University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Penn Relays
Historic Penn Relays on Deck for the Huskies
4/24/2019 4:04:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men's track & field team is headed to the 125th running of the Penn Relays this weekend for their final tune-up on the way to the 2019 AAC Championship in two weeks at Wichita State.
The historic meet gets underway on Thursday and fans can find the full schedule and meet information by visiting PennRelays.com.
Thursday night will feature a pair of distance events on the UConn slate in the 5,000 meters and the 3,000 meter steeple chase. Senior Kyle Brackman (Berkeley Heights, N.J.), who currently sits second in the AAC rankings in the event, leads a Husky contingent in the event that will also include senior Aiden Fiol (Fairfield, Conn.), freshman James Maniscalco (Fairfield, Conn.) and r-sophomore Ian Mickool (Ridegfield, Conn.).
In the steeplechase, senior Kyle Barber (Fayetteville, N.Y.) and Michael McGonnigle (New Fairfield, Conn.). Barber is currently ranked fourth in the AAC rankings while McGonnigle is 12th.
Also on the track, sophomore Eric van der Els (Norwalk, Conn.) will run in the Olympic Development Mile. Freshman Konstantin Rust (Germany) will run the 110 meter hurdles, an event he is currently sixth in the AAC rankings. In the 400 meter hurdles, freshman Adam Khriss (Secaucus, N.J.), eighth currently in the AAC, and sophomore Colt Nichols (Portsmouth, R.I.), will run. UConn will also field relay teams in the 4x800, 4x100, distance medley, sprint medley relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
UConn will have be well represented in the field events as well with seniors Ian Bergere (Madison, Conn.) and Malik Snead (Trenton, N.J.) and sophomore Safir Scott (Greenwich, Conn.) all competing in the championship heats of the pole vault, triple jump and high jump, respectively. Bergere has moved up to fifth in the AAC rankings, coming off his top vault of the year at last week's Larry Ellis Invite (4.95 meters). Snead has been leading the triple jump rankings all season and last competed at the UConn Northeast Challenge two weeks ago where he had his best jump of the year at 15.66 meters. Scott has also been at the top of the high jump rankings all spring, his best height of the year coming at the spring opener in Florida (2.12 meters).
Sophomore Todd Stueber (Toms River, N.J.) has had a sensational spring thus far and will throw the discus and shot put this weekend. Stueber has moved up to fifth in the discus rankings in conference, posting a personal best last weekend at 52.15 meters. Joining him in the shot put is classmate Matthew Brady (Biddeford, Maine) who is fourth in the AAC after his personal best throw of 17.51 meters at the UConn meet two weeks ago. Senior Sebastian Castano (Cresskill, N.J.) is up to fifth in the AAC rankings in the hammer and he will compete as well this weekend.
Sophomore Michael Jeffers (Clifton Park, N.Y.) made his season debut in the javelin at the UConn home meet and is back in action this weekend. He is currently sitting at seventh on the AAC leaderboard in the event.
This weekend's competition is the final meet for the Huskies before heading to Wichita State on May 10-12 for the 2019 AAC Outdoor Championship.
Players Mentioned
