Track and Field Runners, Jumpers Qualify for Nationals

The men’s and women’s track and field teams returned from the National Qualifying Meet at Tufts on Saturday, March 5, with several broken school records. The meet brought competitors from over 30 schools throughout the country and served as a last chance to qualify for the NCAA Indoor National Championships, which will take place this Friday and Saturday, March 11-12, at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Kelechi Eziri ’23 broke his own school record in the triple jump, which was monumental for him as well as for the program. Eziri jumped a distance of 14.32 meters, which landed him in second place for the event.

“I was thrilled to have witnessed Kelechi’s huge PR,” said Chris Gong ’23, “as I have seen firsthand how much energy, sacrifice, and commitment he has put in to achieve his goals.”

Gong and Henry Buren ’22 also placed second in their respective events, with Buren placing in the 60-meter dash and Gong in the long jump.

Adding to the Mammoths’ victorious weekend, Casie Eifrig ’25, Anna Madden ’22, Juanita Jaramillo ’22, and Katie Lingen ’22 on the women’s team set a new school record in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:53.51, coming in first for the event. This time broke the previous mark that was set in 2020, which included the three seniors who won this past Saturday.

“The team did phenomenal,” said pole vaulter Jordan Hecker ’25. “The 4x4 especially was able to show how our team is able to fight for each other. Each one of them showed how our hard work throughout the season has paid off.”

Selections for the NCAA Indoor Championships were announced a day later on Sunday, March 6. Nine Mammoths will compete next weekend in six different events. The record-breaking 4x400 relay team of Eifrig, Madden, Jaramillo, and Lingen will be running in North Carolina, where they will be joined by alternates Ava Tillman ’23 and Nicole Barbaro ’24. Sidnie Kulik ’25, Sophie Wolmer ’23, and Eliza Cardwell ’25 will also be running in North Carolina. Kulik will be running in the 3,000 meters, Wolmer in the 5,000 meters, and Cardwell in the 60-meter hurdles. They will be joined at Nationals by high jumper Julia Zacher ’25 and heptathlete Jack Trent ’23.

As the indoor season approaches its end, Gong is looking forward to what the spring has to offer.

“I am looking forward to seeing the growth of my friends and teammates as we are all working hard in preparation for that meet,” Gong said. “This team has overcome many obstacles this year, and I expect that our perseverance will lead to great things this outdoor season.”