the Informer

Kaycee Martinez won the 400-meter hurdles and added a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the UConn Invitational. (Hartford Sports Information)

Hartford’s track and field team kicked off the first weekend of April at the University of Connecticut, competing in the UConn Alumni Invitational. The venue hosted numerous top-notch athletic programs in the Northeast, such as UMass. Amherst, Brown, University of Rhode Island, Bentley and of course Connecticut.

The men showed success Saturday, individually and collectively, ranking high in multiple events. Anderson Emerole and Warren Lane were two runners who flourished in several events on the track.

Emerole, who finished first in last week’s 200-meter dash, followed up his dominant performance with another great showing in the event. His time of 22.46 was the fourth best in the race. Warren Lane too claimed a top-five rank. His sprint time of 49.53 seconds in the 400-meter dash awarded him the fifth place standing.

Graduate student and Hartford track standout Mike Dupaul, returned to his former school in Storrs, Conn., with a record-breaking performance. Dupaul collected a first-place honor in the 800-meter run, surpassing the second-place finisher, Nathan Edler of Brown, by about one second. His time of 1:53.79 shattered Hartford’s previous record for the 800-meter dash.

Freshman Ackeme Brown was the only male athlete from Hartford who thrived in the field. Brown’s performance in the long jump was impressive, his leap of 6.82 meters was the second farthest distance in the event. He also excelled in the 100-meter dash, rounding the top half of the finishers, placing sixth with a time of 11.37.

Brittney Lawson is one athlete on the women’s side who has dramatically improved her skill level in throwing week after week. She set the standard in the weight throw for the Hawks during the winter season, and came out of a stunning performance last week at the RPI invitational, breaking a 13-year-old school record for the hammer throw. Saturday, she continued this upward trend, breaking her previous record for the hammer throw by .28 meters. Her throw was good for a sixth-place rank.

Senior tandem Kaycee Martinez and Ariana Bass excelled on the track Saturday, each placing within the top five in the 400-meter hurdles. Martinez crossed the finish line first in the event, recording a time of 1:04:38. Her teammate, Bass, finished about a half second later, cementing the fourth spot accolade. Martinez also shined in the 100-meter hurdles. Her time of 15.71 was the fourth best in the event.

One of the strongest aspects of the Hawk’s track and field team throughout the indoor and outdoor season has been its success in the relay races. In Storrs, the men thrived once again in both the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays. The team embraced two second-place honors. In both of the races, Hartford placed behind Connecticut and in front of Rhode Island.

With two meets under their belt in their 2010 outdoor campaign, the Hawks will next travel to the University of Massachusetts Invitational on April 10th.