BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont track & field program announced 11 captains for the 2019-20 season. Six men and five women will lead the Catamounts.
RELATED LINKS
Men's T&F: 2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule
Women's T&F: 2019-20 Roster | 2019-20 Schedule
"We are blessed again this year with an outstanding group of leaders for our men's and women's teams," said head coach
Matt Belfield. "We have seasoned captains and new leaders that have emerged in the past year. I feel strongly that each of these young men and women will impact our success by trusting their instincts to provide guidance and encouragement to their teammates."
MEN'S CAPTAINS
- John Benner | Senior | Distance | Needham, Mass.
- Finished second in the 1500m at the 2019 Outdoor America East Championships to earn All-Conference honors. Benner was also named an All-New England Performer with a fifth-place finish in the 1500m run.
- Dan DeBlieck | Senior | Sprints/Hurdles | Rockaway, N.J.
- Set the indoor 500m school record last season with a time of 1:03.62 at the 2019 Indoor America East Championships and ran on the UVM record-setting 4x400m relay team at the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Championships. DeBlieck won the 400m hurdles at the New England Outdoor Championships in 2018.
- Shane O'Connor | Senior | Throws | North Haven, Conn.
- The second-year captain registered a pair of shot put victories last season. O'Connor recorded his personal-best shot put of 15.24m at the New England Outdoor Championships last season.
- Justin Liechty | Graduate Student | Sprints | Morrisonville, N.Y.
- Returns to UVM with indoor eligibility. Liechty is the 400m indoor school record holder with a time of 48.28 set at the ECAC/IC4A Championships last season. He earned All-New England honors in 2018 when he finished second in the 400m dash at the NEICAAA Championships.
- Alex Parasky | Senior | Combined Events | Doylestown, Pa.
- Finished third in the America East Championship decathlon last year and ran on the school-record setting 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams.
- DJ Snide | Junior | Combined Events | Grafton, Vt.
- Will captain the Catamounts in the outdoor season. Snide won the Outdoor America East Championship decathlon a season ago and finished second in heptathlon at the indoor championship.
WOMEN'S CAPTAINS
- Autumn Albrecht | Graduate Student | Distance | Brockport, N.Y.
- Leads track & field as she did with the 2019 women's cross country team. Registered a third-place finish in the 5000m run at the 2017 Indoor America East Championships.
- Alex May Curtis | Senior | Sprints/Hurdles | Jefferson, N.H.
- A second-year captain for Vermont. Curtis was key in UVM winning the distance medley relay at the New England Championships last season.
- Ava Meyer | Senior | Mid-Distance | Duluth, Minn.
- Meyer ran on the winning distance medley relay and 4x800m relay teams at the New England Championships in 2019.
- Allie Olson | Senior | Sprints | Wachusett Regional
- Won the 400m dash and was a member of the winning 4x400m relay team at the North Country All-Comers last year. Set a personal record in the 2019 Outdoor America East Championships with a time of 1:00.69.
- Caroline O'Shea | Junior | Mid-Distance | Brooks School
- Was a member of the winning 4x800m and distance medley relay teams at last year's New England Championships.
Vermont kicks off the 2019-20 indoor track & field season on Saturday (Dec. 14) at Dartmouth. UVM starts the season in Hanover, New Hampshire for the third consecutive season at Leverone Field House. Five Catamounts will compete in the combined events on Friday night. Saturday's events are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.
