Eastern graduate Jailya Ash, now a sophomore at Connecticut, opened her season over the weekend with a PR in the 60-meter hurdles and a near-miss at the school record.
Ash won the 60 highs at the Joe Donahue Games Opener at The Track at New Balance in Boston in 8.31, winning easily over teammate Felicia Quainico, who ran 8.73.
Her previous PR was 8.54 from the Rutgers Open in February at the Armory. She actually lowered it to 8.52 in the trials.
The only faster time on record by a Uconn woman belongs to Phylicia George, who ran 8.24 in the prelims at the 2010 NCAA Championships at Randall Tyson Track at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She missed qualifying for the final by 2-100ths of a second.
Ash’s time is No. 7 in NCAA Division 1 after two weeks of the indoor season and has her ranked No. 5 among U.S. women, 1-100th of a second behind Rancocas Valley graduate Jasmine Staten of Holy Family College in Philadelphia, who according to World Athletics ran 8.30 in the trials at the Fastrack Season Opener at Ocean Breeze on Dec. 2, although the meet results show an 8.36 and the Track and Field Results Reporting System doesn’t even list any times from the prelims, perhaps because of a timing irregularity.
UConn hasn’t updated the school records on its web site since 2015, but last year I took a couple hours and put together an all-time Huskies hurdles top 10, and here’s what that looks like now.
All-Time UConn 60-meter hurdles list
8.24 … Phylicia George, 2010
8.31 … Jailya Ash, 2023
8.33 … April Garner, 2005
8.45 … Madalayne Smith, 2012
8.55 … Chantal Scott, 2014
8.61 … Shavon Briscoe, 2012
8.61 … Tia Strackman, 2018
8.62 … Ashley Wiggins, 2017
8.63 … Toni-Ann Moore, 2015
8.67 … Gillian Flemmings, 2002
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 