Game of the Week: Track and Field finishes regular season

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics.
Abby Elliott ’25 focuses while doing the javelin throw at the Jerry Gravel Invitational on April 16.

By Gigi Picard ’22

Sports Editor

Mount Holyoke Track and Field finished their regular season at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sean Collier Invitational on Saturday, April 23. 

Emma Doyle ’23 placed 12th in the discus throw with a season best of 31.07 meters. Doyle’s throw was the eighth best in Mount Holyoke Track and Field history. In the shot put, Doyle set a personal best at a 10.75 meter mark, landing eighth place overall with a sixth-place ranking in the Mount Holyoke program’s history.

On the javelin front, Allyson Joseph ’24 finished 13th at 22.78 meters, while Abby Elliott ’25 placed 20th at 16.48 meters.

“I felt pretty good about my performance and did much better than I expected,” Elliott said. “I think the team's attitude right now is very determined on giving it our all. I think a lot of us really are proud of ourselves and our performance in our last meet.”

On the track, Emily Hood ’24’s 3000-meter steeplechase landed her in third place with a time of 12:40.57 minutes. Hood’s finish was the seventh-fastest time for the event in the team’s history.

Tessa Lancaster ’25 finished fourth in the 1500-meter run, posting a time of 4:56.41 minutes, which is the eighth-fastest time in Mount Holyoke’s history. Sydney Nash ’22 earned a season best, finishing seventh in 5:12.25 minutes. 

In the 400-meter dash, Simone Jacob ’22 placed eighth, claiming a personal best and the sixth-fastest program time with 1:01.72 minutes. 

“Coming off of a [personal record] this week is a great way to go into our championship meet feeling confident but also rested,” Jacob said. “We are super excited to go into the championship season and put all of our hard work over the last months towards showing the other schools in the [New England Women’s and Men’s Conference] what we can do as a team.”

Leah Pendl-Robinson ’22 earned a top-20 time in the 100-meter dash, running the event in 14.61 seconds after missing most of the track and field season due to an injury. 

“I felt a bit bummed about the season since I was out of commission for most of it, but now that I have been back for a couple of meets and weeks of practice I feel like I have a spark again inside me ready to compete,” Pendl-Robinson said. “I’m extra excited for what’s to come.”

“It is also my senior year and now that it is coming to a close I realize how much I will miss competing with the team and having those early morning practices with all my friends,” Pendl-Robinson continued. “I just want to thank everyone who has helped me along my recovery journey for my injury and … helped me to come back in the last few meets of my [undergraduate] athletic career.”

Lauren Selkin ’23 ran the 800-meter race and placed fourth with a time of 2:24.99 minutes. Despite it not being her usual event, her time is the ninth fastest in Mount Holyoke Track and Field history.

“I’m more of a distance runner, but it was fun to run and [root] my teammates on. I’m looking forward to the upcoming championship season. … I’m super excited to be part of the intense competition,” Selkin said.

Addison Heintz ’25 finished 12th in the 200-meter dash with a season-best time of 27.93 seconds. 

“I am feeling good about my performance so far this season. … The season has been rewarding, it has been great to look back and see how much I improved and how much the team has improved as well,” Heintz said.

Track and Field finished the invite with the 4x400 meter relay run, where Kim Beaver ’25, Greta Trapp ’25, Jacob and Lancaster came in second place. With a time of 4:17.99 minutes, the relay team ran the eighth-fastest time in the program’s history.

“I am happy with the overall team performance from this past weekend. There were numerous [personal records] and season bests,” Track and Field’s Assistant Coach Alex Rachmaciej said. 

On Saturday, April 30, the Lyons will travel to Smith College for the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference championship meet. 

“Prep for championships looks like more rest for the athletes. This part of the season, we keep the intensity high and volume low so the athletes feel good going into the meets,” Rachmaciej stated. 

The official season end for Track and Field will be the three-day NCAA Division III Championships in Geneva, Ohio from May 26-28.

Rachmaciej said that, “Takeaways we had for the season are that some of the areas that we lacked in the past are turning around and the team is becoming more well-rounded.”