulish, Nikolai James and Jaden Astle also secured third place on the all-time list, finishing with a 3:27.33.
The hurdle duo of Eric Meade and MJ Devivo struck again, with both athletes securing the second fastest times on the all-time UCCTF rankings. Meade finished with a time of 15.94, and John Ferrarelli also got a piece of the action with a 16.77 clocking. Devivo clocked in at 16.54.
One of the largest club records of the day came right at the end, with Colin Slavin shattering the 5,000m record by over 40 seconds. His 15:23.55 puts him head and shoulders ahead of any UCCTF athlete to come before him, and bodes well for his performance at nationals in two weeks time.
In the jumps, April Davis and Tyler Doiron were outstanding. Doiron took home the high jump club record with a clearance at 1.88m, and was just shy of going even higher at his next attempt. He also hop, skipped and jumped his way to 13.65m in the triple jump, securing his second club record of the day. Meade was also able to get his name on the triple jump record list with a 12.95m effort.
Davis was able to get on in the record books with a 4.67m leap in the long jump. This places her just behind a second place record that has stood since 20219, and was achieved in windy conditions.
As always, the throwers also came with some serious heat. Freshman Raymond Lara bullied his way to the top of the shot put standings with a 13.22m effort. The fact that he is consistently breaking the 13m mark is both impressive and exciting for the rest of the season.
Senior Colton Lavoie also secured a place in the record books in the shot put with a 12.45m throw. In the warmups, however, he threw close to the 14m mark, highlighting that there is a lot left in the tank before the end of the year. Lavoie also threw 37.70m in the discus, which is the third best all-time mark for a UCCTF thrower.
Overall, the meet was a roaring success, with the UCCTF dogs barking at the Dog Fight. The club will make the trip to Fitchburg this weekend for a tune-up before making the trip to Olivet Michigan in two weeks time. Nationals is around the corner, and UCCTF is showing no signs of slowing down.
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