University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Larry Ellis Invitational
Strackman and Ghalam lead the Huskies at Larry Ellis Invitational
4/20/2019 11:35:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
PRINCETON, N.J.—The UConn women's track and field endured some rain during the restructured one day only Larry Ellis Invitational. The Huskies were led by the school record breaking finish from Tia Strackman and the first-place effort of Thalia Ghalam. Their impressive efforts were accompanied by the team's eight top-5 finishes as well as their 14 top-10 finishes.
Strackman usurped her own record in the UConn history books from the 2017 season with her quick finish of 1:01.38 in the 400 Meter Hurdles. She finished fourth overall in the event. Ghalam competed in the javelin throw and posted a mark of 45.18 meters.
Outside of Ghalam, the field events were spearheaded by efforts from Emma Chee in the pole vault and Chanell Botsis in the hammer throw. The pair have been on a streak lately in their respective events and carried over their success from the 2019 UConn Northeast Challenge last Saturday to today. Chee posted yet another tremendous mark at 3.75m to conclude the event in third place, which goes in tandem with her recent record breaking school finishes. Botsis' 62.66m throw saw her take home silver in the event. This mark is yet another remarkable finish for her and the record books.
Mikyla Rodger also competed in the hammer throw and finished sixth overall with a throw of 51.04m. Kennedy Arundel vied for position in the long jump with a finish of sixth at 5.39m. Gabriella Gavalas' mark of 11.27m placed her at eighth in the triple jump. Julia Silverman was the lone Husky in her event, the high jump, with a seventh place finish at 1.62m.
Back on the track and in the mid to distance races, UConn was led by Haley Hasty's finish in the 5000 Meter Run at 17:12.36. Courtney Akerley took on other student-athletes in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase and finished with a time of 11:07.71. A trio of Huskies finished within seconds of one another in the unseeded 1500 Meter Run in Kelsey Swanson (18th—4:50.55), Randi Burr (19th—4:51.06), and Katelynn Romanchick (23rd—4:56.80).
Strackman was a delight in the 100 Meter Hurdles as well, finished third in the prelims and the finals at 14.14. Jasmyne Joseph went stride for stride with other student-athletes in the 100 Meter Dash with a top-20 finish at 12.55. In the 200, Shanelle Colmon reaped an eighth place finish with a time of 25.05. Another UConn trio competed in the 400 Meter Dash in Kristina Cherrington (4th—55.62), Dejanee Parms (8th—56.26), and Colmon (16th—57.48).
In the 4x100 Meter Relay the Huskies finished fifth overall with a time of 46.77. The relay team included reigning American Athletic Conference's Female Field Athlete of the Week Taylor Woods, Jiana Baker, Strackman, and Colmon.
Players Mentioned
