PITTSFORD, NY – The University of Rochester women's track and field team opened up its 2021-22 season on Friday night, competing at the Nazareth Alumni Opener at the Golisano Training Center at Nazareth College.
 
On the night, Rochester's women produced several quality results, including three marks inside the NCAA's top-5 performances this season, two event wins and eight All-Atlantic Regional qualifying marks.
 
Leading the charge for UR were juniors Susan Bansbach and Kristin Hardy. Both competed in the 400 meters and were part of Rochester's 4x400 meter relay, along with Eileen Bequette and Megan Bell.
 
Individually in the 400, Bansbach placed second with a time of 58.18 seconds, while Hardy was third in 58.69 seconds. Both those times are second and third in NCAA Division III in the early part of the season, behind only Friday's event winner Madison Mulder of Geneseo who raced in 56.89 seconds.
 
The relay team also finished second and currently sits at #2 on the NCAA performance list after getting edged out at the finish by Geneseo. UR clocked in at 4:00.50 seconds, just over two tenths of a second behind the Knights (4:00.27). The two runners in the 400 and the relay all were AAR qualifiers.
 
UR's other relay, the 4x200 meter squad, started off the meet with a strong first place finish to open the meet. The team of Annabell Shanks, Kate Isaac, Jael Ernest Fleurant and Yeidi Yuja clocked in with a time of 1:51.11.
 
Joining the relay at the top of the podium was Bell in the 500 meters, as the first-year posted a time of 1:23.24, finishing first of ten competitors.
 
In the pole vault, both of Rochester's jumpers cleared 3.35 meters and finished in a tie for second place. Madeline O'Connell and Ashley Heffernan each also eclipsed the regional qualifying height.
 
For Heffernan, the vault regional qualifier was her second of the night, as she also ran a 9.38 second heat in the preliminaries of the 60 meter hurdles. In the final, she clocked at 9.53 seconds to finish fourth, one spot ahead of her teammate Bequette (5th, 9.74 seconds). In the other short sprint event, Lauren Berry finished fourth in the 60 meters in 8.34 seconds.
 
UR also found success in the remaining field events, with Alyssa Hoogs and Gillian Reeder reaching regional qualifying marks in the triple jump and weight throw, respectively. Hoogs finished fourth with a jump of 10.78 meters, while Reeder's throw was 14.07 meters.
 
Joining Hoogs in the top-8 in the triple jump was Zoe Fortin in eighth (10.26m), while Reeder led a trio of top-8 finishers from UR in the weight throw, with Grace Mueller (4th, 13.47m) and Abbey Gilman (8th, 11.81m) ranking behind.
 
In the shot put, Gilman was the top Rochester finisher in sixth with a toss of 10.55 meters. Teammate Deziree Garrick was tied with her at 10.55 meters but finished seventh based on their second furthest throw, with Bequette placing eighth at 10.21 meters.
 
The Nazareth competition was the lone meet for UR in the first semester, as the team now will take a break for the holidays and return to action in mid-January. Rochester's next meet is scheduled for January 22nd at the SUNY Brockport Invitational.