HARRISONBURG ,Va. - The Washington and Lee University women's track and field team is sitting in the lead following the first day of the 2026 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Outdoor Championship after securing four wins while setting a pair of program records and a meet record on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MEET
- The Blue and White are leading the field after registering 93 teams points in day one through seven scored events. They posted four wins while having 16 scoring performances.
- Bailey Hedgemon highlighted the first day of action as she claimed a title in the hammer throw, broke a program record and reset a meet record. Hedgemon reset Whitney Fitzwater's (Roanoke) meet record of 49.66m which was set in 2011 in the hammer throw on her way to a conference title. Hedgemon posted a mark of 49.99m (164'-00.00") to secure her third-straight title in the event. She also reset a program record in the shot put, moving past teammate Emily Jackson's mark of 39'-02.50" which was set last season after recording a toss of 12.15m (39'-10.50") to finish in third place.
- Reese Brown secured her second consecutive title in the 3,000m steeplechase, breaking Moly Ortiz' program record time of 11:15.17 which was set in 2013 after crossing the finish line in a personal best time of 11:10.41. Camille Gillum picked up her second outdoor title in the high jump after clearing a height of 1.66m (5'-05.25") while Adelaide Ellis claimed the second 10,000m title in program history in her debut, crossing the finish line in a time of 38:19.19.
- Emily Jackson and Katie Wood joined Hedgemon in the shot put, finishing in fifth and sixth place. Jackson posted a mark of 12.02m (39'-05.25"), the second-best mark in program history, to finish in fifth place while Wood posted the third-best toss in program history, registering a mark of 11.96m (39'-03.00") to finish in sixth. Lilly Versen posted a sixth place finish in the long jump, leaping 5.29m (17'-04.25"). Versen also punched her ticket to the 100m finals this afternoon after clocking in a time of 12.32s, the fourth-fastest time in the field.
- Simone Kasischke joined Gillum in the high jump, finishing in sixth place with a mark of 1.47m (4'-09.75"). Bella Timmerding secured a podium finish in the hammer throw alongside Hedgemon, finishing in third place with a personal best toss of 45.93m (150'-08.00"), the second-best mark in program history. Leah Smith followed Timmerding in fourth place with a personal best toss of 43.56m (142'-11.00"), the fourth-best mark in program history.
- The Blue and White had three student-athletes qualify for tomorrow's 100m hurdles finals. Lucy Buchmayr posted the second-fastest time in the prelims with a time fo 15.41s while Joanne Lee (16.02s) and Elizabeth Sawicki (16.22s) finished in sixth and seventh place to punch their tickets to the finals.
- Jesma Evans and Annabelle Sutliff both qualified for the 400m finals after posting top-eight times in the prelims this afternoon. Evans clocked in a time of 56.40s, the second-fastest time in the field, while Sutliff posted a time of 59.73s to secure spots in the finals.
- Wood turned in a sixth place finish in the javelin, recording a toss of 30.22m (99'-01.00"). Brianna Breyault, Josie Engle and Hannah Adams joined Brown in the 3,000m steeplechase this evening. Breyault finished right behind Brown in second, posting a time of 11:34.61 while Engle recorded a time of 11:57.11 to finish in fourth place. Adams rounded out the quartet with a fifth place finish, crossing the finish line in a time of 12:21.66.
- Sawicki and J. Lee also qualified for the finals in the 400m hurdles, finishing fourth and fifth in the prelims with times of 1:09.28 and 1:10.33, respectively. Maddy Morgan rounded out the squad's top performances with a sixth place finish in the 10,000m, crossing the finish line in a time of 40:09.16.
TOP TEN UPDATES
- Bailey Hedgemon | Shot Put (12.15m; 39'-10.50") | Program Record
- Reese Brown | 3,000m Steeplechase (11:10.41) | Program Record
- Bella Timmerding | Hammer Throw (45.93m; 150'-08.00") | No. 2 all-time
- Emily Jackson | Shot Put (12.02m; 39'-05.25") | No. 2 all-time
- Katie Wood | Shot Put (11.96m; 39'-03.00") | No. 3 all-time
- Leah Smith | Hammer Throw (43.56m; 142'-11.00") | No. 4 all-time
- Kaia Beddows | 100m (12.73s) | Improved No. 7 all-time
PERSONAL / SEASON BESTS
TEAM SCORES (SEVEN EVENTS SCORED)
1. Washington and Lee (93)
2. Lynchburg (58)
3. Bridgewater (43)
4. Virginia Wesleyan (23.5)
5. Shenandoah (20)
6. Roanoke (15)
7. Hollins (12)
8. Eastern Mennonite (7)
9. Averett (1)
10. Randolph (0.5)
11. Sweet Briar (0)
FRIDAY RESULTS
| EVENT |
ATHLETE - SEEDING MARK |
PLACE |
FINAL MARK |
| Long Jump |
Mackenzie Morante - Flight 1 - 4.93m |
14th place |
4.86m (15'-11.50") |
| Long Jump |
Lilly Versen - Flight 2 - 5.33m |
6th place |
5.29m (17'-04.25") |
| Shot Put |
Bailey Hedgemon - Flight 2 - 11.60m |
3rd place |
12.15m (39'-10.50") |
| Shot Put |
Leah Smith - Flight 2 - 11.27m |
12th place |
10.59m (34'-09.00") |
| Shot Put |
Katie Wood - Flight 2 - 11.30m |
6th place |
11.96m (39'-03.00") |
| Shot Put |
Bella Timmerding - Flight 2 - 10.73m |
13th place |
10.33m (33'-10.75") |
| Shot Put |
Emily Jackson - Flight 2 - 11.48m |
5th place |
12.02m (39'-05.25") |
| High Jump |
Camille Gillum - Flight 1 - 1.66m |
1st place |
1.66m (5'-05.25") |
| High Jump |
Simone Kasischke - Flight 1 - 1.53m |
6th place |
1.47m (4'-09.75") |
| Hammer Throw |
Katie Wood - Flight 1 - 39.21m |
16th place |
36.93m (121'-02.00") |
| Hammer Throw |
Leah Smith - Flight 2 - 42.03m |
4th place |
43.56m (142'-11.00") |
| Hammer Throw |
Bailey Hedgemon - Flight 2 - 51.93m |
1st place |
49.99m (164'-00.00") |
| Hammer Throw |
Bella Timmerding - Flight 2 - 43.47m |
3rd place |
45.93m (150'-08.00") |
| 100m Hurdles (Prelims) |
Joanne Lee - Heat 1 - 15.65s |
Qualified for Finals |
16.02s |
| 100m Hurdles (Prelims) |
Lucy Buchmayr - Heat 1 - 15.12 |
Qualified for Finals |
15.41s |
| 100m Hurdles (Prelims) |
Elizabeth Sawicki - Heat 2 - 15.79s |
Qualified for Finals |
16.22s |
| 400m (Prelims) |
Jesma Evans - Heat 1 - 56.38s |
Qualified for Finals |
56.40s |
| 400m (Prelims) |
Annabelle Sutliff - Heat 1 - 59.46s |
Qualified for Finals |
59.73s |
| 400m (Prelims) |
Sally King - Heat 2 - 1:02.59 |
14th place |
1:04.14 |
| 400m (Prelims) |
Simmons Lee - Heat 2 - 1:00.88 |
10th place |
1:00.78 |
| 400m (Prelims) |
Ana Hodneland - Heat 1 - 1:01.51 |
11th place |
1:02.10 |
| 100m (Prelims) |
Lilly Versen - Heat 3 - 12.41s |
Qualified for Finals |
12.32s |
| 100m (Prelims) |
Kaia Beddows - Heat 3 - 12.74s |
13th place |
12.73s |
| Javelin |
Katie Wood - Flight 2 - 31.77m |
6th place |
30.22m (99'-01.00") |
| 3,000m Steeplechase |
Reese Brown - Section 1 - 11:17.22 |
1st place |
11:10.41 |
| 3,000m Steeplechase |
Brianna Breyault - Section 1 - 11:27.30 |
2nd place |
11:34.61 |
| 3,000m Steeplechase |
Josie Engle - Section 1 - 11:46.52 |
4th place |
11:57.11 |
| 3,000m Steeplechase |
Hannah Adams - Section 1 - 12:20.05 |
5th place |
12:21.66 |
| 400m Hurdles (Prelims) |
Elizabeth Sawicki - Heat 1 - 1:06.69 |
Qualified for Finals |
1:09.28 |
| 400m Hurdles (Prelims) |
Joanne Lee - Heat 2 - 1:08.78 |
Qualified for Finals |
1:10.33 |
| 200m (Prelims) |
Olivia D'Ambrosia - Heat 3 - 26.84s |
16th place |
27.07s |
| 10,000m |
Maddy Morgan - Heat 1 - N/A |
6th place |
40:09.16 |
| 10,000m |
Adelaide Ellis - Heat 1 - N/A |
1st place |
38:19.19 |
Top-8 Finishes score points toward W&L's team score and are indicated by bold text in the table.
ALL-ODAC PERFORMERS
UP NEXT
- The second day of the ODAC Championships will kick off at 10 a.m. with the javelin and the polevault, the 4x100m realy will kick off the events on the track at 2:10 p.m.
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.