University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
NCAA East Prelim
UConn Men Wrap Up NCAA Prelims; Three Huskies Headed to NCAA Championship
5/28/2021 9:12:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The UConn men's track & field team wrapped up their competition at the NCAA East Preliminaries on Friday. The UConn men will be sending three student-athletes to the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore. on June 9-12.
Seniors Jordan Torney (Toms River, N.J.) and Safir Scott (Greenwich, Conn.), in the decathlon and long jump along with sophomore Travis Snyder (Saco, Maine) in the pole vault will represent UConn at the national championship meet.
The UConn women are back on the track on Saturday to close out the event at the University of North Florida's Jax Track at Hodges Stadium.
"Today the men completed the first round and quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships," stated associate head coach Rich Miller. "The kids laid it all out there on the track and in the field. They held nothing back and I am proud of them. This was a great meet with some great performances from our team; some tough efforts. We can really grow from this competition."
Senior Daniel Claxton (Nesconset, N.Y.) just missed out on a qualifying spot in the high jump after matching his personal best height. Claxton finished at 2.16 meters, the height that the ninth through 19th spot. Claxton cleared the height on his final attempt, leaving him 19th and out of the top-12.
Scott matched his season best leap in the triple jump on Friday to finish 16th in the field. Scott came up with a jump of 15.76 meters on his final attempt of the afternoon.
Junior Wellington Ventura (Cresskill, N.J.) came up just shy of a qualifying spot in the top-12, finishing 14th overall in the 400-meter hurdles. Ventura clocked in at 51.24 seconds.
"We have three competitors who have advanced to the NCAA Championship in Eugene Oregon; two who qualified out of this round and Jordan Torney who qualified directly to the Championships in the Decathlon," commented Miller. "We are looking forward to competing for a national championship in tw weeks.
Friday's Other Results:
- In the 5,000 meters – Senior Eric Van Der Els (Norwalk, Conn.) finished 22nd in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:57.79.
- In the Discus – Senior Todd Stueber (Toms River, N.J.) finished 41st with a throw of 46.56 meters.
- In the 4x100 Relay – The UConn foursome of junior Josiah Thompson (Jamaica, N.Y.), sophomore Joseph O'Brien (Shrewsbury, Mass.), junior Aaron Hackett (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and freshman Richmond Kwaateng (Lowell, Mass.) finished 21st with a time of 40.64.
Players Mentioned
