PR, All American, and fifth place finish at Nationals!

Kirsten ran 1:01.43 in the 400m hurdles, placing fifth and setting a personal record!  This earns her All-American status in track and field.  Way to go, Kirsten!

Coaches Carla and Marlee made the trip with Kirsten. 


And they managed to squeeze in some sight-seeing while in southern California....

Which one is Kirsten and which is Lucille??

Kirsten qualifies for NCAA finals!

Kirsten ran the 400m hurdles 1:02.45 and finished second in her preliminary heat and ninth overall to make it to the NCAA finals!  The final race is tonight, May 26, at 4:45pm Pacific/7:45pm Eastern.    For results and a live web cast, check out this link: http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results/national-championships-central-outdoor-track-field#d3.

Kirsten Qualifies for Nationals!

Congratulations to junior Kirsten Silfvenius, who is heading to the NCAA Championships at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College in California on May 24-26!  She is currently ranked eleventh in the country in the 400m intermediate hurdles, and top 14 will compete.

Below, Kirsten competes in the 60m hurdles during her first indoor track and field season.

What a season!

What a season!  At last weekend's Open New England's, two seniors finished their college track and field careers with personal bests.  Katie Eison-Washington ran a PB of 125.82 in the 200 meter dash to place 25th, and Katie and fellow senior Mary Cote helped Morgan Augillard and Sonia Brown of the 4x100 team finish in a season best time of 49.14 seconds.  Sarah Romano wrapped up her final track season with a personal best discus throw of 37.95.

And that's not all--junior hurdler Kirsten Silfvenius may have herself a ticket to the NCAA championship next weekend in California!  Her time of 14.87 seconds in the 100m hurdles broke a five-year Smith record, and her 62.08 in the 400 hurdles placed her eleventh nationally.


The following pictures are from the Track and Field banquet held on May 2 at Pizza Paradiso.  First are a few of the paper plate awards from the captains, followed by pictures of a few choice items "willed" from seniors to returning teammates.

Aw, yeeah!  Who's jealous now?  Katie wills this spiffy onesie to...Sonia.  (I think, or am I misremembering?)  We hope to see it in action in the 4x100 next year!

Finally, a big GOOD BYE, MARLEE!  We will miss you!  Please come back and visit!

Pics from Smith's Athletic Banquet

Smith's annual Athletic Banquet gives the athletes an opportunity to don the fancy clothes never seen at practice and celebrate the accomplishments of the year.  Honored this year were seniors Mary Cote, Jean Egger, Katie Eison-Washington, Ellie Giles, Kristin Peck, and Sarah Romano--we will miss you!  Also awarded were the athletes who earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference: Kayla Clark, Mary Cote, Kylee Drugan-Eppich, Ellie Giles, Abby Mosca, Kristin Peck, Kirsten Silfvenius, and Kristen Warren.  Distance runner Kylee Drugan-Eppich also received the Marly Pineda Pioneer Team Award, which is given to athletes who exemplify dedication, passion, selflessness, sportsmanship, and the spirit of a champion.  Although she was injured for the majority of the cross country season, she came to practice every day with a smile, ready to cross train and encourage her teammates.  She came back strong for both indoor and outdoor track, PRing in every race she competed throughout the two seasons.  Anyone who has been cheered up by Kylee's infectious smile and laugh, or encouraged by her mid-race knows that she truly captures the spirit of Marly Pineda.

Courtney, Abby, Micaela, Val, Kylee, Katie, and Caroline

Maya, Marlee, Katie, and Emily

Morgan, Mary, and Kirsten

No, this is not the cross country team....I managed to clip the lower part of the sign that says Track and Field. Meredith, and head coach Carla (back row), and Kristen, Emily, Grace, Fiona, and Kayla (front row).

Meet the Captains, Mary and Grace

Senior Mary Cote smiles mischievously.

Sophomore Grace Maliska is back in action during outdoor season after an injury prevented her from competing during indoor.

Whether competing in multiple events per meet for Mary and cheering for others in the rare moments she is not competing, or helping out tirelessly behind-the-scenes for Grace until she is able to compete again, these two lead with big hearts and complete dedication to the team.


Where are you from and why did you choose Smith?

            MARY: Where are you from and why did you choose Smith? - I am from Gardiner, MT and I grew up inside Yellowstone National Park.  I applied to Smith on a whim, with the help of strong persuasion from my mother, and after seeing the beautiful campus (and receiving a helpful financial aid package) it would have been difficult for me to say no.

            GRACE: I am from Winchendon, MA, about 1.5 hours from Smith. A very small town right on the border of NH in central MA. I chose Smith because I fell in love with it in the first five minutes I was on the campus as a junior in high school. Who wouldn't want to go to Smith????

What is your major? 

            MARY: I am an Architecture major with an Afro-American Studies minor.  They don't quite go together but I love both.  

            GRACE: Sociology! I just declared!

What has been your favorite class at Smith?

            MARY: Being a second semester senior, there are so many classes I would like to say are my favorite.  But, my top three would be Death and Dying in Afro-American Culture with Kevin Quashie, Central Africa with David Newberry, and my two intro architecture studios with James Middlebrook.  Each professor opened my eyes not only to how much there is to learn in this world, but how my own unique talents can contribute to the future of that world.  

            GRACE: Hmm, my favorite class would probably have to Gender and Globalization. It is a sociology class about globalization. This class made me realize that globalization is exactly what I am interested in, and it is so exciting that I can study something so structured and unstructured through sociology—very exciting!

What is your favorite event in T&F?  What event would you never want to do?

            MARY: My favorite event has always been long jump—there is something about it that just brings out my most competitive side.  I like that.  I would never want to do pole vault; it freaks me out just thinking about being upside-down. (Which is why I respect the pole vaulters so much….)

            GRACE: Well, my favorite event by far is javelin. I would never ever ever ever want to do the 400 again—that terrible, horrible, awful race that I was always forced to run in high school.

What is your favorite part of being on the team?

            MARY: As much as I hate to admit it, the running part.  Knowing that I have a time of day set aside to exercise everyday, and knowing that I have people to laugh and complain with the whole time is one of the biggest reasons I do track.           

            GRACE: My favorite part of being on the team is being a part of this hidden diamond of Smith College. The track team has SUCH talent from the athletes and coaches, and when it is combined together—holy cow, it's magical!

What is your favorite post-track-meet or mid-track-meet treat?

            MARY: I would by lying if I said that Carla's fruit snacks weren't my favorite thing.  I don't know what it is about them, but I just can't get around how much I like them.

            GRACE: Hmm, my favorite post-track meet treat would have to be a nap. I get tired.

Indoor Season Finishes with New Records!

The indoor track season finished with a record-breaking bang at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City March 2nd & 3rd.  The 4x200 team  of Katie, Sonia, Morgan, and Mary clocked in at 1:47.82, which is a new Smith record!  Another highlight was Kirsten's performance in the 500m.  She achieved a personal record of 1:18.82, and she finished in eighth place.  


That wraps up the indoor track season.  The first meet of the outdoor season is Tufts' Snowflake Classic on Saturday, March 31.

Newest Member of the Track and Field Team Arrives Feb. 20!

Coach Lisa at the hospital with littlest Pioneer, Sabine, and members of the track and field team who conveniently added a loop through the hospital delivery ward to their workout.

Pictures from Div III New England Championships

Running Pioneer Julia Chase-Brand Visits Smith and Runs with Team

While a student at Smith in 1961, Dr. Julia Chase-Brand '65 defied the gender barrier in women's road racing. During a time when females were not allowed to run over 800m competitively, this college sophomore broke that rule and participated in one of the country’s largest road races in Manchester, Connecticut. Because of her actions, she was banned from running by the Amateur Athletic Union, but she started a trend that would not stop.  Soon, other female distance runners followed suit, and slowly—very slowly—race organizers and athletic associations took action, opening the door to women competing in races of all distances.

On Thursday, February 9, Dr. Chase-Brand returned to Smith to speak about her experiences as a pioneer not only in the world of running, but also in her career as a scientist studying bats and gorillas, and her decision to begin medical school when she was almost 50.  She continues to practice medicine today, at the age of almost 70. Before her lecture, she visited track practice wearing her old Smith gym suit and ran a few laps around the track with the team.  Here is a short video clip from the run:

Smith Wraps Up Its Regular Season--First Championship Is This Weekend

Track Athlete of the Meet Sonia and Teammate of the Meet Mary at Tufts
give us a friendly reminder that flu season is upon us--use hand sanitizer!  

Smith wrapped up the regular indoor track season this past weekend with some athletes competing Friday at Boston University's invitational, others competing Saturday at Tufts University's invitational, and seven athletes competing in both meets.  Ten new personal records were set over the course of two days.  Here are the team's picks for track athlete, field athlete, and teammate of the meets:

Track Athlete of the Meet: Sophomore Sonia Brown ran two blazing 200s in two days.  On Friday at BU, she set a new personal record for herself, clocking in at 27.61.  During the 4x200 on Saturday at Tufts, her split time was even faster.

Field Athlete of the Meet: Sophomore Maya Rittmanic competed both days, with a pentathlon performance on Saturday.  At Tufts, she came in second place in both the high jump and the long jump.

Teammates of the Meet: Senior Mary Cote and Sophomore Kristen Warren tied for teammates of the meet. Mary competed in four events and spent all free time cheering on others. Kristen, who is nursing a calf/hamstring injury and had to pull out of two events, wasted no time feeling sorry for herself and instead focused all attention on her teammates.

This weekend: Eight team members qualified for the Division III New England Championship meet that will be held at Smith this Friday and Saturday, February 17 and 18: Morgan, Katie, Sonia, Kirsten, Kayla, Maya, Mary, and Sarah.  Congrats!

Which one of these is not like the others?

.

Watch out--something is in the water at Smith! Athletes share the love with Coach Lisa...due any day now!

Vault, Throw, and Jump Footage from Indoor So Far

Here are a few clips from Wesleyan and the most recent Smith Invite: Jean and Kristen on pole vault, Mary in the triple, Sarah in weight throw, and Jean again on pole vault.

Team Celebrates Weekend Performances in Style

Sassy! Smith T&F pays homage to a certain, unnamed rival team from this past weekend's invitational.

Suffice it to say, the Smith T&F team gave a friendly fashion shout-out during Monday's practice to a certain, unnamed team from this past weekend's Beynon Invitational.  The otherwise quiet meet ended with a bit of unexpected flare as one team's 4x400 relay sported, uh, something resembling old-school speed suits. Yet those speed suits were no match for Smith's first place 4x400 team of Kayla Clark, Kirsten Silfvenius, Fiona Jones, and Maya Rittmanic.

As a team, Smith placed second behind Amherst and ahead of Mount Holyoke and Wellesley.  Smith had competitors in almost every event, including Cameah's strong solo performance in the 500m race.  Here are the winners of the Track, Field, and Teammate of the Meet Awards:

Track Athlete of the Meet: Kylee Drugan-Eppich'14, for her unrelenting performance in the 3k.  She chopped 30 seconds off of her previous 3k PR!

Field Athlete of the Meet: Maya Rittmanic '14 for her ECAC-qualifying high jump of 1.58m.  (She also deserves a shout out for her appearance in the 60m hurdles!)

Teammate of the Meet: Kayla Clark '14 for regularly checking in with teammates throughout the meet.

Athletes & Teammates of the Meet for the First Three Meets

Emily, Sarah, and Ashley (L-R) have all been nominated for their

performances and spirit at meets.

After every meet, the track and field team nominates three superstar teammates for their performances and spirit: the Track Athlete of the Meet, Field Athlete of the Meet, and the Teammate of the Meet.

From the first meet of the semester, Tufts Invitational #1, the picks were:

• Track Athlete: Kirsten Silfvenius, who just spent the semester in Mongolia, returned to training in January, and came in fourth place in the 400m and eleventh place in the 60m hurdles. This was her first indoor track meet!
• Field Athlete: Sarah Romano qualified for Div III New England Championship with her weight throw toss of 13.38m.
• Teammate of the Meet: Ashley Tolbert, who never stopped cheering throughout the entire meet.

From the second meet at Wesleyan University, the picks were:

• Track Athlete: Kirsten Silfvenius, who qualified for Div III New Englands in the 600m. 
• Field Athlete: Emily Thomas, who PRed in the shot put by half a meter!
• Teammate of the Meet: Emily Thomas, who kept everyone in high spirits throughout the long meet.

From the most recent meet at the University of Southern Maine:

• Track Athlete: Morgan Augillard, who qualified for Div III New Englands in the 55m dash.
• Field Athlete: Sarah Romano, who qualified for ECACs and broke the six-year-old Smith school record in the weight throw.
• Teammate: Distance Squad: Kayla Clark, Kirsten Silfvenius, Maya Ritmmanic, and Caroline Kimball-Katz.  Their 4x800 was the last event of a long meet that ran far behind schedule.  Despite that, they cheered on their teammates throughout the day, ran their hardest,  beat their competition by 20 seconds, and qualified for ECACs in the process!

Smith Places Fourth at University of Southern Maine Invitational

Smith placed fourth out of ten teams at the USM Invitational this past weekend, with stellar performances all around. The team had 19 PRs, several qualifiers for Division III New England Championships, and two ECAC qualifying performances! Senior Sarah Romano (left) not only qualified for ECACs in the weight throw with her toss of 14.41m, but she also broke a six-year-old school record. The 4x800 team of Kayla Clark, Kirsten Silfvenius, Maya Rittmanic, and Caroline Kimball-Katz also qualified for ECACs with their time of 10:06.32. Sophomore Maya Ritmmanic also placed first in the high jump with her 1.57m leap.

Smith's Newly Resurfaced Indoor Track Makes Its Debut!

After a week of creative practices in all kinds of locations (Mount Holyoke, reservoirs, outdoor track, Scott gym...), we can finally return to our own indoor track, which was spiffed up considerably over January break. The track was both resurfaced and repainted. Although a trace of new paint smell remains, the facility looks and feels fantastic.

(above right) Sonia and Morgan practice a relay handoff. Check out the bright blue color!

(below right) Cameah, Maya, and Kirsten sprint on the track's springy new surface.

Welcome to Smith College Track and Field's New Blog

Thanks for checking us out!  If you are interested in viewing pictures, meet footage, or articles from years past (2008-2009), please go to http://www.smithcollegetrack.blogspot.com/.