It may be cold outside, but things are heating up for the men and women’s indoor track seasons.
The men’s team is looking to improve on their times before heading into their championship meets, which begin at the end of February. Last year, they placed 2nd in the Centennial Championship for the fourth straight year, so the motivation to finally take home the conference title will be even greater.
The men have been led on the track by stellar performances from Aiden Tobin ’26 and first-year Noah Sanders, who have both recorded season-best 7:02 60-meter times. Tobin also recorded a speedy 200-meter time of 21:97 at the FastTrack season opener, good for a fifth-place finish.
On the distance side, the men’s team has delivered solid performances from Liam Johnson ’26, who took 3rd in the mile at the Widener Schuylkill Showdown, finishing with a time of 4:17:61. First-year Elias Knoll has also made an impression, leading the team in both the 3000m and 5000m this winter.
The field events have certainly proven to be a strength of the men’s team, with sophomores Mitchell Davis and Noah Sanders delivering standout performances this winter. Davis opened his season with a personal best, reclaiming his title from last year’s meet and breaking his own school record. This performance earned Davis the honor of Centennial Conference Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. Sanders also claimed this award for his performance at the Frank Colden Invitational two weeks ago. Sanders tied the indoor school record in the weight throw, recording a throw of 18.00-meters which placed him in first.
On the other end of the track, the women have had a strong season, and look to be in good form heading into the final regular season meet of the season. The team has showcased some great individual performances, building off of their success from last spring.
The Bears are led by star runner Kaelin Ryan, ’26 who had a cracking start to the season, breaking both the 60-meter hurdle and 200-meter school records in the first meet of the season back in December. Ryan later bested her 60-meter hurdle record setting a time of 8:93 at the Frank Colden Invite, giving her the teams only win of the meet, and tying her for 16th in the NCAA III 60mh rankings.
Ryan is joined in the NCAA rankings is first-year Sophia Pascale, who recorded a 400-meter time of 57:81, ranking her 40th in Division III, and 4th among all freshmen. Pascale has been a much needed piece for the team’s future, as Ryan will be graduating this spring. Pascale currently leads the team rankings in the 60-meter, 300-meter, and 400-meter.
In the field events, the Bears have had strong showings from high-jumpers Maddie Lippay ’27 and Amanada Traska ’26. Both have recorded personal-best jumps of 1.45m this season. The Bears also have a strong pair of pole vaulters in Juniper Bauroth-Sherman ’26 and Mia Bompensa ’28, who have both reached indoor personal best heights of 3.10m and 3.20m, respectively.
Be sure to show up and support your fellow Bears at this week’s Keogh Invitational. The field events for the meet will take place on Thursday, February 19th, at the FLB field house. As always, Go Bears!