The women’s track and field team set two new school records as both the Central Connecticut State University men’s and women’s teams earned three podium finishes at the New England Championships this past weekend in Boston, Massachusetts.

Senior Megan Brawner broke her own school record in the women’s indoor 1,000-meter run that she set last weekend. Brawner finished with a new best time of 2:51.80 in the indoor 1,000-meter run final which was good enough to earn her the silver medal. 

Brawner never got complacent after her record-breaking performance just one week ago at the John Thomas Invitational. 

“The beauty of running is that you can never be satisfied with the present,” Brawner said. “There is always someone faster than you, so I love the ability to set higher standards for myself and keep pushing through tough training blocks to run quick times.” 

The other record-breaking performance came from sophomore Angie Rafter. Rafter set the new school record this weekend with a time of 2:12.69 in the indoor 800-meter run final while grabbing the bronze medal. 

Rafter is able to find many ways to keep herself motivated and strive to be the best athlete that she can be. 

“Personally, I am never really ‘satisfied’ after races. I always finish a race and go over all the things I could’ve done differently, where I could’ve started my kick, where I could’ve been more conservative,” Rafter said. “My teammates are also a big part of how I stay motivated. We are such a small team, but we have so much potential and we want to show the other conference schools that.”  

Other standout performances for the Blue Devils at the New England Championships included senior Hailey Rospierski. Rospierski took fourth place in the women’s 60-meter hurdles final with a time of 8.69. The CCSU women’s track and field team finished ranked eleventh out of 24 teams that competed this past weekend.

The CCSU men’s track and field team also boasted a podium finish of their own. Senior Richard Grudzwick was able to take the bronze in the men’s 800-meter run final with a time of 1:55.28. 

Grudzwick credits the positivity and trust in his abilities to keep himself composed in big moments and in tough races. 

“I think my ability to stay positive and believe I can compete with the best of the best plays a big role when it comes to championship racing,” Grudzwick said. “I know I can kick or go with any of these guys so as long as I trust my strength and my kick, I know good things will happen.” 

The CCSU men’s track and field team also got strong performances from junior Miles Fye-Moore, senior Edwin Alston and senior Quincy Sanchez. Fye-Moore was able to qualify for the men’s 200-meter dash final and finished in eighth place with a time of 22.23 seconds. Alston and Sanchez both qualified for the men’s 60-meter hurdles final and finished in sixth (8.22) and eighth (8.33) respectively. The men’s team finished the New England Championships ranked twelfth out of the 22 teams that competed.

Head coach Eric Blake was pleased with the both team’s performances this past weekend, but has his eyes on more lofty goals. 

“We have a good group and they seem really self-motivated. This allows the coaching staff to focus on designing the right workouts to make the team better,” Blake said. “Our big team goal is always the NEC Championships. We want to win that, and the teams always have that in mind.” 

Up next for the track and field teams is a trip to Staten Island, New York to compete in the University at Albany Winter Classic on Friday, February 7.