SMITHFIELD, R.I.- Bryant University Track and Field runners Chloe Whiting and Jasmine Trott will make history this weekend as they become the first women in Division I program history to reach the First Round of the NCAA Championships. Trott will compete in the women’s 10,000m, while Whiting will run in the 5,000m.

“Jasmine and Chloe making the First Round of the NCAA Championships is a major milestone for the program and a huge testament to the commitment and dedication they put into the sport” said Bryant Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Mitchell Switzer. “The growth and development the two of them have had over the past couple of years has been really cool to see. They’ve put in the work, embraced every challenge, and become true leaders on and off the track. They’ve set a new standard for what it means to compete for Bryant and their achievements set a powerful example for the future of the team.”

The duo of Whiting and Trott are not only standout competitors and supportive teammates, but also roommates and best friends off the track. “It’s definitely something special being roommates and best friends and competitors and teammates” said Whiting when asked about her bond with Trott. “It’s such a blessing because we have each other on and off the track with everything that is going on in our lives. It’s so awesome to get to do it together. We talk about the fact that without each other, neither of us would have made it here.”

Whiting is enjoying one of the greatest seasons for a female track athlete in program history and is seeded 23rd in the women’s 5,000m heading into the East Regional. The catalyst for Whiting’s success this season began during the Bulldogs indoor season. On Jan. 18, Whiting claimed her first school record after posting a time of 9:44.75 in the 3,000m at the URI Invitational. Shortly thereafter, she would shine in the 5K at the Terrier Invitational on Feb. 1, where Whiting shattered Eimear Black’s 2013 time of 17:11.68 by over a full minute, finishing the race with a blistering time of 16:11.17. That performance would earn her Female Track Athlete of the Week honors from the America East on Feb. 4. 

Whiting carried that momentum into the conference season and took home gold medals at the 2025 America East Indoor Championships. She was also named the conference’s Most Outstanding Female Track Performer and was the recipient of the Coaches’ Award. Whiting would be awarded the league’s Indoor Track and Performer of the Year on Mar. 26.

Whiting’s newfound success translated almost immediately to the 2025 outdoor season. On Mar. 29 at the Black and Gold Invitational, she set a new school record in the outdoor women’s 5,000m after running a time of 16:19.17. That mark moved her ahead of Melissa Lodge ’18 who set the previous record time of 16:34.36 back in 2018. Whiting’s best performance of the season to date came during the 2025 Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California when she became the first woman in school history to run a sub 16 minute 5K, finishing the race with a remarkable time of 15:51.97. Whiting shined once again when facing America East competition. At the 2025 conference outdoor championships, she took the gold in the 5K with a time of 16:45.72 and earned the silver in the 10K after posting a time of 36:44.91. Whiting would be named the Most Outstanding Track Performer, sweeping the award in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Whiting attributes her dramatic improvement this season to a supportive coaching staff comprised of Switzer and Maggie Fox. “Coach Fox really is super intelligent in the sport and she knows training, what workouts work for which events…Coach Switzer is also incredibly knowledgeable in the sport and is a huge support system for us both on and off the track”. Fox joined the Black and Gold in August of 2023 after previous coaching stops at Babson, Boston College, and Emmanuel. She has served as the Head Cross Country/Assistant Track and Field Coach with the Bulldogs. Fox praised Whiting and Trott’s outstanding individual seasons saying, “Jasmine & Chloe have fully bought in and it’s a joy to coach athletes that work as hard as they do. The big gains we’re seeing are the direct result of choices and sacrifices they’ve made. I love that we get to set even bigger goals now.”

Switzer was recognized earlier this month for completing 10 years of service as a coach in Smithfield. He has played an instrumental role in transforming the program into the powerhouse it is today. Since being hired in 2015, all 22 women’s indoor track and field records have been broken. He also helped Bryant win its first team championship victory in program history after claiming the 2024 NEICAAA Women’s Championship. At the 2025 America East Indoor Championships, Switzer’s coaching staff was recognized as conference Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year. 

Jasmine Trott has had her eyes set on the NCAA Regionals for quite some time and has served as a driving motivation during her time donning the Black and Gold. “My goal since freshman year was just to make regionals,” said Trott ahead of the meet. “I’m just going to try to be present in the moment and absorb the atmosphere that I’m in…even if I don’t PR, I’ll still be happy with my performance since I have made it there.”

Trott’s rise to prominence in the women’s 10K began last season at the 2024 Black and Gold Invitational when she won the event with a time of 35:56.67. That mark helped her narrowly surpass the previous school record time of 35:56.94 which was set by Eimear Black in 2013. She also helped the women’s track and field team win at home for the first time in program history. Trott continued to improve in the event over the course of her sophomore season, capping the year off with a silver medal at America East Outdoor Championships after running 35:53.59.

This season, Trott would pick up right where she had left off, resetting her school record in 10K at the 2025 Black and Gold Invitational with a time of 34:01.76. Trott would medal once again at the conference championships, taking the bronze after posting a time of 36:45.01. Her best performance of the spring came during the 2025 Bryan Clay Invitational. Trott finished the race in second place with a time of 33:35.17, shattering her previous school record and setting an all-time mark 2:21.77 faster than the next closest Bulldog. Trott is seeded 26th at the East Regional.

Competition at the NCAA East Regionals begins on Wednesday, May 28 and concludes on Saturday, May 31st. Events will be held on the campus of the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville, Florida. Trott will compete in the women’s 10,000m on Thursday, May 29 at 9:10 PM. Whiting will run in the women’s 5,000m on Saturday, May 31at 8:10 PM.