Seven Massachusetts Track & Field Student-Athletes Earn Recognition From Atlantic 10

AMHERST, Mass. – Seven University of Massachusetts track & field student-athletes have earned accolades from the Atlantic 10 for the 2022 outdoor season, it was announced on Thursday. Sophomore Lillian Kirry, graduate student Kira Kopec and senior Lucas Honohan were named to the A-10 All-Academic Teams, while Shane Grant, Joseph Duggan, Katelyn Gorgenyi and Aaliyah Alleyne received All-Rookie Team accolades.

Kirry ran a personal best 58.67 to win the New England title in 400 meter hurdle this outdoor season, breaking her own school record in the event. The 2022 Atlantic 10 400 hurdle champion became the first Minutewoman to run a sub-60 time in the event when she first set the program all-time mark, 59.48 at the Friar Invitational on April 8. She qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in 400 meter hurdles and the human nutrition major will race in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday night.

Kopec improved her No. 2 all-time UMass mark in heptathlon, winning the event at the UConn Northeast Challenge on April 16 with a score of 5,156. She opened her final outdoor campaign by running a personal best in 400 meter hurdles at the Black & Gold Invitational, 1:01.27, the fifth-fastest time in program history. She helped the Minutewomen secure the team title at the Outdoor Atlantic 10 Championships, taking silver in heptathlon (5,058) and scoring in long jump (seventh, 18'0.5"). She ran on UMass' gold medal-winning 4x400 meter relay at the New England Championships, while also scoring in 400 meter hurdles (fourth) as the Minutewomen took home first as a team. The Brooks, Alberta native is a microbiology major with a minor in business.

Honohan, the UMass record holder in the 400 meter dash both indoors and outdoors, was an NCAA East Preliminary qualifier last spring and a 2021 Academic All-Conference honoree. At the 2022 Outdoor Atlantic 10 Championships, he was a bronze medalist in the 400 and finished fourth in the 200, while also scoring as a part of the 4x100m rand 4x400m relays that both took fifth at the conference meet. He also took bronze in the 400 and the 4x400 at the 2022 Outdoor New England Championships, helping the Minutemen to a third-place team finish. The Lexington, Massachusetts native is a finance and economics major.

Grant posted the top 800 meter time by any rookie in the conference this outdoor season, running 1 minute, 51.15 seconds to first in the event at the UMass Invitational on April 3. Duggan was honored for his performances both in shot put and discus. He threw 49 feet 9 inches in shot put for a runner-up finish at the Holy Cross invitational on April 23 and posted a mark of 153 feet, 10 inches in discus to take second at UMass' final home meet of the season on April 30.

Gorgenyi ran 14.42 in the 100 hurdles of the heptathlon at the Atlantic 10 Championships and collected a bronze in the open 100 hurdles with a wind-aided mark of 14.11, receiving All-Rookie recognition for that event. Alleyne posted the top rookie marks in both shot put and javelin. She threw 138 feet, 6 inches in javelin to take fourth at the A-10 Championships and posted a mark of 36 feet, 11.5 inches in shot put at the UMass Outdoor Invitational on April 30.

University of Massachusets Athletics

Seven Massachusetts Track & Field Student-Athletes Earn Recognition From Atlantic 10

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Players Mentioned

Aaliyah Alleyne

Joseph Duggan

Katelyn Gorgenyi

Shane Grant

Lucas Honohan

Lillian Kirry

Kira Kopec

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