SALEM ,Va. - The Washington and Lee University women's track and field team stands atop the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) as they won their second indoor conference title in program history and the first since 2009 following a historic two-day performance at Roanoke College.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MEET
- W&L secured its first Indoor Conference Title since 2009, recording a staggering 197.75 team points while winning seven of the sixteen events. In addition, head coach Dana Freeman became the first female to lead a women's team to an ODAC Championship.
- Bridgewater College finished as the runner-up with 128 points, while Lynchburg secured third place with 116 points. Roanoke (76) finished in fourth place, while Shenandoah rounded out the top five with 44 points.
- The Generals had three scorers in the shot put to kick off the first event of the day, with Emily Jackson highlighting the group with a second-place finish. Jackson set a new program record in the event, recording a personal-best mark of 12.15m (39'-10.50"). Bailey Hedgemon finished right behind Jackson in third place, recording a personal-best mark of 11.76m (38'-07.00"), which also improved her No. 2 all-time mark in program history. Katie Wood rounded out the Generals in the event, finishing in eighth place with a mark of 11.13m (36'-06.25").
- Mackenzie Morante was the lone General in the triple jump, securing a fourth-place finish after recording a season-best mark of 10.80m (35'-05.25").
- All four competitors in the pole vault scored for W&L, with Ashley D'Ambrosia leading the way with a second-place finish. D'Ambrosia cleared a height of 3.56m (11'-08.00") to earn a silver medal, while Layla Keadle finished right behind her in third with a mark of 3.41m (11'-02.25"), earning a podium finish in her first conference meet. Abby Cholewa and Gabby Pullen finished back-to-back in sixth and seventh place, both clearing a height of 2.96m (9'-08.50").
- Cassie Carr highlighted the mile run, crossing the finish line in a program and meet record time of 4:57.66 to win the event. Sophia Breschi finished right behind Carr in second place, clocking in a personal-best time of 5:01.07, the third-fastest time in program history.
- Reese Brown, Emily Sansbury, and Julie Anne Bush finished in sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively. Brown crossed the finish line in 5:16.12, followed by Sansbury in 5:23.60 and Bush in 5:24.13, which all were personal best times.
- Amanda Romano earned a runner-up finish in the 60m hurdles, clocking a time of 9.00s and besting her own program record in the event. Lilly Versen turned in a fourth-place finish in the 60m dash, crossing the finish line in 7.99s.
- Jesma Evans had a record-breaking performance in the 400m, resetting the program and meet record with a time of 57.30s to earn the conference title for the first time in her career.
- Mimi Kemp and Lucie Graziano paced the Generals' 800m crew, finishing back-to-back in second and third place. Kemp clocked a personal-best time of 2:21.58, which also ranks tenth in program history, while Graziano posted a time of 2:22.43 to earn a podium finish.
- Brenna Luczak and Sofia Petrucelli also scored in the event for the Blue and White. Luczak recorded a time of 2:26.54 to finish in seventh place, while Petrucelli clocked in a personal-best time of 2:25.55.
- W&L had three student-athletes score in the 200m, as D'Ambrosia, Versen, and Evans each finished within the top eight. D'Ambrosia highlighted the group with a fifth-place finish, posting a time of 26.31s, which ranks fifth in program history. Versen finished right behind her in sixth, clocking the sixth-fastest time in program history with a time of 26.35s. Evans rounded out the scorers in eighth place, crossing the finish line in 26.49s.
- Olivia Warr delivered another outstanding performance in the 3,000m, resetting the program and meet record with a time of 9:48.64 to secure her second win of the weekend. Carr finished two spots behind her in third place, clocking a time of 10:10.73, while Emma Mitchell posted the fifth-best time in program history on her way to a fourth-place finish in 10:12.28. Breschi rounded out the scorers with a fifth-place finish, crossing the finish line in 10:17.17.
- Ana Hodneland, Lucie Graziano, Amanda Romano, and Jesma Evans teamed up in the 4x400m relay to cap off championship weekend. The squad had a record-breaking performance, setting a new program record with a time of 4:02.69 to finish in second place.
TOP TEN UPDATES
- Emily Jackson etched her name into the top spot of the shot put record books after recording a personal-best mark of 12.15m (39'-10.50") to finish second in the event. Jackson moved past Katie Wood and Bailey Hedgemon to claim the No. 1 spot.
- Bailey Hedgemon improved her No. 2 all-time mark in the shot put after posting a new personal-best mark of 11.76m (38'-07.00") to finish third overall.
- Jesma Evans had a record-breaking performance in the 400m on Sunday afternoon, clocking a program and meet record time of 57.30s to secure the conference crown. Evans surpassed Dana Lee's previous program record of 57.50s and her meet record time of 58.12s, both set in 2016.
- Bella Timmerding rest her No. 8 mark in the shout put record books on Sunday, recording a mark of 10.70m (35'-01.25").
- Amanda Romano reset her own program record in the finals of the 60m hurdles on Sunday, crossing the finish line in 9.00s to secure a second-place finish.
- Olivia Warr shaved down her program record in the 3,000m, posting a time of 9:48.64, which also broke the championship meet record. Warr shattered Casey Smith's (Roanoke) meet record of 10:10.61, which had stood since 2001.
- Cassie Carr claimed the No. 1 spot in the mile record books after clocking a personal-best time of 4:57.66. Carr's time also ranks 32nd in Division III this season and broke Marrissa Coombs' (Virginia Wesleyan) championship record of 5:02.01, set in 2017.
- Ana Hodneland, Lucie Graziano, Amanda Romano, and Jesma Evans set a new 4x400m relay record on Sunday night, clocking a time of 4:02.69 to surpass the 2017 squad's time of 4:02.86.
- Sophia Breschi moved up to No. 3 all-time in the mile after clocking a personal-best time of 5:01.07. Emma Mitchell climbed to No. 5 all-time in the 3,000m record books after crossing the finish line in a personal-best time of 10:12.28.
- Ashley D'Ambrosia and Lilly Versen improved their standings in the 200m record books with personal-best performances. D'Ambrosia moved up one spot to No. 5 all-time after posting a time of 26.21s to finish in fifth place. Versen climbed three spots to No. 6 all-time after clocking a time of 26.49s to finish in sixth place.
- Mimi Kemp rounded out the program record updates by breaking into the top ten of the 800m record books. Kemp clocked a personal-best time of 2:21.58, the tenth-fastest time in program history, to finish in second place.
PERSONAL / SEASON BESTS
TEAM SCORES
1. Washington and Lee (195.75)
2. Bridgewater (128)
3. Lynchburg (116)
4. Roanoke (76)
5. Shenandoah (44)
6. Virginia Wesleyan (38.75)
7. Randolph (13)
8. Hollins (7.5)
9. Eastern Mennonite (3)
10. Sweet Briar (1)
SUNDAY RESULTS
EVENT |
ATHLETE - SEEDING MARK |
FINAL MARK |
PLACE |
Shot Put |
Bella Timmerding - 10.59m |
10.70m (35'-01.25") |
10th |
Shot Put |
Bailey Hedgemon - 11.40m |
11.76m (38'-07.00") |
3rd |
Shot Put |
Katie Wood - 11.46m |
11.13m (36'-06.25") |
8th |
Shot Put |
Emily Jackson - 11.39m |
12.15m (39'-10.50") |
2nd |
Triple Jump |
Mackenzie Morante - 10.53m |
10.80m (35'-05.25") |
4th |
Pole Vault |
Ashley D'Ambrosia - 3.71m |
3.56m (11'-08.00") |
2nd |
Pole Vault |
Layla Keadle - 3.56m |
3.41m (11'-02.25") |
3rd |
Pole Vault |
Abby Cholewa - 3.20m |
2.96m (9'-08.50") |
6th |
Pole Vault |
Gabby Pullen - 3.05m |
2.96m (9'-08.50") |
7th |
Mile Run |
Mary Gorsky - 5:30.90 |
5:27.95 |
9th |
Mile Run |
Hannah Adams - 5:42.06 |
5:34.28 |
15th |
Mile Run |
Olivia Lovan - 5:49.33 |
5:46.39 |
20th |
Mile Run |
Cassie Carr - 5:03.51 |
4:57.66 |
1st |
Mile Run |
Sophia Breschi - 5:07.04 |
5:01.07 |
2nd |
Mile Run |
Emily Sansbury - 5:21.86 |
5:23.60 |
7th |
Mile Run |
Reese Brown - 5:23.12 |
5:16.12 |
6th |
Mile Run |
Julie Anne Bush - 5:30.42 |
5:24.13 |
8th |
60m Hurdles (Finals) |
Amanda Romano - 9.25s |
9.00s |
2nd |
400m |
Simmons Lee - 1:03.85 |
1:04.12 |
14th |
400m |
Annabelle Sutliff - 1:04.52 |
1:02.87 |
12th |
400m |
Jesma Evans - 59.12s |
57.30s |
1st |
60m Dash (Finals) |
Lilly Versen - 7.83s |
7.99s |
4th |
800m |
Adia Vera - 2:25.14 |
2:30.68 |
13th |
800m |
Charlotte Gardner - 2:27.74 |
2:32.53 |
15th |
800m |
Sofia Petrucelli - 2:28.08 |
2:25.55 |
8th |
800m |
Lucie Graziano - 2:20.55 |
2:22.43 |
3rd |
800m |
Mimi Kemp - 2:24.16 |
2:21.58 |
2nd |
800m |
Brenna Luczak - 2:25.10 |
2:26.54 |
7th |
200m |
Olivia D'Ambrosia - 27.84s |
27.80s |
18th |
200m |
Lilly Versen - 26.79s |
26.35 |
6th |
200m |
Ashley D'Ambrosia - 26.61s |
26.31s |
5th |
200m |
Jesma Evans - 26.38s |
26.49s |
8th |
3,000m |
MacKenzie Moore - 11:19.25 |
11:28.06 |
14th |
3,000m |
Hannah Kowkabany - 11:26.15 |
11:42.10 |
17th |
3,000m |
Olivia Warr - 10:02.29 |
9:48.64 |
1st |
3,000m |
Cassie Carr - 10:10.59 |
10:10.73 |
3rd |
3,000m |
Sophia Breschi - 10:16.52 |
10:17.17 |
5th |
3,000m |
Emma Mitchell - 10:26.32 |
10:12.28 |
4th |
3,000m |
Kristen Clodgo - 10:53.67 |
11:02.74 |
11th |
3,000m |
Brianna Breyault - 10:58.58 |
10:57.09 |
10th |
4x400m Relay |
Ana Hodneland, Lucie Graziano, Amanda Romano, Jesma Evans - 4:05.03 |
4:02.69 |
2nd |
Top-8 Finishes score points toward W&L's team score and are indicated by bold text in the table.
UP NEXT
- The Blue and White will head to Winchester, Va. on Friday, March 7 for the South Region Final Qualifier with hopes of improving their time for the 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.