Rutgers track & field wins gold, qualifies for nationals at Big Ten Championships
The Rutgers track & field team had a successful outing at the Big Ten Championships on February 23 and 24. The Scarlet Knights brought back seven medals from Geneva, Ohio, including four gold, two silver and one bronze.
The women's team dominated the weekend, winning all four of the school's gold medals and one bronze medal. The women's team finished seventh out of the 13 schools competing, collecting 61 points at the meet. This tops the previous program record of 45, set one year ago at the 2023 indoor championships.
Junior distance runner Alex Carlson led the team with two gold medals. Carlson entered day two as the reigning champion of the 3,000-meter dash and successfully defended her title with a time of 9:16.47 minutes. Carlson also placed first in the women's mile with a time of 4:34.01.
The other two first-place finishes came off the track on day one. Junior pole vaulter Chloe Timberg earned gold in the pole vault, and sophomore jumper Celine-Jada Brown finished first in the long jump.
Timberg echoed her 2023 indoor championship performance by once again breaking both the meet and school records, clearing a height of 4.55 meters (14' 11"). Brown jumped a length of 6.37 meters (20' 10.75"), which is now the number two all-time school record.
Carlson, Timberg and Brown all earned First Team All-Big Ten honors for their performances.
The men's team failed to win gold but was able to win two silver medals on day one, finishing ninth out of 11 teams with 28.5 points. Last season, the men's team finished 10th overall with 34.5 points.
Junior jumper and sprinter Sincere Robinson had an exceptional weekend, placing second in the long jump with a jump of 7.88 meters (25' 10.25") on day one. On day two, Robinson tied for fourth place in the high jump with a height of 2.15 meters (7' 0.5").
Sophomore pole vaulter Kevin O'Sullivan was the other second-place finisher, clearing a height of 5.23 meters (17' 1.75"). His brother, freshman pole vaulter Brian O'Sullivan, secured a sixth-place finish in the pole vault.
Robinson and Kevin O'Sullivan earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors for their performances.
On Tuesday, Timberg and Robinson were selected to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Robinson will be making his third consecutive appearance, and Timberg has qualified for the second straight year.
Timberg was ranked second nationally in the women's pole vault with her season-best 4.55 meters (14' 11") set last weekend. Robinson was ranked 12th nationally in the men's long jump with a distance of 7.89 meters (25' 10.75") set at the Bob Pollock Invitational back in January.
The NCAA Championships will take place in Boston on March 8 and 9.
"I'm so proud of this team," said Director of Rutgers Track and Field and Cross Country Bobby Farrell. "The women stepped up huge. They are a special group that keeps getting better and better. The men's team is very young and talented but inexperienced. The indoor season was critical in their learning process, and they'll be ready for a big outdoor."
For more updates on the Rutgers track and field team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of Philip Jaccoma's work, follow @PJaccoma on X.
