WILLIAMSTOWN, MA (April 25, 2026) – Senior
Liz Donahue and junior
Ceci LaBarge won individual conference titles today as the Tufts University women's outdoor track & field team started at the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships at Williams College.
First, LaBarge won the hammer throw event with a PR of 52.12m (171'0") to become Tufts' first NESCAC champion in the hammer throw since Evelyn Drake won in 2018. LaBarge's effort today is third all-time at Tufts and #15 nationally as of early Saturday evening.
To close the women's competition on the first day of the NESCAC Championships today, Donahue won the 10,000 meters race with her 36:15.46 time. Tufts' first 10K champion since Brittany Bowman won in 217, Donahue's mark is near the top 30 nationally. Tufts also had the runner-up in the 10,000 meters, as sophomore
Zoe Margolies finished in a 36:19.11 PR that is in the top 35 nationally.
Led by the two victories, Tufts scored 37 team points today and leads the NESCAC meet after one day. Amherst College is second with a 25 score and Middlebury is third at 24.
Along with LaBarge in the hammer throw, the Jumbos also had individuals score in the other two field events that were contested today. Sophomore
Lauren Zipoli hit a big PR with her best mark of 5.67m (18'7 ¼") in the long jump. She was third in the event with a distance that ranks #7 all-time at Tufts and has a top 25 national ranking as of Saturday evening. Junior
Jackie Wells was also at her best in the shot put today, with an outdoor PR of 11.66m (38'3") that was sixth in the event. The Jumbos scored 19 team points in the three field events overall on Saturday.
Trials in six running events were also held on Saturday, with Jumbos combining for eight berths into the finals for those events tomorrow.
Junior
Simi Lawal won the trials of the 100-meter dash out of 25 total entries with a time of 11.93 seconds. Sophomore
Arielle Chechile also won the 400-meter hurdles trials (1:02.32) today, topping a field of 23 runners. Both also qualified for the finals in other events, Lawal in the 200 meters where she was second in the trials at 24.64 seconds and Chechile in the 100 meters where her 12.24 mark was fifth in the trials.
Zipoli and sophomore
Makayla Moriarty were both third in their trials today to advance. Zipoli had a carer-best time of 14.61 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, which is #6 all-time at Tufts and a top 40 national mark. Moriarty's 56.78 finish in the 400 meters today was also a top 40 national mark.
Senior
Anne-Sophie Janssen was another Jumbo finalist with her 1:04.35 PR in the 400-meter hurdles that is a top 50 national mark. Zipoli added a 25.35 time in the 200 meters trials to her outstanding day. The mark is her PR and puts her into the Tufts top 10.
First-year Kaleigh Forde led Tufts in the 800 meters trials at 2:16.75, which did not qualify for the final.
Day 2 of the NESCAC meet on Sunday begins with track and field events starting at 11 AM.
--JUMBOS--
