TRACK & FIELD NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts battle against conference foes in Boston this weekend for the 2019 America East Indoor Track & Field Championships hosted at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center.
 
Day 1 of the meet is Friday (Feb. 22) and kicks off with the men's heptathlon and a pair of field events at 10 a.m. The conference championship closes out Saturday (Feb. 22) at 10 a.m. with the award ceremony scheduled for 3:35 p.m.
 
RELATED LINKS
Championship Central | Event Schedule | Watch
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Our men and women are most definitely excited about the opportunity that these championships bring," said head coach Matt Belfield. "Despite some unusually challenging times along the way; our teams continue to overcome obstacles and fight for every point we can get. This is the most 'together' our program has ever been. If you are there this weekend and can see the way these folks care about each other, you'll know why I think this is such a great team. I hope to win some individual and relay titles, but I am most proud of how everyone plays a role in our success."
 
SCOUTING THE CONFERENCE
Vermont faces stiff competition in both the men's and women's championships. The UVM women are ranked fourth in the conference by the USTFCCCA while the men are listed fifth. UAlbany is the top-ranked team in America East on the women's side and the only squad listed in the top 15 of the Northeast Regional rankings. UMass Lowell and Binghamton are currently ahead of the Cats while Stony Brook follows closely at fifth in the conference rankings. The men's regional rankings have UAlbany (7th) ahead of UMass Lowell (10th), while the teams are flipped for the top two spots in the conference. New Hampshire and Binghamton are the two squads ahead of Vermont that follow UMass Lowell and UAlbany in the America East rankings.
 
LAST YEAR'S AE CHAMPIONSHIP
The Vermont women finished sixth and the men seventh at the 2018 America East Championships. Katie Nolan and Pearl Abiti '18 headlined the Catamounts as they earned America East All-Conference honors. Nolan finished second in the 1000m run with a time of 2:50.36 while Abiti registered 3,433 points to win the women's pentathlon. On the men's side, Taylor Kracher was named an America East All-Conference Athlete after taking second in the 800m run with a time of 1:52.67. He was also a part of the second-place 4x400m relay team and the distance medley relay team.
 
CATS AT BU TRACK AND TENNIS CENTER
UVM has competed at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center already this season in the Valentine Invite (Feb. 8 & 9). It was a big weekend for personal records and some impressive finishes by members of the men's and women's teams. Lauren Trumble was the top finisher for the Vermont women as she secured 20th place in the mile with a personal-best time of 4:48.07. Caroline O'Shea and AnneMarie Martell were two of six other women to set personal record that day. On the men's side Taylor Kracher finished third in the 500m dash and Justin Liechty ran a blazing fast time of 48.51 in the 400m dash. John Benner ran the mile in 4:10.86 and was one of 15 UVM men to set personal records at the Invite.
 
TOP FIVE AE MARKS
Twelve Catamounts have set marks that are top five in the conference heading to the America East Championships. Taylor Kracher (500m) and Marina Cannon (pole vault) have registered the conference's top marks this season in their respective events. Kracher also has the second fastest time in the 800m of 1:51.57. Lauren Trumble has four marks in the conference's top five with times in the 800m, 1000m, mile, and 3000m runs. The senior mid-distance runner combined with Caroline O'Shea, Ava Meyer, and Jane Leighton for America East's top 4x800m relay mark, set at the New England Championships.  
 
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS THIS SEASON
Lauren Trumble and John Benner were two Catamounts to earn weekly America East awards this indoor season. Benner was named Male Track Performer of the Week (Dec. 11) after winning the 3000m run at Dartmouth with a time of 8:27.02. His converted time of 8:21.19 was the eighth fastest mark in the county at the time. Trumble earned consecutive Female Track Performer of the Week (Jan. 22 & 29) awards. The senior captain won the 600m at the Middlebury Winterfell with a personal-best time and a facility record of 1:33.79 the first week and was victorious in the 1000m run at the Penn State National Invite with a time of 2:50.32 the next week. Trumble also was named TD Bank Student-Athlete of the Week (Jan. 29).
 
NORTH COUNTRY ALL-COMERS
The Catamounts registered their second wins of the season Sunday (Feb. 10) when they hosted Plattsburgh State for the North Country All-Comers at Gardner-Collins Indoor Track. The UVM men had 80 points to beat Plattsburgh (56 pts.) while the women posted 97 points to win by 57. Morgan Ferland bested her personal record in the weight throw three times with her farthest toss travelling 15.66m. Anya Gorodentsev set personal-bests in both the 55m dash (7.34s) and long jump (5.35m) to secure victories in both events. On the men's side, Will Lynch (high jump) and Andy Chess (pole vault) registered Vermont's top marks of the season with jumps of 1.90m and 4.35m in their respective events.