Amherst Track and Field Shines Despite Myriad of Injuries

On Feb. 12, the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Middlebury to compete in their penultimate regular-season meet. With the men placing second and the women placing third, the upcoming Division III New England Championships are looking promising for the Mammoths.

The women’s team won first place in four events at Middlebury, with Eliza Cardwell ’25 dominating the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.92 seconds. This blazing fast time tied for the 10th-best time in Division III this season, and qualified her for the individual NCAA Championships next month as one of Division III’s top-20 times. Jordan Hecker ’25 tied the Amherst school record in the pole vault, clearing 3.4 meters and finishing second overall in the event and as the highest-placing Division III jumper. The Mammoths also had success in the distance medley relay: Julia Schor ’25, Artis Phillips ’25, Margo Pedersen ’25, and Sophia Wolmer ’23 crossed the line in 12:47.84 to bring home the gold.

But the Mammoths’ success wasn’t limited to the track. Muffie Mazambani ’24 won the long jump and the triple jump with winning jumps of 5.18 and 11.15 meters, respectively. Both were personal bests, and her strong performance late in the season bodes well for the team’s hopes at New Englands.

For the men, Keon Mazdinsian ’23 won the mile with an outstanding time of 4:28.76, and Jack O’Hara ’25 won the 400-meter dash in 53.10 for his first collegiate win. Henry Buren ’22 swept the short sprint events, with times of 7.10 in the 60-meter dash and 22.97 in the 200-meter dash. Troy Colleran ’22 continued his stellar season, qualifying for New Englands in the 60-meter dash by winning his preliminary heat in 7.14 before sitting out the finals. Gabriel Dos Santos ’24 won the high jump, scoring a personal-best mark of 1.90 meters that qualified him for New Englands.

Dos Santos stated, “Injury has been plaguing our team, but even while short-staffed, the coaches are doing their best to accommodate everyone. It will be interesting to see how our team will be when everyone is healthy.” Despite some injuries holding the Mammoths back, they continue to perform at the highest level and place well at competitions. The team’s performances placed them second overall, behind only Merrimack College, which is currently in the process of transitioning from Division II to Division I.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are beginning to hit their stride this season, and will look to heat up as they prepare to compete in the Ruddy Invitational at Bowdoin this coming Saturday, Feb. 19. With only one regular season meet left to qualify for the New England Championships, the Mammoths expect to leave it all out on the track and the field as they hope to qualify as many people as possible for postseason meets.