Courtesy of Track & Field

Last weekend, the men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Gordon Kelly Invitational hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In the large, multi-division meet, many Polar Bears were successful, with 17 athletes earning provisional spots in the DIII New England regional competition and five earning automatic spots.

For the women’s team, Sophia Young ’27 and Kennedy Kirkland ’27 both earned a provisional spot in the 60m dash. Kirkland also received an automatic spot in the long jump with a distance of 5.55m, the event she collected Second-Team All American in last season.

Given that track is a highly technical sport, Kirkland puts lots of time into mastering each aspect of long jump, from approach to landing. Last weekend, she was excited that all the pieces came into place, allowing her to jump as far as she did.

“I was really proud that I was able to execute my knee drive,” Kirkland said. “Specifically, you run up the runway and then you hit the board in order to get elevation. And usually during that point, you just try to get as much height as you can, and that’s directly correlated to knee drive.”

With upwards of 50 competitors in any given event, Kirkland shared how she manages her nerves and finds confidence in her ability to perform.

“Asserting your space for both you and your teammates is super important,” Kirkland said. “I think of it as a bit more of a low-pressure environment because I think everybody’s focused on their own thing…, but the fact that there were a lot of people helped me feel a bit more competitive without being in the spotlight.”

On the track, four Polar Bears obtained provisional spots in the 1000m race, including Laura White ’29 and Kaylee Hale ’28, who also qualified for automatic spots. Leta Griffith ’29 earned a provisional spot in the mile, and Cam Meyer ’28 picked up another in the 3000m.

The men’s team also had plenty of performances to celebrate. Will Silverstein ’29 and Lorenzo Shields ’29 ran speedy times in the 400m race to qualify for provisional spots, while Matthew Servin ’27 and Calvin Klumpp ’28 in the 1000m and Seamus McDonough ’27 in the mile all earned provisional spots. Kane Demers ’26 and Joseph Phillips ’28 dominated the 60m hurdles, both automatically qualifying for the regional competition later this season.

In the field events, Ethan Heldman ’28 posted 4.35m in the pole vault to grab a provisional spot. Thrower Charlie Aucoin ’27 got a provisional spot in the weight throw and an automatic spot in the shot put with a mark of 14.54m.

Aucoin noted how the NCAA extended its minimum qualifying distance in all throwing events this season, which made him very excited when he earned that automatic spot in the regional competition.

“They added [about] a meter in, which is kind of a big deal in shot [put],” Aucoin said. “In indoor, I try to focus towards helping the team, and so knowing that I’ll be at the New England Championships, I’ll be working towards scoring well and competing well there.”

The majority of the team’s meets are scored individually with the exception of the Maine State Meet, which is when the Polar Bears have to work strategically as a team to score points.

“It’s our rivalry meet with Bates where we have a long history of going back and forth with them,” Aucoin said. “If it takes a horrendously low number to win, then I’m cool with throwing that number…. Whatever it is to help the team and score points for the team is the biggest thing.”

The teams will be back in Massachusetts today and tomorrow for the Terrier Invite at Boston University, and then up to Bates College for the Maine State Meet on February 7.