University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Penn Relays
Huskies Finish Competition At Penn Relays; Participate In UMass Invitational
4/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
April 30, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The final day of the Penn Relays was highlighted by a second place finish in the 4x100 and a seventh place finish in the 4x800 for the University of Connecticut men's track and field team as they concluded competition at the historic meet.
"The relays had a good day today, they both ran really well," head coach Greg Roy said. "Darnell Cummings and Mike Rutt each had great anchor races in their respective relays, while both leadoffs also had some good times. We have been making good progress with both relays and will hopefully be able to show that next weekend at the BIG EAST Championship."
The 4x100 relay team of Kashif Moore, Kevin Smith, Jesse Drinks and Darnell Cummings brought home a second place finish in the Men's IC4A Championship, finishing in a time of 41.31. The quartet improved on their qualifying time of 41.80 that they posted in the 4x100 heats yesterday.
Dan Holst, Tim Bennatan, Scott Johnson and Mike Rutt represented the Huskies in the 4x800 Championship of America, running the fastest time of the season, 7:22.89 to place seventh. Holst ran the lead off leg for the Huskies, posting a 1:50.77, while Bennatan had a split of 1:49.40 and Johnson ran a 1:55.05. Rutt, who ran the anchor leg of the relay, posted his best 800 time of the season as he crossed the line in 1:47.67.
Joshua Faboyede was the lone individual to compete at the Penn Relays, finishing 21st in the Men's Hammer Throw College event with a distance of 51.40m.
The Huskies also competed at the UMass Pre-Conference Invitational, with four Huskies earning top-two finishes. Cory Duggan and Kevin Steinberg both recorded first place finishes while Justin Siekierski and Kyle Edmonds placed second in their respective events.
"We also had some good performances at UMass, bringing home a couple of first place finishes," Roy said. "Overall, this weekend we were able to get done what we needed to in order to go into the BIG EAST Championship with our best foot forward."
Duggan won the pole vault with a clearance of 4.80m, while Steinberg won the 100m dash in a time of 10.94. Steinberg also placed third in the 200m dash, finishing in 22.64. Siekierski was the lone Husky to compete in the discus, placing second with a mark of 43.19m and Edmonds' second place finish came in the 400m hurdles (53.84).
UConn had three top-five placers in both the pole vault and 400m Hurdles led by Duggan and Edmonds. Joining Duggan in the pole vault were Matt Alexander (3rd-4.65m) and Justin Blades (4th-4.50m), while Brandon Fowler (4th-54.75) and Chris Whyte (5th-54.86) finished with Edmonds in the 400m hurdles.
Matt Granata, Lucas Clyne, Alex Bennatan and Joe Clark also competed for the Huskies at the UMass Invite, participating in the 400m dash, 800m run and the 1,500m run. Granata had the highest finish out of the group, placing third in the 400m dash (49.81), while Clyne placed fourth in the 800m run (1:56.48). Clark brought home a fifth place finish in the 1,500m run (4:01.08) while Bennatan placed seventh in the 800m run (1:58.08).
Next up for UConn will be the BIG EAST Outdoor Championship, which takes place from Friday, May 6 to Sunday, May 8. The 2011 outdoor championships will take place at the Jumbo Elliot Track on the Villanova campus.
Players Mentioned
