RALEIGH, N.C. -- A contingent of the Yale women's track and field team was back in action Friday in North Carolina at the Raleigh Relays. The day was highlighted by yet another broken school record by senior phenom
Kayley DeLay in the 5k. Friday's performances by the Bulldogs prove that they will be a true threat to watch out for in the championship season.
The day started off with the discus throw at 9:30 a.m. Senior captain
Emma Vasen had an amazing day, as she earned a new personal record of 43.69m. She placed fifth in the competition and maintained her fifth-place spot on Yale's all-time list. She also asserted her dominance amongst Ivy competition, as Princeton's throwers placed 14th and 17th in the event. In their first discus throw as Bulldogs, first years
Kalei Memmer and
Violette Perry as well as sophomore
Maria Leskovec gained some valuable experience in the event. Memmer threw a distance of 40.76m, earning a top 10 performance at Yale.
In the 100m dash, senior
Libby McMahon competed extremely well and came away with an impressive 11.46 for fourth place overall. Shortly behind her were senior
Ava Thomas and junior
Aliya Boshnak, who ran 12.17 and 12.40 respectively.
In the high jump, sophomore
Abrianna Barrett competed with the best as she placed 10th in a field composed of athletes from all over the country. She jumped to a height of 1.65m, just .05m off her personal best. She has been performing consistently this year and is bound to break her personal record this outdoor season.
In the 1500m, senior
Jocelyn Chau and sophomore
Kyra Pretre headed into a loaded field and produced some impressive marks. Chau placed 51st overall and ran 4:28.17 to beat Princeton's Margaret Hock, the 2022 Ivy League Indoor 800m champion. She was also less than a second away from besting Princeton's fastest distance runner, Fiona Max. Chau has proven that she has the speed to contend with the best and will be a true threat come Heps. In her first collegiate 1500m, Pretre put down an impressive 4:37.33. This meet afforded her with a great learning experience and positioned her well for a successful outdoor season.
Later at night, DeLay took to the track in her first outdoor 5k race. The field consisted of professional athletes as well as runners from the top distance programs in the country. DeLay fearlessly moved to the front and stayed within the top pack at an extremely challenging pace. DeLay never backed down from her position and finished the race in third place with a school record time of 15:39.11. The previous record of 15:51.30 was set by alum
Kate O'Neill '03 in 2003. DeLay was the top collegiate finisher in the race. To those that know DeLay, her performance is not a surprise at all. She has already set Yale records in the indoor 3k and indoor 5k, and she has won the Ivy League Cross Country Championship individual title twice. She also individually qualified for two NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors at both. She has left an indelible mark in the history books of Yale Track and Field, and her final outdoor season is only getting started.
On the final day of the competition Saturday, the Bulldogs will be competing in the 4x100m, 800m, 400m hurdles, hammer throw, 200m dash, and 4x400m events. The Bulldogs are starting off the outdoor season strong, and are putting themselves in a great position for the championship portion in May and June. The Raleigh Relays are being streamed on
ESPN and live results can be found
here.
