The women’s track and field team won their third straight NESCAC Championship this past weekend at Tufts University. The men’s team meanwhile finished fifth place in their respective NESCAC Championship, and overall, the men’s and women’s teams combined for six individual victories.
“So many [people] on the team stepped up and performed even better than they were expected to perform,” said sprinter Anna Krouse ’25.5. “It was really exciting to be a part of that.”
The women’s championship victory was led by impressive performances from a number of athletes. The Panthers notably dominated in the throwing events. Jaxon Palmer ’25 won the hammer throw and placed second place in the javelin competition. Palmer’s hammer throw title was her second win in the NESCAC after she triumphed in the javelin in the 2022 season. Fellow thrower Julia Tulimieri ’26 won the shot put title with a 12.26 meter throw, coming up just 0.09 meters short of a school record. Finally, in the discus competition, Madeline Saunders ’25 took second place with a 41.54 meter throw.
The women’s team continued to enjoy success on the track. Audrey MacLean ’27 shined during the weekend, cementing her place as one of Middlebury’s top performing athletes. MacLean won both the 3,000 meter steeplechase and the 5,000 meter race, making her one of just three Panthers ever to win multiple NESCAC Championships in a single season and the first rookie to accomplish this feat. MacLean runs for the women’s cross country team in the fall, where she won NESCAC Rookie of the Year this past season.
“Not only is Audrey a fantastic runner, but she's also an amazing teammate,” Krouse said “She has a really positive attitude about racing and running.”
Apart from MacLean, the team had many other admirable performances on the track. Elle Thompson ’25 came in third place in the 800-meter race, and Ciara Dale ’24 came in third place in the 400-meter hurdles. Ultimately, the Panthers clinched the team championship after the team of Thompson, Lily Bulczynski ’26, Caroline VanSchaik ’27 and Tatum Peskin ’24 came home in second place in the 4x800 meter relay.
On the men’s side, six Panthers won all NESCAC honors. Dave Filias ’25 won the hammer throw for the second consecutive year. His throw of 61.22 meters was a school record, crushing the competition as the runner-up finished over eight meters behind. Ziggy Goddard ’25 also claimed an individual title in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, and Alec Gironda ’24, Xander Swann ’25, Dan Urchuk ’25 and Caleb Smith ’27 each earned All-NESCAC Honors after each placing third in their respective competitions.
Looking forward, both the men’s and women’s teams will send select athletes to the Division III New England Championships at Mt. Holyoke College this weekend.
“Everyone who qualified this weekend is gonna go out and just have another chance to race, and the weather's looking good and people are pretty excited,” Krouse said.
Beyond the regional championship, both teams will hope to send runners to the national meet later in May to conclude a successful spring season.
