NEW LONDON, Conn. – In a resounding performance, the Wesleyan women's track & field team turned in one of the best performances at the NESCAC Championships in team history. On the strength of four first place finishes and six All-NESCAC performances, Wesleyan amassed 67 team points to finish in fifth place, good enough for the highest team finish at NESCAC's since 2003.
Among the remaining landmark achievements for Wesleyan on the day included four combined first place finishes from
Grace Devanny '23. The national indoor 400m champion placed first in the 200m and 400m while also helping lift the Cardinals to first place in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Devanny became just the third athlete in NESCAC history (Colleen Doddy of Williams in 2002, Sarah Deeb of Tufts in 2001) to win both the 200m and 400m in the same season.
Wesleyan's double victory in the sprint relays made history as the Cardinals became the first NESCAC team to win both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays at the NESCAC Championships since 2008. The only other program to have accomplished this feat is Williams (2004, 2006, 2008).
Devanny was challenged in the 200m, but the All-American closed strong to hold off Kiara Tan of Williams and earn a win with a time of 24.83. This is Devanny's first time winning the 200m at NESCAC's.
She then defended her 400m title from last season, winning the event handily with a time of 56.45 seconds that bested the runner-up (Casie Eifrig of Amherst) by more than two seconds.
Facing stiff competition from Middlebury in both sprint relay events, Wesleyan set the tone early with a meet and school record time of 47.73 seconds in the 4x100m, defeating the Panthers (48.32) by less than a second.
Gabby Harris '23,
Kenzie Kelly '25,
Augusta Burhans '23, and Devanny combined for the win as this is the just the second time Wesleyan has won the 4x100m NESCAC title in program history and the first since 2002.
Looking to defend their title in the 4x400m relay, Wesleyan put together a sensational performance as the team of
Sophia Mack '26,
Maeve Hoffman '23, Kelly, and Devanny posted a time of 3:55.96 that won the event by nearly three full seconds. This is the second time in team history that Wesleyan has won the 4x400m.
Harris became an All-NESCAC performer for the first time in her career, as the senior sprinter was fourth-fastest in the 100m prelims and legged out a third-place finish in the final to take home an All-NESCAC honor. Harris wasn't quite finished as she earned a ninth-place result in the 200m, crossing the line in 26.43 seconds.
The final All-NESCAC performance was Hoffman in the 800m, as the senior came through with a second-place finish, crossing the line in 2:17.27 in a highly competitive race. Hoffman's runner-up finish was just 0.46 seconds faster than the fifth-place finisher in the event. This is Hoffman's third career All-NESCAC honor, all of which coming in the 800m.
Falling just shy of an All-NESCAC honor was
Stephanie Ager '26 and
Miranda Graves '23 in the distance events. Ager clocked in at 17:36.53 to earn fifth place in the 5000m at her first career NESCAC Championships. Graves was sixth-best in the 10,000m, as she crossed the line in 37:50.65.
Competing at the NESCAC Championships for the first time in her career, Burhans landed a sixth-place finish in the 100m, crossing the line in 12.68 seconds. She also placed 11
th in the 200m with a time of 26.49.
To go along with her two relay titles, Kelly rounded out her day with a seventh-place finish in the 400m as the sophomore clocked in at 58.93 seconds.
Jordan Walter '25 landed a Top 10 result in the 1500m, finishing in 4:49.26.
Leading the way in the field events was
Chiara Christie '23 who placed 10
th in the javelin with a throw of 29.42m.
Claire Edwards '24 was 12
th-best in the discus at 30.30m.
The postseason schedule continues with the New England Division III Championships on Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6.
