PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester women's track & field program saw three school records and one facility record fall as the Yellowjackets competed in the UR Spring Twilight on Friday afternoon inside Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Megan Bell turned in Rochester's first record-breaking performance of the day, breaking the school record in the 800 meters for the second time this season. Bell beat the field by nearly 10 seconds, clocking in at 2:09.56, a new school and facility record, as well as an All-Atlantic Region Track & Field (AARTFC) qualifier and currently the sixth-fastest 800 meters in Division III this outdoor season.
 
Emily Dill joined Bell finishing in the top five of the 800 meters, crossing the finish line in 2:22.69, a new PR. In total, Rochester tallied 14 AARTFC regional qualifiers, five first-place finishes, 13 new personal bests and seven new times on the NCAA Division III Outdoor Qualifying List.
 
Just after Bell broke the 800-meter record, Nora Chen set the facility record in the 400-meter hurdles, pacing the field with a 1:02.29s time, another AARTFC mark and the seventh-fastest time in DIII this season.
 
UR's other two program records would come in the jumping events, as Ashley Heffernan broke her own school record in the long jump, and Madeline O'Connell set a new high mark in the pole vault.
 
Heffernan broke the long jump record for the second time this season, leading three 'Jacket finishers in the top six of the event. Heffernan's 5.83m leap set a new school record, notched another regional qualifier and is the fifth-furthest long jump in DIII this season. Both Alyssa Hoogs and Ashleigh Barrett also scored regional qualifying leaps in the event, with Hoogs' 5.54m leap placing third, a new PR and currently the 36th-best leap in Division III, while Barrett's 5.37m jump was good for sixth.
 
Hoogs also hit a regional qualifier in the triple jump, finishing third overall with a leap of 11.20m, while Heffernan added another top-50 time in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing second with a time of 14.53s, the 25th-fastest 100-meter hurdles in Division III so far this season, and another regional qualifier.
 
In the pole vault, O'Connell also broke her own school record, setting the No. 1 mark in NCAA Division III this season with a 4.07m height, both a school and facility record, as well as an AARTFC qualifier.
 
Earlier on in the day, O'Connell ran the 200 meters, placing second with her 25.14s time, another AARTFC mark and currently the 44th-fastest 200 meters in DIII.
 
Rochester got its day started on the track with the 4x100-meter relay, as Toni Adewakun, Chen, Raquella Casserino, Christine Zong ran to a third-place finish with their 50.62s time.
 
Next up in the 1,500 meters, both Ellie Ponko and Sab Lin notched AARTFC qualifiers and new personal bests, with Ponko coming in fourth (4:47.87) and Lin finishing seventh (4:48.73).
 
In the 400 meters, Kate Isaac led a trio of UR finishers in the top eight, finishing second with an AARTFC-qualifying time of 58.31 seconds, while Casserino (4th, 59.46) and Rita Sciortino (7th, 1:02.52) both set new PRs with their times.
 
Tina Kyriacou was Rochester's top finisher in the 100 meters, placing eight (12.97) while Riley Joseph wrapped up the individual events on the track with the 5,000 meters, setting a new PR with a 19:27.02 time and a seventh-place result.
 
To wrap up the Yellowjackets' day on the track, UR's 'A' and 'B' relays scored first and third-place results in the 4x400-meter relay. Julia Largett, Bell, Chen and Casserino ran on the 'A' squad, clocking in at 3:56.78, the 35th-fastest 4x400 relay this season and an AARTFC mark, while Sciortino, Dill, Ponko and Julia Lantner ran on the 'B' team, clocking in at 4:19.86.
 
In the throwing events, Deziree Garrick led UR in both the shot put and hammer, hitting the AARTFC mark on the nose in the shot put with a 12.00m throw, good for fourth. Madison Vargas joined Garrick in the top eight of the shot put with an 11.42m throw, good for seventh and a new PR, while Liv Ilasz (5th, 42.90m) and Cora Rose (8th, 39.96m) both placed in the hammer throw.
 
Rose also led Rochester in the discus, finishing fourth with a 36.65m throw, while Aimee Oszer placed fifth (35.64m) and Vargas came in sixth (33.95m). Oszer then led UR in the javelin toss, with her 31.59m throw good for second, while fellow first-years Victoria Bermeo (27.41m) and Cassidy Romano (26.44m) placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
 
And in the high jump, both Nora Dreslin and Lily Hubert tied for fifth, surpassing the 1.44m bar.
 
The Yellowjackets next head to Troy, NY to defend their conference title at the 2024 Liberty League Outdoor Track & Field Championships, beginning on Friday, May 3 at 12:00 p.m.