The University of Rhode Island’s women’s track and field team competed at the Brown Invitational on Saturday afternoon, in their last meet before the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track & Field Championship.
The Rams finished in fourth place out of a total of 10 teams with 67 team points, finishing behind only Providence College, The University of Hartford and Brown University.
With A-10s on the horizon, several Rams had a strong showing, especially fourth-year Megan Wood, one of the team’s captains. She finished second in the weight throw with a 55′ 7″ toss and took first place in the shot put with a 45′ 5″ throw, a new personal best.
Wood also qualified for The Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America Championship with her throws. Alongside her was fifth-year Erynn Field, a fellow captain. She finished fifth in the weight throw with a toss of 52′ 9.5″.
“They’re doing a great job leading the team,” URI Head Coach Laurie Feit-Melnick said. “They’re throwing well, they’re great student athletes.”
Several more Rams impressed in Providence, including Second-year sophomore Katie Welsh, who finished first in the pole vault, clearing 11′ 7.75″. Fourth-year Caroline Larkin and third-year Lila Rich finished right behind her w ith jumps of 11′ 7.75″ and 10’2” respectively.
First-year Alyssa Yankee placed third in the shot put with a personal best throw of 41′ 8″, while her teammate, third-year Lindsay Turgeon, finished third in the 1000 meter, less than a second off the winning pace (3:03.43). Two more Rams, first and second-years Josie Allred and Alexis Zarr, both cleared 4′ 11″ in the high jump, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Despite not finishing at the top, Feit-Melnick’s squad was happy with their performance.
“It’s nice to know that the hard work is paying off,” Wood said. “I think that Brown was a nice confidence booster for a lot of us. And so we can go into the A-10s with a clearer head and a little bit more confidence, which will help us out there too.”
With such a showing the week before the A-10 championship, Feit-Melnick is excited about the momentum they’ll be carrying with them. After finishing sixth in last year’s championship, they’ll be looking to bring home some hardware this go-around.
“I think it definitely helps that the people that went there did well, and obviously, you know, get a good mindset going into the championships,” Feit-Melnick said. “We try and control what we can and not focus on the outcome, but focus on the process. So we’re excited about what we can do in Virginia Beach.”
The Rams will compete at the 2024 Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championship on Saturday, Feb. 23, and Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.