at the Virginia Challenge: Live Results
v. the George Davis Invite: Live Results | AE.tv | Meet Program
 
LOWELL, Mass.—With just two weeks standing before the America East Outdoor Championships, the UMass Lowell track & field team is gearing up for another action-packed weekend as they host the George Davis Invitational on Saturday, April 22, and take part in the Virginia Challenge hosted by Virginia, April 21-22.
 
Up first, a select group of River Hawks hit the road for Charlottesville, Va., for two days of competition at the Virginia Challenge. On Friday, senior Michael Blake (Hudson, Mass.) and junior Madison Marsh (Dudley, Mass.) look to earn their spot in the 100m finals after opening the day in the 100m preliminaries. Senior Avery Leyond (Woburn, Mass.), graduate student Kashief Bogannam (Kingston, N.H.) and graduate student Joseph Gaudreau (Wilmington, Mass.) will keep the excitement rolling for the River Hawk sprinters in the 400m.
 
A bevy of middle-distance and distance runners wrap up day one of the Virginia Challenge across the 1,500m and 10,000m. Graduate student Emily Sessa (Tewksbury, Mass.) and senior Kenzie Doyle (Swansea, Mass.) both earned their spot in the women's 1,500m invitational. No stranger to the 1,500m, Sessa turned in an impressive third-place finish at the Duke Invitational just weeks ago. Doyle, a champion of the 5,000m and 10,000m events, will be joining Sessa in the middle-distance challenge for the first time in her collegiate career.
 
On the men's side, graduate student Daniel Cosgrove (Boxford, Mass.) takes his shot at the men's 1,500m invite as the lone River Hawk stepping up to the line. The distance duo of senior John Riley (Quincy, Mass.) and graduate student Drew Everett (Amesbury, Mass.) caps the night for UMass Lowell with the men's 10,000m starting at 9 p.m.
 
Marsh, Blake, Gaudreau and Leydon return to the track on Saturday for the final day of the Virginia Challenge, competing in the 200m and 800m events. Graduate student Izzy Giesing (Bradford, Vt.) also makes her weekend debut in the 800m, competing alongside Leydon to wrap up the weekend.
 
Back at home, the team prepares for the 2023 George Davis Invitational at the Cushing Field Athletic Complex. A highlight of the outdoor season for past and present River Hawks alike, UMass Lowell welcomes teams from all around the Northeast on Saturday afternoon. The day opens with the return of the Alumni Mile at 10:30 a.m. followed by the Kids Fun 100m Run at 10:45 a.m. before the starting gun fires for the field and track athletes.
 
Multi-event sophomore Fleur Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.) is eager to showcase the work she has been putting in this season across the board.
 
"I'm beginning to feel more confident in my jumps and hope to see them continue to come together this weekend," said Balogh de Galantha. "I've been working on each event piece-by-piece, focusing on what I can improve and what I need to change."
 
On top of chasing personal bests, the team's hoping to continue their development as the conference championships creep closer. For sophomore Graham Stedfast (Rowley, Mass.) part of the excitement of this weekend's meet lies in the potential preview of what the postseason has in store.
 
"I'm excited to see what we can do as a team now that conference is just a couple of weeks away. I think we have a strong squad, and we'll see some good performances on Saturday," commented Stedfast. "A lot of people are using this meet as a final tune-up in preparation for conference, so it's important to focus up and treat it as such."
 
Live results for the 2023 Virginia Challenge will be available through Flash Results, while results for the 2023 George Davis Invitational can be found on Lancer Timing. Additionally, the George Davis Invitational will be streamed live on AE.tv.