PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester women's track and field team combined to set three new facility records and added four events wins in a runner-up finish among 13 teams at the UR Alumni Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Fauver Stadium.
 
Senior Madeline O'Connell was a triple-winner to lead the Yellowjackets and was a part of two of those new facility marks. Megan Bell earned the other in a first place run during the 800 meters, with UR's 4x100 meter relay of O'Connell, Kristin Hardy, Ashley Heffernan and Susan Bansbach making up the other Yellowjacket win.
 
Rochester ended with 122 team points across the meet and was locked in a battle with nationally ranked SUNY Geneseo throughout the day. Entering the meet, Geneseo and UR were #10 and #11 in the most recent Division III ratings index.
 
O'Connell's day started by anchoring the relay which posted a time of 47.53 seconds to qualify Rochester for the All-Atlantic Regional meet next month. The time also ranks Rochester as the #12 team in Division III currently on the outdoor performance list.
 
The UR senior turned her focus over to the pole vault where she cleared 3.76 meters, tying the Fauver Stadium record and earned another regional qualifying mark. Her third win of the day came in the 200 meters as she clocked in with a 25.03 second time, another current top-30 time in Division III.
 
Bell's performance in the 800 meters was an outdoor personal-best, shaving a whopping eight seconds off her prior best time in the event. That time was easily a regional qualifier and is now ranked #10 in Division III this season.
 
The win highlighted a strong race for the Yellowjackets in the 800 meters, as Hardy wound up third (2:18.40) and Bansbach placed sixth (2:21.00), with both also earning an AAR qualifying time.
 
Later on in the meet, Kat Benninger finished fourth in the 5000 meters in 18:26.95, a new personal-best by over 15 seconds to qualify for Atlantic regionals and the 4x400 meter relay team of Carissa Minarovich, Bell, Maya Hatch and Hardy also booked a regional spot with a third place run in 4:07.14.
 
Rochester's long jump top-3 all hit the AAR standard in that event, finishing second, third and fourth. Heffernan led the group with a 5.41 meter jump. Teammate Ashleigh Barrett also jumped 5.41 meters, but Heffernan's second longest jump edged her out on the tiebreaker. Alyssa Hoogs finished fourth with a leap of 5.37 meters.
 
Also in the field, Cora Rose and Gillian Reeder traded third and fourth place finishes in the discus and javelin. Rose finished third in the discus with a toss of 39.85 meters while Reeder finished right behind her with 38.39 meters. Both were regional qualifiers.
 
During the javelin, Reeder edged out Rose, with the two swapping finishing positions. In that event, Reeder's mark was 31.57 meters with Rose ending at 29.57 meters.
 
Reeder also led the 'Jackets in the hammer throw, finishing fifth in 45.20 meters. Livia Ilasz placed sixth (44.39 meters) and Vanessa Wish ended seventh (41.47 meters), also scoring points for UR.
 
Deziree Garrick and Rose were scorers in the shot put for the UR throwing group, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively.
 
Other top-eight performances that scored for Rochester on the day included Tina Kyriacou ranking sixth in the 100 meters (12.91 seconds) and Zoe Fortin placing sixth in the triple jump (10.28 meters). Sabrina Terando opened the meet with a seventh place run in the steeplechase (12:59.34) and Trinity Johnson added a point to UR's total with her eighth place (1.38 meters) finish in the high jump.
 
UR heads to the St. John Fisher Cardinal Classic next weekend, using that competition to tune-up for the Liberty League Championships being hosted by Rochester during the first weekend in May.