HENRIETTA, NY – It was a thrilling finish for the University of Rochester women's track and field team as the Yellowjackets edged out Ithaca College by a mere half a point to claim the 2023 Liberty League Indoor Track & Field title at RIT's Gordon Field House on Saturday afternoon.
 
Rochester's women used four events in which they scored over 15 points on Saturday to complete a come-from-behind performance. Key late meet wins in the weight throw and 4x400 meter relay were the difference makers for the Yellowjackets.
 
UR ended up with 186 total points across the two-day competition, beating Ithaca's 185.5 points by the slimmest of margins. RPI was a distant third in the standings with 87 points. Overall, eight teams make up the Liberty League, with Vassar, St. Lawrence, RIT, Union and Bard rounding out the field.
 
On the day, Rochester accumulated four event wins, had 12 regional qualifying marks and earned five NCAA Division III top-50 rankings.
 
Senior Susan Bansbach was named the Women's Track Performer of the Meet after earning two wins and a third place result on Saturday, adding to her 400 meter win from Friday.
 
Bansbach claimed the title in the 200 meters in 25.42 seconds, a mark that is top-20 in Division III this season. Teammate Kate Isaac finished runner-up in 25.87 seconds (#42 Division III) and Kristin Hardy scored two key points with a seventh place result, clocking in at 26.56 seconds. All three were qualifiers for the All-Atlantic Region meet and added a total of 20 points towards the team score.
 
During the weight throw, Gillian Reeder smashed her personal best in the event earning a victory after a heave of 16.11 meters, a regional qualifier and #37 distance on the Division III performance list. Reeder's win led five Yellowjackets in the top nine, four of whom recorded new personal-best throws.
 

Livia Ilasz ended third in 14.16 meters (personal-best), Deziree Garrick was fifth at 14.00 meters (personal-best) and Vanessa Wish scored a sixth place result after a throw of 13.89 meters. Cora Rose ended just off the podium with a personal-best toss of 12.73 meters. That group added 23 points to Rochester's team total.
 
In the 800 meters, sophomore Megan Bell captured the crown in a time of 2:16.28, a personal-best, regional qualifier and current #24 time on the Division III performance list. Joining her on the podium was Carissa Minarovich who captured seventh place in 2:23.20, also establishing a new PR.
 
The triple jump contingent of Alyssa Hoogs, Rose, Zoe Fortin and Ashleigh Barrett added another strong field event to the mix for Rochester. Hoogs, Rose and Fortin qualified for regionals, ending third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Barrett was eighth and UR boosted its team score by another 16 points.
 
Hoogs' jump was 11.15 meters, Rose set a personal-best again with a 10.93 meter jump and Fortin recorded a distance of 10.82 meters. Barrett finished with a mark of 10.73 meters.
 
Rochester knew they were in for a big point haul in the 60 meters after Friday's prelim rounds moved five individuals into the eight-runner final. Bansbach led the way with a third place result in a personal-best 7.87 seconds. Isaac ended fourth (7.94 seconds) and was followed closely by Annabelle Shanks (8.10 seconds), Madeline O'Connell (8.11 seconds) and Christina Kyriacou (8.22 seconds), who placed sixth, seventh and eighth.
 
After her win during the pentathlon on Friday, Ashley Heffernan came back on Saturday in the 60 meter hurdles and wound up in third place with a 9.11 second time, cracking the NCAA's top-50.
 
To close the meet, UR's 4x400 meter relay team of Hardy, Bell, Minarovich and Bansbach were winners in 4:04.00, an AARTFC time, earning the win by over six seconds, sealing the team victory.
 
The win is the first indoor track and field team title for Rochester since joining the Liberty League, and is the second straight for the Yellowjackets following last season's outdoor track and field conference crown.
 
Up next, Rochester will head back to the Big Apple next weekend for the second time this season competing in the All-Atlantic region Indoor Championships.