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As temperatures begin to rise, the Vermont men and women’s outdoor track and field season has started.  On Sat. March 24, the team competed in their first competition of the season, a non-scoring Northeast Spring Open at Solomon Outdoor Track in Dedham, Mass.

Graduate student Kate Leugers came in second in the 10,000-meter run, leading the performance by the women’s outdoor distance team with junior Kathryn Martin and sophomore Kori Krichko finishing in eighth and ninth, respectively.  Junior Sara Campbell also came in thirteenth in the 1,500-meter run in a time of 5:05.53.

In the field events, Vermont looked strong as well. Reigning America East Outstanding Rookie first-year Nika Ouellette came in second in the javelin, tossing it 44.56 meters, more than four meters further than the third place throw.  Teammate senior Elyse Ogletree placed eighth in the same event. 

Senior Jocelyn Ferland placed third in the discus, while fellow senior Lisa Bunn placed seventh.  To round out the women’s field team, first-year Kelsie Benjamin finished in a tie for sixth in shot put with a mark of 10.30 meters in her first collegiate outdoor competition. 

On the men’s side, seniors Sam Hoardley and Mike Grubert both finished in the top five in javelin, placing third and fifth respectively. Sophomore Tyler Parent placed seventh in discus and senior Peter Foley placed eighth in shot put and fifteenth in hammer throw. 

Vermont track and field saw the women’s team finish a strong fourth at the America East Indoor Championships last indoor season. The team set a school and meet record in the 4×800-meter relay and sophomore Yolanda Ngarmambe won the 800-meter run.

The Catamounts return to action as select members of each team head to North Carolina for the Duke Invitational on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7. Other Vermont athletes will compete at the UMass Invitational in Amherst, Mass. on April 7 beginning at 11 a.m.