Virginia Beach, VA -- WPI track and field opened the first day of the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships with an All-American performance and a national crown.
Opening the day of action in Virginia Beach was
Grace Hadley (North Reading, MA), who entered the championships ranking first in NCAA DIII in the mile, clocked a 4:51.44 to lead her heat and eventually all preliminary performances in the event. Hadley's effort earned her a spot in the mile final tomorrow for a chance at an individual title.
On the men's side, sophomore
Gavin Fleck (Bend, OR) posted two record-breaking marks in the pole vault in consecutive attempts that propelled him to a seventh-place finish in the event en route to earning All-America status and breaking his own program record.
Closing out the night of action was the women's disIntance medley relay which was the second-to-last event of the day in the Virginia Beach Sports Complex. The women's DMR crew comprised of
Amelia Kokernak (Niskayuna, NY),
Isabel Hallal (Foxboro, MA),
Elise Deshusses (Chapel Hill, NC) and Hadley who ranked second in NCAA DIII coming into the championship meet after setting multiple records throughout the indoor stint.
Through the first 1,200 meters of the race, Kokernak posted a 3:37.32 time which stood for eighth place before Hallal took over for a 59.34 split in the 400m portion where the squad dropped to ninth overall halfway through the event. Handing off to Deshusses in the 800m piece of the event, the Chapel Hill native recorded a 2:17.72 time before the crew stooped to 11th out of 12 groups before Hadley took over with an 14-second deficit into the final 1600 meters. In the last leg of the DMR, Hadley clocked a 4:40.16 time in the to overtake
Natalie Bitetti (La Crescenta, CA) of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the final lap to help the Engineers to the event title by 0.2 seconds over hard-charging Central (IA) for the first track & field national crown garnered by WPI. Hadley's 1600 meter was nearly six seconds faster than her top-ranked seed time in the mile (4:45.94) and she had competed in and turned in the best time in the prelim of the mile less then four hours earlier.
The Engineers, under the direction of Director of Track & Field and Cross Country
Brian Chabot and head coach
Emily Mauro, bring home the third national championship overall for WPI with the last title coming in 2022 when the Women's Rowing Varsity Eight claimed the gold in the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championship race at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida. Prior to that, the first national champion was awarded to
Eric Meerbach '87 (1986 NCAA Division III Men's Golf) as the first NCAA championship school history.
In the final day of national championship competition, Hadley will double up for the chance at a pair of national championship titles in the mile and 3,000-meter events starting tomorrow at 4pm in the mile trek.
Results | 2024 NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field Championship: Day One Full Replay | Women's DMR Race
