The University of Rhode Island women’s track and field team had a tremendous role at the Ocean State Cup, helping secure the annual title and reinforcing its status as one of the top programs in the state.
Rhode Island saw great success across the sprinting, distance and field events, with multiple athletes posting personal-best times.
For the sprinting events, first-year Reagan Garibaldi led the way, winning the 400-meter in 56.56 seconds in her outdoor season debut. Garibaldi was also able to place third in the 200-meter race.
First-year Zarah Singleton increased the Rams’ victory margin with her 100-meter hurdles win. Singleton put up a time of 14.27 seconds in the hurdles event and also placed third in the 100-meter dash.
Aside from the sprinting events, Rhode Island also set the tone for distance events. Second-year Kelsey Wolff won the 1,500-meter race with a personal-best time of 4:35.16.
Third-year Hailey LaRosa won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:04.17. Not only was this time a personal best, but it also ranks eighth all-time in the event for the program.
Although the 5,000-meter race saw no Ram take gold, second-year Alison Pankowicz, fifth-year Sofia Piccone and first-year Jordan Hadfield took home the third, fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Head coach Laurie Feit-Melnick specifically mentioned Pankowicz’s performance as one whose story goes beyond the stat sheet.
“It was her first 5K,” Feit-Melnick said. “This was her first season outdoor, and she is the eighth individual all-time. So that was kind of huge.”
The field competitors also saw their fair share of success this past weekend. Second-year Macy Daigle won the high jump, clearing a height of 1.72 meters and tying her personal best.
Third-year Alyssa Yankee excelled across events, as she won the hammer throw while placing third in both the shotput and discus events.
The relay teams also made a big impact in the URI win. The 4×400-meter relay team, including third-year Abigail Colella, second-year Sydney Haik, first-year Anna-Rose Merchant and first-year Keira Cleary, finished first with a time of 3:52.09, while the 4×100-meter relay team added a second-place finish.
Fourth-year team captain Joyce London stood out this weekend with a 400-meter hurdles time of 61.30 seconds, securing second place for the event. London’s time also ranks sixth all-time in URI’s record book for the outdoor 400-meter hurdles.
The meet marked the second local outdoor competition of the spring for the Rams. Moving into the outdoor season, Feit-Melnick was honest about some of the challenges the team faces.
“We don’t have an outdoor facility yet, so that’s always a challenge,” Feit-Melnick said. “But, it’s nice that we can still train in our indoor facility.”
With the Ocean State Cup firmly secured until next year and athletes looking to be in peak form, the Rams now shift focus to the Wilton Wright Invitational in Connecticut on Friday.
