This past weekend, Wesleyan’s track and field team traveled to Tufts for the NESCAC Championship. The meet had been highly anticipated throughout the season, not only because it was the last competition of the year for some athletes, but also because of the outstanding potential both the men and the women had shown in the weeks leading up to it. On the day, the men finished in eighth place while the women took sixth, both respectable finishes against strong opposition. The men were not unequivocally pleased by their overall results, but there were many strong performances on the day.

It was a solid day for the distance runners on the men’s side. Though only Bryan Marsh ’13 managed a top-three finish, Austin Cotant ’13 and Skyler Cummins ’13 contributed to the effort with top-eight finishes. Jack Pacelle ’13 also impressed with a sixth-place finish in the 400m, nearly breaking the Wesleyan record in the process, and Agbon Edomwonyi ’16 continued his excellent rookie campaign to take fifth in the shot put. Despite finishing ahead of Conn College, Trinity, and Hamilton, however, the men were left disappointed by their efforts on the day.

“I mean in short, it was a tough day out there,” said retiring senior Michael Onah. “But I think the best thing to do right now is to remember that some of our teammates still have a few meets left to compete in—we should focus on supporting them. We have team members who are still trying to break records, make it to nationals, and cement their legacies at Wesleyan. I think that alone reflects that, despite a disappointing finish at NESCACs, we still have a talented group of guys.”

On the women’s side, the team walked away with 71 team points—a record under Coach Walter Curry. Most impressive on the day was the seemingly unstoppable Alexis Walker ’16, who won both the long jump and 100m dash, took second in the 200m, and was part of the 4x100m relay team that took third. Walker accounted for 28 individual points, which would have placed her comfortably above Trinity, Conn College, and Hamilton by herself.

“Competing at NESCACs was both amazing and challenging,” said Walker. “The competition was just that, competition. Like Coach Curry said before, nothing would be given, we had to earn it. I just tried my best and had my eye on the prize.”

She was also quick to praise the spirit of the rest of the team.

“They were my motivation and support system throughout the whole day, giving me the energy I needed to compete well,” she said.

Another standout display came from Hannah Zimmerman ’13, who took 11 seconds off her personal best and a minute off her time from the same meet last year to place first in the 10k.

“My motivation came from wanting to run well for the team,” Zimmerman said. “We knew we had a chance to score well, and I wanted to contribute as much as I could.”

Elsewhere, Idara Foster ’15 placed fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 200m, while Lia Monti ’13 placed eighth in both the 200m and 400m.

“I am thrilled by Alexis Walker and Idara Fosters’ performances in the 200,” Monti said, selflessly highlighting the efforts of her teammates ahead of her own. “It has been a pleasure to train alongside the two of them this season.”

This supportive team ethic has been a trend throughout the season for both the men and women and will surely continue into the postseason as Wesleyan’s stars compete for ultimate glories. For those seniors who will not be competing again, their legacies will not be forgotten any time soon; for others, the show goes on at the New England Division III championships, hosted by Colby on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4.