Among the more peculiar events of track & field are the javelin, pole vault and triple jump: Launching a spear, launching yourself with a spear of sorts, and tactical skipping into a sandbox. Then there is the steeplechase: roughly seven laps on the track, 28 regular barriers, and seven water jumps. In honor of the recent NESCAC track & field championship, I explore the archaic discipline and share some Panthers’ perspectives on this issue of Tapped-in.
Last weekend, the men’s and women’s track & field programs traveled to Williamstown, MA, for the conference meet. The Panthers claimed numerous individual titles and broke multiple school records across Saturday and Sunday. Caleb Smith ’27 set a new school record in the long jump, the men’s 4x400 meter relay broke the NESCAC meet record, and Toby Warmack ’29 broke the school record in the high jump (at 6.66 feet). In-form Lily Wurtz ’26 broke her own school record and won the individual title in the discus, the 4x100 meter relay reset their own school record from last week, and Lily Haskins-Vaughan ’29 recorded a dominant win in the high jump.
Overall, the men’s team finished in third, 18 points behind Amherst’s 159. Middlebury’s women placed fourth, as Tufts won their first title in over a decade. A closer look at the results reveals a trend across both of the Panthers’ programs. Middlebury fielded eight total runners in the steeplechase, all of whom ran in their respective fast heats. In fact, the men’s steeplechasers alone scored as many points as the entire Connecticut College men’s team.
The steeplechase is said to be named after a racing discipline, either on horseback or on foot, that originated in the British Isles in the 18th century. Church steeples were often the most prominent landmarks, and competitors would race from steeple to steeple. In between were the obstacles one might expect in the countryside— boulders, fences, walls, rivers and streams.
Standardizing the race meant putting athletes on the track, replacing walls with barriers and digging water pits for streams. Today, the race is 3000 meters long, requiring athletes to clear four standard barriers and leap over the water pit once per lap. The pit is 12 feet long and just over two feet deep by the barrier, sloping up along the landing zone. The barriers are three feet tall for men and two and a half feet tall for women — not to be underestimated on the last lap, with lactic acid pooling and legs screaming.
The distance, barriers and water pits combine to form a volatile race. As Owen Johnson ’26 explained, “either it will go really well, or it can go really badly. There [are] very few mediocre steeple races.” It only takes a push from your competition or slight hesitation approaching a jump and an entire race can fall apart. As such, it takes a certain focus and fortitude to steeple well.
“You could be the fastest 5k guy in the NESCAC, but if you don’t have grit or the technical ability to get over 35 hurdles, you just don’t stand a chance in the race,” Janie Morganroth ’26 said.
The grit necessary in the steeplechase makes for purer racing. Johnson, who placed second at the championship meet with a 16-second personal best, leans into the elbows-out nature of the discipline. “My favorite thing is hurdling next to people. It feels like you’re more involved with the other people in the race,” Johnson said. True to his word, Johnson and the lead runner from Williams exchanged their share of words and shoulder-to-shoulder contact throughout Sunday’s race.
Led by Coach Bruce Ingersoll, Middlebury’s steeple contingent has established a winning culture over the past few seasons. “It has become a point of pride and we keep attracting the right athletes,” Ingersoll said. “It is really fun and everyone is ‘in’ to what we are doing.” The unique event group has almost become a team in itself. Heading into the NESCAC meet, the women’s steeplechase runners were ranked first in Division III by average time. The steeplers have also developed their own traditions, epitomized by their end-of-season ceremony in which the seniors sign the wooden practice steeple that Ingersoll built several years ago.
Middlebury’s steeplechasers have a promising future. Numerous first years featured for the Panthers at the NESCAC meet, including Grace Kaelber ’29, who, in her second steeplechase ever, earned third with a time fast enough to possibly qualify for the NCAA national meet.
“When I raced [the steeplechase] for the first time, it was super nice to just get out there and be in the race, not worrying about the time or the end result but just being in the moment…. just appreciating the fun of putting yourself out there and seeing what you can do.”
Ian Larkin ’29, one of Middlebury’s four runners in the top eight in the men’s steeplechase, has embraced the volatility of the event.
“Being a first year doing steeple it’s been super valuable to approach it from an ‘anything can happen’ mindset and just have fun with each race. That allows us to learn the most from each race rather than being attached to some specific goal.”
In light of all its quirks, the steeplechase maintains the same archaic fence-hopping, frenzied creek-leaping spirit. It’s a race that has become a speciality for Middlebury’s track & field program, one that demands a certain focus and offers a change of pace for distance runners. The Panthers’ stellar performance at this year’s NESCAC championship is a testament to a growing legacy, and if you ever happen upon the big barriers and water pit yourself, let it be a reminder of Coach Ingersoll’s extraordinary steeple people.
Simon Schmieder '26 (he/him) is a Senior Sports Editor.
Simon is an avid runner and biker and enjoys spending time outdoors. He is a philosophy and political science joint major with a minor in German, in addition to being a Philly sports fan.
