Women’s Track & Field wins New England DIII Championship

For the second time in program history and the first time since 1989, the Connecticut College Women’s Track & Field team has won the New England Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, scoring 100 points across two days of action May 1-2.

“I am extremely proud of our team’s accomplishments throughout this year,” Head Coach Ned Bishop said. “Capping off the spring season with a victory at the New England Division III Championship is a well-deserved commentary on all of the hard work and determination that every member of the team has put in. They are a wonderful group of people, and I’m so happy for them to have earned this reward for their efforts.”

Conn started off with a bang on Friday night as three Camels finished in the top four of the 5,000 meters. Grace McDonough ’26 claimed victory with a time of 16:48.86, with Kiera Tallas ’27 finishing second, clocking in at 17:04.23. Abby Fernald ’26 rounded out the point scorers in the 5000 meters, finishing fourth in 17:31.88, as all three earned All-New England honors.

McDonough credited teammates of all levels, saying, “We've had great momentum all year long from newcomers who brought refreshing energy to veterans who made inspiring improvements, so winning New Englands felt like a celebration of everyone's hard work. It was a fun weekend to be a Camel!”

In the 10,000 meters, Mary Lonergan ’27 picked up her first career All-New England honor, finishing second after crossing the line in a time of 39:26.71.

Blessing Kieh ’28 rounded out the point scorers on day one, as she finished fourth in the long jump with a school-record distance of 5.66 meters. She credited those around her for helping her go the distance.

“It means a lot to me to see the tremendous efforts my coaches and teammates put in to get me to where I am today. We all put in the effort to get the team to where it is today, and we are willing to continue working even harder, because this is just a fraction of what we want to achieve,” Kieh said.

McDonough started Saturday the same way she started Friday, claiming another victory. This time she defended her title in the 1,500 meters, crossing the line in 4:31.90, more four seconds faster than second place.

Kieh won her second consecutive New England title in the 100-meter dash, finishing with a time of 12.01.

Alexa Estes ’26 followed up Kieh and McDonough by defending her title in the 800 meters. Estes finished in a time of 2:10.72, more than three seconds quicker than second place. 

“One of the best parts about running track are these rare moments when we can work together as a team toward a big goal like winning a championship,” Estes reflected. “To watch these women work hard every day and accomplish their goals has been so much fun and an absolute joy to be a part of."

April Schilling ’27 joined Estes in scoring points in the 800 meters, finishing seventh with a time of 2:16.57 to earn All-New England honors.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Alina Newman ’27 added to the scoring with a second-place finish in a school-record time of 1:03.51, also earning All-New England honors.

Kieh closed out her weekend with her third All-New England performance, this time in the 200-meter dash, finishing second with a time of 24.61.

The 4x800 relay of Schilling, Tallas, Fernald and Estes added another victory for the Camels, crossing the line in a time of 9:18.06, 18 seconds faster than second place.

The final point scorer for the Camels was the 4x400 relay. The group of Alexis Melvin ’28, Kailin Fuller ’27, Naomi Brightman ’27 and Newman finished third with a time of 4:03.85.

“Across every event, Camels showed up and delivered,” President Andrea E. Chapdelaine wrote in a celebratory message to the Conn community. 

“This kind of achievement doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects years of dedication, early mornings, hard training, and a team that has built something real together. I am grateful to Head Coach Ned Bishop and assistant coaches Kiah Strickland, Andrew Rose and Laura Nadelberg, as well as the entire athletics staff whose behind-the-scenes support makes moments like this possible.”

She concluded, “Please join me in congratulating the Camels. They’ve brought a championship home to New London, and they’ve reminded all of us what it means to compete with excellence.”

The team will compete in two meets this weekend, taking part in the NEICAAA Championships and the Farley Inter Regional, with both beginning on Friday.