University of Connecticut Athletics
Women's Track and Field Announces 2015 Captains
1/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
STORRS, Conn. - On Thursday, University of Connecticut women's track and field head coach J.J. Clark announced that a trio of seniors, Lauren Sara (Stratford, Conn.), Nyanka Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Saija Bikanova (Madonas, Latvia) will serve as team captains for the 2015 indoor and outdoor seasons.
"I'm happy to announce our captains for the 2015 indoor and outdoor seasons," said Husky head coach J.J. Clark. "We expect the captains to lead by example and I am confident that they will do an outstanding job."
Sara, who is coming off a stellar cross country season in which she claimed 35th -place overall en route to an All-American selection at the 2014 NCAA Championships, has been one of the most prolific distance athletes in UConn history. The senior took second in the 5,000m run (16:54.08) at the 2014 indoor American Athletic Conference Championships, before grabbing a third-place result in the 3,000m run (9:44.69) the following weekend at the ECAC Championship.
During the 2014 outdoor campaign, she earned a silver medal in the 3,000m run at the ECAC Championships with a time of 9:33.76 and grabbed fourth in both the 10,000m run (35:32.96) and 5,000m run (16:45.58) at the American Athletic Conference Championships.
Joseph earned all-America honors in her junior season, helping the Husky 4x400m relay team that set a new school record (3:32.83) at The American Outdoor Championship. Additionally, she ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay team that took gold at the ECAC Championship (45.23 and captured fourth in the 400m dash (54.26) and sixth in the 200m dash (24.13). The Brooklyn, N.Y. native also ran the anchor leg of the 4x400m relay team that captured gold at The American Indoor Championships (3:37.92).
Bikanova earns a captain selection after competing at the NCAA East Regionals for the first time in her career during the 2014 outdoor campaign, placing 15th in the high jump after clearing 1.77m. She also became just the second-ever Husky to capture the ECAC Heptathlon when she racked up 5,352 points across the seven events. During the 2013 indoor campaign, she claimed the bronze medal in the Heptathlon at the Big East Championships with 5,118 points.
