Crusaders break records at UConn Northeast Challenge

Kulis and Mazzocca break hurdles school records

STORRS, Conn.— The Holy Cross track and field teams traveled to Connecticut to compete in the UConn Northeast Challenge from Friday, Apr. 12 to Saturday, Apr. 13. The men competed against 26 other collegiate teams while the women took on 22.

The women finished in ninth talling 37.5 points and the men finished in ninth with 34.5 points in the meet.

WOMEN'S MEET HIGHLIGHTS:

Sophomore Celia Kulis broke the school record in the 100m hurdles to claim second place with a time of 13.92 while competing in the heptathlon on day one of the meet. The previous time was 14.07 set by junior Ella Grey last year at the Holy Cross Invitational on Apr. 22, 2023. Kulis finished sixth in the heptathlon with 4,485 points.
Junior Abby Hughes clinched first in the 1500m with a personal best time of 4:35.28. Sophomore Alex Lusby was right behind Hughes finishing in fourth in the event with a time of 4:40.34.
Junior Caroline Gage finished in fifth in the 5000m with a time of 18:27.43.
Grey placed fifth in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.11.
Junior Haley Murphy finished sixth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.58, a personal best.
Junior Maura Switzer took a shared fifth place in the pole vault with a 3.63m mark.
The 4x100 relay team including sophomore Giavanna Ciaravino, junior Molly O'Connor, senior Kiley Ronan, and Grey claimed seventh place with a time of 47.72.
The 4x400 relay team including Ronan, Murphy, Lusby and O'Connor claimed fifth place with a time of 3:58.87.

MEN'S MEET HIGHLIGHTS:

Senior Mike Mazzocca clinched first in the 110m hurdles to break his own school record with a time of 14.06. He set the record last year at the Merrimack Alumni Classic (14.19) on April 15th, 2023.
Junior William Schimitsch claimed second in the 5000m with a personal best time of 15:15.55
Freshman Joseph Mahon came in a shared fifth in the 800m with a time of 1:55.09.
Junior Brian Fennelly took fifth in the decathlon with a total of 6,476 points.
Freshman Rory Olsen placed sixth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 56.38. Fellow freshman Matthew Perkins also competed in the event coming in eighth with a time of 56.73.
Junior Sam Baker competed in the 3000m steeplechase crossing the finish at 10:26.53 for sixth place.
The 4x400 relay team including freshman Luke Boothroyd, senior Rigoberto Alfonso, junior Stephen Joseph and junior Andrew Van De Mark claimed eighth place with a time of 3:27.69.