At the Tom Jones Memorial Invitation this past weekend, Rutgers track and field standouts Alex Carlson and Chloe Timberg helped the Scarlet Knights earn a split. In the process, they rewrote the record books for the program.
The Scarlet Knights finished the weekend with six top-three finishes and ten total performances on the top-10 all-time list.
An unforgettable weekend started with Carlson, who improved upon the previous 5,000-meter record by more than 30 seconds. The New Jersey native won the event with a time of 15:53.14. It was not only a new personal best for Carlson but also shattered the nearly 22-year-old record set by All-American Julie Culley.
Congratulations to Alex Carlson for setting another Rutgers school record in the 5,000m with a time of 15:53.14 at the Larry Ellis Invitational @ Princeton University. Carlson broke Julie Culley’s record (16:29.84) set in 2002. Go Knights! ⚔️🛡🔥 #WeRInevitable #RutgersDistance pic.twitter.com/bCsYefuElr
— Coach Jelley (@CoachJelley) April 13, 2024
Joining Carlson in making history was Chloe Timberg, who cleared the bar in the women’s pole vault at 4.56m (14′ 11.5″). This topped her previous mark, which was set at the Larry Ellis Invitational meet record. In the men’s 5,000-meter, Brian Pedretti also had a memorable performance, clocking a time of 14:31.19, which ranks fifth all-time.
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With the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in the books, Rutgers focus now shifts to the UofSC Open in Columbia, South Carolina and the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on April 20. The Scarlet Knights will again look to add to the record books as the season winds down.