Charlottesville, Va. – The UMBC women's outdoor track & field squad opened the 2026 University of Virginia Challenge with some excellent results on Friday.
Katie Schwaner turned in the second-fastest time in program history, 2:09.08, in the 800 meters to place 17th overall.
Building on that momentum,
Lily Strelecki ran a personal-best time of 4:38.60 in the 1,500 meters, placing 44th and finishing just outside the program's all-time top ten.
The Mitroka sisters, Emily and Elizabeth, continued the day's successes by placing seventh and ninth, respectively, in the 3,000 steeplechase. Emily's time of 11.37.88 was a personal best and still holds the eighth-best performance in program history. Elizabeth crossed the line in 11:49.92.
Meanwhile,
Charliana Dacosta placed ninth in the 100 meters with a time of 11.80, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the finals.
In field events,
Ava Roberts placed ninth in the shot put with an effort of 15.31 meters while
Marie Abongwa finished 23rd in the hammer (51.05m).
The action picks back up on Saturday morning as the UMBC squad looks to build on Friday's successes.
