Kate O’Connor set Rutgers-Camden program records in the pentathlon and heptathlon, competed in numerous events during the indoor and outdoor track season and reached the ECAC championships during a spectacular rookie year in 2017-18. She returns for her sophomore seasons with the Scarlet Raptors’ indoor and outdoor track programs this scholastic year.
Program records (through 2017-18): Indoor Track – Pentathlon (2,212 points) at the Frank Colden Invitational (Feb. 3, 2018);
Outdoor Track – Heptathlon (3,514 points) at the NJAC Championships (May 5-6, 2018).
Outdoor Track 2018: Competed in eight meets, including three times in the heptathlon…Set the program heptathlon record at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 5-6), collecting 3,514 points and finishing fourth of nine competitors…In her record-setting heptathlon, she finished first of nine in the javelin (a PR 30.75 meters), second of nine in the long jump (a PR 4.72 meters), third of eight in the high jump (a PR 1.42 meters), third on nine in the shot put (a PR 8.38 meters), fifth of nine in both the 200 meters (28.60) and the 100 high hurdles (17.53) and sixth of nine at 800 meters (a PR 2:50.50)…She also ran on the Raptors’ 4x100 relay team which finished fourth of eight (a PR 51.72) on the second day of the NJAC meet…Her performance in the conference meet earned her Rutgers-Camden’s Raptor of the Week award on May 7…Closed her season competing in the ECAC championships (May 16-17) in the heptathlon, finishing ninth of 15 with 3,085 points…Out of the 15 athletes at that meet, placed sixth in the javelin (27.67 meters), eighth in the 100 high hurdles (a PR 17.48) and the shot put (7.90 meters), ninth in the long jump (4.39 meters) 10th in the high jump (1.33 meters), 11th in the 200-meter dash (28.65) and 14th in the 800-meter run (3:07.92)…Her first heptathlon competition came at the Osprey Open (April 13-14) when she finished fourth of five athletes with 3,150 points…In that heptathlon, she was first in the javelin (28.46 meters) third at 200 meters (a PR 28.17) and the high jump (1.39 meters), and fourth at 800 meters (3:00.96), the long jump (4.34 meters), the 100 hurdles (18.18) and the shot put (7.55 meters)…Opened her season at the Delaware Classic (March 24), finishing 18th of 21 in the 200-meter dash (29.46) and fifth of five with the 4x100 team (54.89)…At the Stockton Invitational (March 31), placed 14th of 18 in the 100 high hurdles (18.69), 15th of 22 in the long jump (4.32 meters) and 19th of 22 in the shot put (7.81 meters)…Placed seventh of eight with the 4x100 team (55.40) at Gwynedd Mercy’s Mid-Week Twilight Invitational (April 11)…Competed in the javelin at both the Widener Invitational (April 21) and the Lions Invitational (April 27), placing 18th of 26 (29.00 meters) and 17th of 30 (26.85 meters), respectively…On the second day at the Lions Invitational (April 28), finished 35th of 64 at 200 meters (28.45) and 10th of 14 with the 4x100 relay team (a PR 52.60).
Indoor Track 2017-18: Competed in five meets, including the Frank Colden Invitational (Feb. 3), where she set the Rutgers-Camden program record with 2,212 points in the pentathlon, finishing sixth of nine athletes…Set PR marks of 1.37 in the high jump (tying for sixth of eight athletes), 7.26 meters in the shot put (fifth of eight) and 3:00.29 in the 800-meter run (sixth of eight), while also finishing fifth of nine in the 60-meter hurdles (10.56) and sixth of eight in the long jump (4.41 meters) in the Colden meet…Made Raptor debut at the TCNJ Winter Opener (Dec. 2), finishing seventh of 11 in the 60-meter hurdles (10.47) and posting PR marks of 47.50 in the 300-meter dash (23rd of 30) and 9.77 meters in the triple jump (third of six)…Set her PR of 30.41 in the 200-meter dash (52nd of 61) and also finished 23rd of 26 in the 60-meter hurdles (10.64) at the Fast Times Before Finals meet (Dec. 9)…At the New Jersey Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships (Feb. 19). finished 15th of 15 in the 60-meter hurdles (a RPR of 10.45), 10th of 14 in the long jump (4.55 meters) and 11th of 14 in the triple jump (9.52 meters)…Set PR marks in the 60-meter dash (8.56, 12th of 15) and the long jump (4.60 meters, sixth of seven) at the Fastrack Last Chance meet (Feb. 24).
High School: Multi-sport letterwinner at Gloucester City High School…Captured four track letters for Coach Elizabeth Light and also earned two letters apiece in cross country and bowling…First Team All-Conference in the triple jump and as a bowler…Graduated in 2016.
Personal: Born February 4, 1998…Hobbies include running and bowling…Health Sciences major at Rutgers-Camden…Kaitlyn is the daughter of Jim and Terry O’Connor of Gloucester City.
