Photos courtesy of Hannah Foley ’23
On April 14 & 15, the Connecticut College Track & Field team hosted their annual Silfen Invitational, bringing roughly 20 teams to New London to compete. The event was a huge success, with Conn athletes breaking four school records and boasting 19 top 3 finishes. The women’s team took first place in the women’s division and the men’s team came in second in the men’s division.
Senior two-time All-American Jeffery Love broke the record for the fastest 10K by a male Conn athlete. He won first place in the 10K race, with fellow Conn senior Matt Carter finishing in third place, roughly 30 seconds behind Love.
The women’s 4x800m relay team set a new school record, finishing with a time of 9:25.09. The relay team, made up of freshman Grace McDonough, freshman Alexa Estes, freshman Abby Fernald, and senior Julia Curran, finished first in their race at Silfen.
Senior Erica MacSweeney broke the Conn record for women’s triple jump, landing at 11.54 meters. She claimed the new school record and first-place prize for women’s triple jump, as well as a first-place finish in the women’s 400m hurdles and a third-place finish in the women’s long jump.
Junior Chris Koskinen racked up 5399 points in the men’s decathlon competition, shattering the Conn record and placing second in the Silfen competition.
Other top three finishers include:
- Junior Emma Wheeler swept the competition in the women’s heptathlon competition, finishing 1st in every event and eventually finishing with 4329 pts.
- Senior Chris Verstandig captured a first-place victory in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:54.56.
- Senior All-American Malissa Lindsey defended her crown, winning the women’s 100m with a time of 12.16 seconds. She also came in second place in the 200m race with a time of 25.33 seconds.
- Freshman Jonathan Norton finished first in the Men’s 3000m Steeple with a time of 9:29.59. Sophomore Matt Scardigno finished roughly 6 seconds later, placing third in the race.
- The women’s 4x400m relay team comprised of junior Jazmyn Gillespie, senior Malissa Lindsey, freshman Camille Cortes, and senior Mary Rusnock finished second with a time of 4:07.67.
- Senior Julia Curran came in second in the Women’s 5K with a time of 17:33.08
- Freshman Alexa Estes finished second in the Women’s 800m with a time of 2:17.99.
- Sophomore Harry Hardwood finished second in the Men’s 1500m with a time of 3:55.42.
- The women’s 4x100m relay team, comprised of Gillespie, Rusnock, sophomore Abby Ilusorio, and Lindsey, placed third with a time of 49.19 seconds.
Congratulations to the entire Conn Track & Field team on a great showing. Conn will be hosting the NESCAC Track & Field Championships this Saturday, Apr 29, where the athletes will be looking to qualify for NCAA Regionals. Go Camels!
