2008 Woodie Awards
UConn Track On A Roll
Women's Track And Field To Send Record Number Of Athletes To National Championships
Mike Barnhart
Issue date: 6/9/08 Section: Sports
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For the women's team, the hard work paid off as a record four athletes will compete in the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 11 through 14.
The men's team had eight compete in the NCAA East Regional Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., though none had good enough marks to make it to the NCAA Championships.
The road to getting to the NCAA's was long for both teams.
Both teams traveled to Philadelphia at the beginning of May to compete in the Big East Championships. The women's team finished in fourth place overall while the men came up just short of the title, placing second.
The top individual performers for the men were Basil Campbell, who had three top-five finishes including a win in the 200-meter dash, and Mike Rutt, who won the 800-meter dash.
"Basil definitely stood out for us. He showed a lot of toughness racing eight times in two days," said head coach Greg Roy.
Tamara Highsmith and Trisha-Ann Hawthorne were standouts for the women's team. Highsmith set a new school record en route to taking home the triple jump crown. Hawthorne won both the 100-and 200-meter dashes.
After the Big East Championships, the women captured the title at the ECAC Championships. The field consisted of over 40 teams from all over the East Coast. Highsmith and Hawthorne repeated their success from Big East Championships winning the same events. Amanda Martin got in the act as well by winning the javelin event.
The men followed the Big East Championships by competing in the New England Championships which were held in Durham, N.H., finishing second in the event. The men had three team members win events. Rutt won the 800-meter run, Kyle Edmonds won the 400-meter hurdles, and Andrew Dubs added a first place finish in the shot put.
"Rutt and Dubs continued what they have done all year and had big time performances for us," Roy said.
The men competed in the IC4A Championships in mid-May. Brian Gagnon stood out for the Huskies with his win in the 800-meter run. Andrew Dubs also had a strong showing, finishing second in the shot put.
Both teams competed in the NCAA East Regional Championships in Tallahassee. Hawthorne and Tynisha McMillan both qualified for nationals with their performances. McMillan placed fifth in the shot put and Hawthorne placed fifth in 200-meter dash.
All-Americans Highsmith and Carin Knight were also announced as participants for the NCAA Championships on June 3.
The men had eight competitors in Tallahassee and Marquis Thomas was most successful, finishing 10th in the high jump. Other respectable performances included a 12th-place finish in the shot put for Dubs and a 16th-place finish in the 800-meter run for Mike Rutt. The men fell short of sending anyone to the NCAA Championships after no one earned an automatic bid to nationals.
"I like the progress we have made all year and with the exception of Basil, everyone will be back next year," Roy said.
The returnees will be joined by an excellent recruiting class which adds up to a bright future for the Huskies.
The women will have to endure a greater deal of losses to graduation than the men including All-American Highsmith, but they will still have a formidable base with the likes of Hawthorne and McMillan returning.
Contact Mike Barnhart at Michael.Barnhart@UConn.edu.
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