TRACK & FIELD NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont track & field program will send a contingent of athletes to compete in several meets in California over the next three days while the majority of the team competes at the UAlbany Spring Classic on Saturday (April 21).
 
RELATED LINKS
Pacific Coast Invitational: Live Results
Bryan Clay Invitational: Live Results
Mt. SAC Relays: Live Results
UAlbany Spring Classic: Live Results
Beach Invitational: Live Results
 
CATAMOUNT CHALLENGE | Donate
After raising more than $32,000 in support of UVM student-athletes a year ago, the second annual Catamount Challenge kicked off on Thursday (April 12) and will continue through Thursday, April 26 at 5 p.m. Donations can be made at go.uvm.edu/gocats and all gifts will to go to the UVM Track and Field  Excellence Fund. Advocates who share the Catamount Challenge and get others to give will receive gift cards to the UVM Bookstore at a value of $10 for 10 donors and $25 for 25 donors.
 
SPLIT CONTINGENTS
Competition on the west coast begins on Thursday (April 19) with the Pacific Coast Invitational, hosted by Long Beach State University. The Catamounts will primarily compete in sprints and mid-distance events at LBSU's meet.
 
Anna Kaplan will run in the 10,000m of the Mt. SAC Relays and Tyler Marshall will compete in the steeplechase at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Thursday night. The Bryan Clay is hosted by Azusa Pacific University.
 
The majority of the west coast squad will compete at the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday, held on the campus of El Camino College. UVM concludes California competition on Saturday with Long Beach State's Beach Invitational.
 
The Catamounts not making the trip to California will travel to the Empire State for the UAlbany Spring Classic on Saturday (April 21). UVM is only competing in the final day of competition in Albany, New York.
 
DARTMOUTH RECAP
Both the Catamount men and women took third overall among four teams at the Dartmouth Invitational last Friday, April 13.
 
Ross Elkort (9:45.15) won the 3,000m steeplechase and Maggie Hallahan took the top-spot in the women's 5,000m with a time of 17:51.53. Additionally, Tyler Marshall (14:51.48) paced the Catamounts as UVM took the top-six spots in the men's 5,000m run.
 
In the field events, Morgan Ferland (42.00m, 137-9) and Muriel Adams (40.11m, 131-7) both set personal records in the discus. Ferland finished second and Adams finished third in the event.
 
Freshman Elias Lindsey set a personal-best to finish first in the men's triple jump with a mark of 13.96m (49-9.75).
 
LAST YEAR'S CALIFORNIA TRIP
Last year's trip to The Golden State saw the Catamounts compete at the Beach Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays.
 
Ed Simon '17 set a personal best mark of 4.90m (16-0.75), the second highest mark in UVM history. He went on to set the UVM record with a mark of 5.11m (16-9.25) at the ECAC/IC4A Championships.
 
Taylor Kracher (1:52.88) and Allen Vance (1:53.90) both set IC4A marks in the 800m to take top-50 finishes. Lauren Trumble (2:15.33) and Katie Nolan 2:15.33) were the top Vermont finishers on the women's side.
 
Kracher then set a UVM record time of 1:51.42 in the 800m run at the Mt. SAC Relays. In the women's 10,000m run, Alayna Sonnesyn (35:17.62), Autumn Albrecht (35:55.44) and Anna Kaplan (35:59.57) all had strong finishes.
 
LAST YEAR'S TRIP TO THE EMPIRE STATE
Grace Weisbecker '17 posted a mark of 3.70m (12-1.5) to win the pole vault. Trumble (4:36.80) took second in the 1,500m run while Nolan (2:14.83) took second in the 800m run.
 
On the men's side, Ian Weider won the long jump (7.48m, 24-6.5), Paul Moore (9:28.50) won the 3,000m steeplechase, and Gavin Schmeck won the 5,000m run (15:00.33).
 
FERLAND EARNS WEEKLY HONOR
Catamount junior captain Morgan Ferland was named the TD Bank Student Athlete of the Week following her performance at the Minuteman Invitational.
 
Ferland took third in the discus throw with a mark of 40.81m (133-11). It is the highest mark in the America East this season and the fifth highest mark of her career.
 
The Charlestown, New Hampshire native also took fourth in the shot put after a throw of 12.84m (42-1.5). It was a career-throw for Ferland and ranked sixth in Vermont's all-time records.
 
NOLAN NAMED TO AMERICA EAST INDOOR ALL-ACADEMIC SQUAD
Junior Katie Nolan capped off a strong indoor campaign with a spot on the 2018 America East Indoor Track All-Academic Team.
 
One of ten females named to the team, Nolan possesses an impressive 3.92 GPA in the Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science major.
 
Nolan earned America East All-Conference honors in the 1,000m by taking second overall with a time of 2:50.36.
 
2018 INDOOR ALL-CONFERENCE ATHLETES
Three Catamounts earned America East All-Conference honors at this year's championships, held at Boston University's Track & Tennis Center.
 
Vermont's lone champion, Colchester native Pearl Abiti, won the pentathlon with 3,433 points. She finished in the top-five in all events, notably taking first in the long jump (17-9.00, 5.41m) and third in the shot put.
 
Kracher finished second in the 800m with a time of 1:52.67 to earn All-Conference laurels. Nolan posted a time of 2:50.36 in the 1,000m to finish second and grab All-Conference honors for the second straight year.
 
2018 INDOOR ALL-NEW ENGLANDERS
Five Catamounts earned All-New England honors in the regional meet held at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
 
Liechty broke the UVM 400m dash record for the first time as he finished second with a time of 48.68s.
 
Lauren Trumble took fourth in the one-mile with a time of 4:54.18. She posted ECAC/IC4A qualifying times in the 800m, 1,000m, and one-mile runs throughout the indoor season.
 
Nolan finished just behind Trumble in fifth with a time of 4:54.88.
 
Allen Vance posted a time of 2:29.45 in the 1,000m run to take fourth and earn All-New England accolades.
 
Captain Aaron Lucci finished sixth in the 3,000m run with a time of 8:35.02 to grab regional honors.
 
NEXT UP
Vermont keeps the entire squad on the east coast with a return trip to Amherst, Massachusetts to compete in a tri-meet with UMass and New Hampshire. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 28.