MANSFIELD, Conn. – It was a solid day of action for the UMass Dartmouth women's track & field team, who finished fifth overall in a field of nine teams at the 2026 Little East Championships, hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University. The Corsairs compiled 86.5 points behind several solid efforts.
In the 100-meter dash, rookie
Kiki Melick finished 11th overall with a time of 13.31. Sophomore
Erica Markey was 13th with a time of 14.16, while rookie
Kate Sanchez was 14th in 15.17. First year
Mia Wellington ran to 15th with a time of 15.55.
The 200-meter dash saw Melick post 11th with a mark of 26.94, while Markey finished 17th with a time of 29.98, followed by Sanchez in 19th with a mark of 31.90. The 800-meter dash saw senior
Tori Schweitzer place 10th overall with a time of 2:30.20, while in the 1500-meter run, rookie
Nicole Mota was 12th overall in 5:38.76.
The 5,000-meter run was paced by junior
Sarah Lynch, who was fifth overall in 19:04.45, while classmate
Sophie Owen took sixth in 19:10.58. Sophomore
Lylah Thibeault was ninth with a mark of 20:17.07, while junior
Liv DeSimone took 11th in 20:32.41.
In the 10,000-meter run, graduate student
Emily Philbrook posted second overall with a time of 39:23.31, to earn the silver medal and All-LEC Second Team honors. Junior
Serena Carnes finished sixth in 42:46.38.
Senior
Grace Russell powered her way to fifth overall in the 400-meter hurdles with a mark of 1:11.96, while rookie
Jai'Reona Brown-Carter played 10th overall in 1:17.11. The 3,000-meter steeplechase saw sophomore
Natalya LaVita earn fourth overall with a time of 12:25.08. Rookie
Elena Aponte was sixth in 12:48.43, while sophomore
Alexia Gonsalves finished eighth in 13:44.85.
The 4x100-meter relay saw Melick and rookies
Eshaya Lauder,
Tiana Jacques and
Kiariana Williams post fifth overall in 50.82, while the 4x400-meter relay of Williams, rookie
Isabelle Chekares, Jacques and Russell posted sixth in 4:30.46. UMD's 4x800-meter relay of Schweitzer, LaVita and sophomores
Ashlyn Byrnes and
Sara Lopez earned Bronze and All-LEC Third Team honors with third overall in 10:13.45.
The field events saw senior
Isabella Taccogna place sixth overall with a jump of 1.47 meters (4' 9.75"), while in the pole vault, rookie
Grace Hawranik posted a school record height of 2.95 meters to earn third overall, the bronze medal and All-LEC Third Team recognition.
Lauder placed fourth overall in the long jump with a mark of 5.41 meters, while in the triple jump,
Adama Bangura was fourth with a distance of 10.39 meters. Taccogna also finished strong in 10th with a mark of 9.72 meters.
In the shot put, rookie
Kearston Nelson posted sixth overall with a throw of 11.52 meters, while sophomore
Olivia Seutter was ninth with a throw of 10.84 meters. Rookie
Addy Keller was 14th overall in 10.12 meters, while junior
Abby O'Leary was 17th with a throw of 9.26 meters.
Seutter went on to place third overall in the discus throw with a mark of 40.26 meters. That effort earned her the bronze medal along with All-LEC Third Team honors. Nelson was seventh with a throw of 34.14 meters, while Keller finished 13th with a throw of 26.80 meters.
Junior
Emily Hesketh posted fifth overall in the hammer throw, recording a mark of 43.02 meters, while Keller was 12th overall in 37.62 meters. O'Leary finished 14th with a throw of 35.99 meters, while Seutter was 19th with a throw of 32.41 meters.
The javelin throw saw rookie
Elizabeth Fagundes finish sixth overall in 30.97 meters, while junior
Maddie Carter placed eighth with a mark of 29.72 meters. Russell was 15th with a throw of 26.02 meters as sophomore
Caroline Lander finished 16th with a throw of 25.64 meters.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action next weekend, traveling to Springfield College for the Division III New England Championships. Action gets underway Friday and runs through Saturday.
