Women’s Track and Field Claims Its First Ever NEWMAC Championship
The 2007 spring season was arguably the strongest ever for the women’s track and field program, as the team went undefeated during the indoor season and placed fifth at the New England Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship, a huge jump from the previous year’s 13th. Much of this improvement came because of a strong freshman class, including Maria J. Monks ’10, who shattered the Institute record in the 5K run with a time of 17:21.62.
The outdoor season was highlighted by the program’s first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Championship title in April, having defeated nine-time defending champion Wheaton College.
Competing the following weekend at the New England Division III Championship at Springfield College, the Engineers accomplished another first for the program with a second place finish, setting a handful of Institute records along the way.
Amy R. Magnuson ’10 set Institute records in the long jump (with a distance of 17’9.5”) and in the 100-meter hurdles (14.31 seconds). Andrea Staid ’07 and Andrea E. Bradshaw ’09 both bested the 800-meter Institute record with runs of 2:19.20 and 2:19.51, respectively. Staid and Bradshaw then joined Rachel M. Niehuus ’07 and Adrienne M. Bolger ’09 to win the 4x800-meter relay with an Institute record 9:23.3.
Following the second place finish in Springfield, a handful of women traveled to Dartmouth College for the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletics Association Championship. There the team placed 10th among the New England Division I, II, and III colleges, the highest finish ever for the program. Magnuson again set a school record with a long jump of 18’1”, placing fourth but falling just short of the NCAA provisional cut. Aline M. Thomas ’08 also set an Institute record in the hammer with a mark of 163’6”, good enough for fourth place in the event.
Rounding out a great year, three women traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the NCAA National Championship meet. Magnuson, Thomas, and Chi-Fong Wang ’07 all performed well and placed higher than their seeds. Magnuson capped off her record-setting freshman year with a second place finish in the 100-meter hurdles, earning her All-American honors.
Fletcher A. Brooks is the head coach of the women’s track and field team.