The University of Rhode Island women’s Track and Field team took a short trip across state lines this weekend as the team headed to Amherst, Massachusetts for the UMass Invitational on Sunday.
The competition was scheduled as a two-day meet on Friday and Saturday, but weather conditions caused the meet to be rescheduled as a one-day meet on Sunday.
“It was definitely frustrating because our weeks are so packed and every day is specified to what event and how you train,” fourth-year Virsavia Goretoy said. “It was nice to have a bit of a longer week; that meant I could have a nice day to relax and get any treatment done I needed.”
Rhody scored 27 points to finish eighth out of 13 teams. The host of the event, the University of Massachusetts, as well as Ocean State rival Brown University, took the top two spots with 112 and 93 points respectively.
Goretoy helped contribute more than half of the points to the team’s score with her first-place performance in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14 seconds flat, securing 10 points for the Rams. Goretoy also secured an additional four points in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 49 seconds, with the help of fellow fourth-years Sydney Federico, Amyah Santana and first-year Hileni Mor.
Goretoy also competed in the long jump, placing ninth with a leap of 17’ 9.5”.
“She’s a wonderful student-athlete and leader,” URI Head Coach Laurie Felt-Melnick said. “She’s very busy… and she’s having an outstanding senior year, so we’re excited.”
Goretoy has been finishing in the top 10 in each of the six events she has competed in over the last eight days, while also managing to stay on top of her academic life.
“My body has just gotten used to being at school most of the day,” Goretoy said. “A lot of my teammates have helped me keep [myself] accountable with getting treatment and staying on top of my nutrition.”
Second-year Jacqueline Edoro also was a major contributor in points for the Rams, placing second in the triple jump, leaping 38’ 0.75” forward and adding eight more points to Rhody’s score.
Third-year Kayla Clark also competed in the 100 meter hurdles alongside Goretoy and Edoro, finishing ninth with a time of 14.66. Edoro finished right behind her in 10th place with a time of 15.08. Second-year Alexis Zarr jumped vertically instead, finishing 10th in the high jump, clearing 4’ 10.5”.
Second-year Katie Welsh went 11’ 1.75” into the sky in the pole vault, which was good enough for fourth place and another four points for the Rams. Fellow pole vaulters, first-year Olivia Priest and third-year Sarah Parr, cleared a distance of 10’ 8” for eighth and 10’ 2” for 10th, respectively.
First-year Alyssa Yankee followed up her collegiate debut in Smithfield last week with a sixth-place throw of 126’ 8” in the discus, and fellow thrower fifth-year Erynn Field launched her hammer 166’ 8” to also finish sixth place in the event. Both of these results tallied up the final two points for Rhode Island.
Felt-Melnick said that with all the schedule changes, weather conditions and athletes coming back from competition in Raleigh, this was a good meet for about half the team to rest and recover in time for next week’s split meets.
“I made that decision since it was a Sunday meet and we worked out on Friday,” Felt-Melnick said. “It was in their best interest to get ready for [Providence] or the University of Connecticut this upcoming weekend.”
Up next, the Rams have another split meet with the Northeast Challenge Invitational being held at UConn this Friday and Saturday and the Friar Invitational at Providence College this Friday.