Track & Field Rewrite History Books After Competing at Larry Ellis Invitational

Friday, April 12

Princeton, N.J.

2 PM

University of Delaware

Larry Ellis Invitational

Photo by: NIC TERRY PRODUCTIONS

Track & Field Rewrite History Books After Competing at Larry Ellis Invitational

4/13/2024 7:34:00 PM | Track & Field

Results Photo Gallery

PRINCETON, N.J. - The University of Delaware track & field team had an action-packed weekend competing at the two-day Larry Ellis Invitational, hosted by Princeton University (April 12-13) from Weaver Stadium in Princeton, N.J. A trio of Blue Hens, Mackenzie Stephens, Rachel Schmitt and Jahnia Hodge, rewrote the school's history books while the team set 11 personal- and two season-best times/marks.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS
Friday

Stephens was the lone Blue Hen competing in the hammer throw and she did not disappoint. Stephens saw her first throw fly through the air for a personal-best mark of 51.04m to finish the event in eighth place. Her new mark sits sixth in school history.
The rookie Schmitt closed out the throwers event group's day competing in the javelin where she launched her fifth throw for a personal-best mark of 41.25m, which moved her from fourth place to winning the event. Schmitt's mark now sits seventh in school history.
The last field event for the Blue Hens was the long jump where Victoria Henry was the lone representative. Henry leaped for 5.39m to finish the event in 12th place.
The Blue Hen trio, Molly Lashley, Stephanie Herrera and Marissa Dailey, opened the track side racing in the 5,000m. The trio set personal best times with Lashley leading the way with a fourth-place finish thanks to a PR time of 17:16.55. Stephanie followed with a PR time of 17:26.91 to finish in seventh place while Dailey clocked a PR time of 17:44.54 for 12th place.
Tiffany Herrera finished the 1,500m race in 4:54.21.
Sarah Daniels and Carolyn Coletti were the Blue Hens nightcap racing in everyone's favorite race, the 3,000m Steeplechase. Daniels finished in a season-best time of 10:44.58 (eighth place) while Coletti improved on her time and set a new PR with 11:37.48 (14th place).

Saturday

Madison Shaffery opened day two for the Blue Hens competing in the high jump and leaped over the 1.53m bar. Bridget Joyce, the pole vault vet, leaped over her season-best 3.65m bar.
The 4x100m relay squad, Victoria Henry, Taylor Johnson, Hodge & Jacquelyn Rolle, posted a third-place finish time of 47.46
Katie Kuhlman ran a time of 5:11.64 in the 1,500m while Jayde McDermid (15.44, 14th place) and Destiny DeBlock (16.15, 19th place) headlined the 100m hurdles preliminaries.
Leading the 400m charge was Halima Scott with a fifth-place time of 57.69. Kadence Dumas was the next Blue Hen to cross the finish line with a PR time 58.16 (eighth place). Lauren Leath (59.66, 22nd place) and Jenna Scandale (PR-1:00.28) also saw action in the 400m.
Hodge took on the triple jump and leaped for a PR mark of 11.97m, which remains in fourth place in school history.
Personal-best times were set in the 800m as Leah Clear clocked a time of 2:16.56 to finish in seventh place while Marissa Mauro posted a time of 2:20.58, which was good enough for 17th place.
Alexa Doughtery was the lone Blue Hen in the 400m hurdles, clocking a time of 1:06.45.
The 200m saw Johnson (25.04), Rolle (25.87), Henry (26.28) and McDermid (26.38) finish in 12th, 27th, 29th and 30th, respectively.
The 4x400m team, Halima Scott, Kadence Dumas, Lauren Leath, Leah Clear, posted a time of 3:51.06 to cross the finish line in second place.
The second 4x400m squad (Doughtery, Johnson, McDermid and Rolle) ran a time of 4:08.00 (10th place), concluding the Blue Hens' outing.

GAME NOTES

18 Blue Hens competed at Larry Ellis Invite for the first time in their careers, nine being freshmen.
The throws group headlined the two-day meet by rewriting the history books twice (hammer throw, javelin throw)

UP NEXT
The Blue Hens will return to action next Friday for a two-day meet (April 19-20) at the Virginia Challenge, hosted by UVA. UD will then head to Baltimore, Md. to compete at the Hopkins/Loyola Invitational, hosted by Johns Hopkins University on Saturday (April 20).

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