Sports

Take me out to the Duck Pond

Published

5 months ago

July 15, 2025

Baseball teams in the Northwoods League will head to Madison this week for the league’s all-star game Wednesday evening. They’ll be competing at the Duck Pond, home of the Madison Mallards.

Tom Alesia is the author of a recent book, “Baseball Like It Oughta Be,” which details the successful and sometimes quirky history of the Mallards. In writing his book, he gathered stories and history from Mallards owner Steve Schmitt — who owns the iconic Black Earth shoe store, The Shoe Box — and team president Vern Stenman.

“Getting to interview both of them and digging into their stories was probably one of the most enjoyable parts of the book,” Alesia told WPR’s “The Larry Meiller Show.“

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Alesia and Stenman, who also joined the show, say Schmitt has played a critical role in not only the stellar performance of the Mallards, but the strong community that’s fostered at games.

They both place a strong emphasis on simply having fun.

“It’s fun, you know. And that’s the common denominator from day one to today,” Stenman told Larry Meiller. “And all the things that I think Tom captured very nicely in the book is that … if we’re not having fun doing something in the work that we’re in, we probably shouldn’t be doing it. And that’s become a rallying cry for us.”

This transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Larry Meiller: Tom, what inspired you to write about the Mallards?

Tom Alesia: As a Madison resident, every year, I’m fascinated by the fact that the Madison Mallards continue to draw more than 200,000 fans a season. And to put that in perspective, there are 80 collegiate summer leagues nationwide, hundreds of teams, and no one is near them. And what should happen is it should start to tail off a little interest. But instead, the interest just keeps going and going and going. And they did it without becoming the Savannah Bananas and going truly outlandish on the field. So that success fascinated me, and sure enough, it turned into a very entertaining and fun book.

A baseball player in a yellow and green uniform swings a bat; book title Baseball Like It Oughta Be by Tom Alesia is displayed with colorful, graphic background.

LM: Vern, that first Mallards game — what was that like?

Vern Stenman: It was cool because in that moment, no one expected us to succeed. You know, it’s hard probably for a lot of people to go back to that moment in time. But there had been three teams that had failed at Warner Park in, I think, the previous seven years before we came in. I was 23 years old. Steve [Schmitt] had never done anything really in the sports and entertainment space before, and we didn’t know what we didn’t know, I guess. And we just said, let’s go out and let’s have fun.

I think we drew right around 1,000 fans to that very first game. And at the time, that was a great crowd, you know, that was a good night. We go on to play the rest of the month of June and I don’t think we get a crowd over 200. So we were probably a little overly excited by that first night. But it was always fun, and that’s been kind of the common thread, I think, from that very first day until right now.

LM: Tom, what stands out to you about the Mallards?

TA: Steve Schmittt’s commitment. The team has done well, and then the team has done well financially. And Steve Schmitt, instead of walking away — and this is true of Vern, too — they didn’t just stop and cash in. Steve Schmitt in particular keeps putting the profits that he makes and the money back into the team, and that’s what makes it so exciting.

There’s a video board that was put up last year that I think would be an envy of just about every single minor league team and maybe one or two major league teams. It’s enormous. It’s an incredible part of what they’ve done with Warner Park.

You gotta go back to when Vern is talking about that first game, that first year, 2001 — Warner Park was not the Warner Park that it is today. Warner Park, the Duck Pond, was a very struggling facility. And over the years, Steve has put in money to make sure that it is a fantastic facility.

LM: Tom, you write about Steve and the name, the “Mallards.” It goes back. It’s a fun story. How did he come up with that name?

TA: He was one of the eight owners of a minor league hockey team called the Madison Kodiaks, and they lasted one season in the late 1990s. They were not successful. All of the owners lost some money. But one team caught his eye. It was the Quad Cities Mallards, a hot minor league hockey team that came to Madison. And when they came to Madison, they would also bring two or three busloads of their fans, and their fans just loved it.

And to Steve, that’s what he wanted. When he began owning a baseball team, he wanted that kind of enjoyment from fans. And as a result, and almost as a homage to the hockey team, the inspiration, he wanted the team called Mallards.

A baseball mascot sits on the outfield fence as a large crowd watches from the stands during a game. — The Madison Mallards mascot, Maynard, rides in on a zipline to start every home game. *Photo courtesy of Tom Alesia*

LM: Tom, you write about the many, many ways — and Vern, of course, can back this up — that make the game more than a game, just a lot of fun community and the giveaways and everything that go on are amazing.

TA: I mean, some of the promotions have been absolutely outrageous. They did the world’s largest old fashioned two years ago. One year, they let fans, if they got a permanent logo of the Mallards tattooed, they would be allowed for free in the Duck Blind. The Duck Blind is all you can eat, all you can drink. Forty people took them up on it. There was still a line. They weren’t able to get a tattoo on everybody.

There’s the green morph suit. A person in an all green outfit between innings, jumping onto the field. Everybody in that stadium thought it was real. This is about 12 years ago, 12-13, years ago. I saw it on YouTube — I thought it was real.

And he runs across. Then six of the Mallards employees — all looking like security — never caught him and he exited the stadium. The announcer played it perfectly. It was beautifully done. It ended up being on Jimmy Kimmel, on his show that night on national TV.

[embedded content]

TA: [The Mallards] were playing a team called the Alexandria Beatles. And fans could get in for free if they ate an edible bug. And many did, 250.

VS: We ran out of beetles. And I’ll never forget: There were, like, pretty young college girls coming up and eating beetles, and I was giving them to them, and they were, like, mad that they didn’t get the bigger beetle. You know, it was a weird thing, and it’s funny — that actually led to the parks commission in Madison requiring us to get permission for all of our promotions moving forward. Somebody on the parks commission didn’t think it was as funny as I thought it was. And ever since we did that back in probably 2012, we have to go every January to the Parks Commission with our ideas and make sure that they’re all comfortable with the things that we’re doing. But that actually got us international media attention when we did the stupid little beetle thing.

Sports

ESPN presents NCAA Women’s Volleyball Regional rounds, Dec. 11-14

Published

4 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

For the second time, a Regional Final match will air on ABC (Sun., Dec. 14)
ESPN is slated to air two Regional Semifinals on ESPN for the first time
All four No. 1 seeds (Kentucky, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Texas) to host Regionals, Dec. 11-14
All 12 matches will air on either ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, with all matches also available on the ESPN App

ESPN continues its exclusive presentation of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament this weekend with the Regional Semifinals and Finals set at the four top-seeded host sites – Kentucky, Nebraska, Pittsburgh and Texas.

Regional Semifinal play gets underway Thursday, Dec. 11, with four matches on ESPN2 from Kentucky (afternoon) and Pittsburgh (evening). The Regional Semifinals continue Friday from Austin and Lincoln, with the Texas Region airing on ESPN in the afternoon and the Nebraska Region airing on ESPN2 in the evening.

Regional Finals spring into action on Saturday, Dec. 13, with the Kentucky and Pittsburgh Regions as the first two teams claim their spot in the National Semifinals on ESPN2. Times will be determined following Thursday’s matches.

Action then wraps on Sunday, Dec. 14 on ABC/ESPN as the final two teams etch their spots in Kansas City, Mo. For the second time, a Regional Final will air on ABC – coming from either the Texas or Nebraska Region. Times will be determined following Friday’s matches.

Following the success last season, each Regional site will have a reporter on location, giving viewers insight from the sideline during the action.

Commentator teams calling the action from each location are as follows:

Kentucky Regional:
Play-by-play: Kevin Barnett
Analyst: Missy Whittemore – Three-time All-American at Florida
Reporter: Dawn Davenport – Three-year letterwinner at Auburn

Pittsburgh Regional:
Play-by-play: Anne Marie Anderson
Analyst: Nicole Branagh – Beach Volleyball Olympian and two-time All-American at Minnesota
Reporter: Shelby Coppedge – Four-year Texas A&M Corpus Christi defensive specialist

Texas Regional:
Play-by-play: Eric Frede
Analyst: Emily Ehman – Four-year Northwestern libero from 2016-19
Reporter: Michella Chester – Reporter & host for NCAA.com

Nebraska Regional:
Play-by-play: Courtney Lyle
Analyst: Holly McPeak – Three-time beach volleyball Olympian, third-winningest beach volleyball player of all-time
Reporter: Madison Fitzpatrick – Florida State beach volleyball standout (2018-22)

Studio Coverage:
Host: Sam Gore
Analyst: Mary Wise – Three-time AVCA Coach of the Year
Analyst: Jennifer Hoffman – Former Louisville All-American and U.S. National Team member

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Regional Semifinals and Regional Finals Schedule:

Date	Time (ET)	Site	Match	Network
Thu, Dec. 11	1 p.m.	Kentucky	Regional Semifinals Creighton vs. Arizona State Kevin Barnett, Missy Whittemore, Dawn Davenport	ESPN2
	30 mins after Match 1	Kentucky	Regional Semifinals Cal Poly vs. Kentucky Kevin Barnett, Missy Whittemore, Dawn Davenport	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	Pittsburgh	Regional Semifinals Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh Anne Marie Anderson, Nicole Branagh, Shelby Coppedge	ESPN2
	30 mins after Match 1	Pittsburgh	Regional Semifinals Purdue vs. SMU Anne Marie Anderson, Nicole Branagh, Shelby Coppedge	ESPN2
Fri, Dec. 12	Noon	Texas	Regional Semifinals Indiana vs. Texas Eric Frede, Emily Ehman, Michella Chester	ESPN
	30 mins after Match 1	Texas	Regional Semifinals Wisconsin vs. Stanford Eric Frede, Emily Ehman, Michella Chester	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Nebraska	Regional Semifinals Texas A&M vs. Louisville Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Madison Fitzpatrick	ESPN2
	30 mins after Match 1	Nebraska	Regional Semifinals Kansas vs. Nebraska Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Madison Fitzpatrick	ESPN2
Sat, Dec. 13	5 p.m.	TBD	Regional Finals TBD	ESPN2
	7:30 p.m.	TBD	Regional Finals TBD	ESPN2
Sun, Dec. 14	3 p.m.	TBD	Regional Finals TBD	ABC
	7:30 p.m.	TBD	Regional Finals TBD	ESPN

* All 12 matches will also be available on the ESPN App

All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.

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Sports

Baylock, Rychkov Garner NJAC Weekly Honors

Published

15 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

PITMAN, N.J. – Following a pair of historic performances, TCNJ women’s basketball’s Amanda Baylock and TCNJ track and field’s Maxim Rychkov were tabbed as their respective sport’s NJAC Athlete of the Week, as announced by the conference this afternoon.

Baylock earns her first career Player of the Week nod following an outstanding stretch in which the sophomore averaged 21 points on .538/.500/1.000 splits along with 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists to guide the Lions to a pair of dominant NJAC wins.

The Scotch Plains, N.J. native opened her week hitting a trio of 3-pointers as part of a nine-point outing in TCNJ’s 69-43 win over Stockton before erupting on the offensive end in the Lions’ wire-to-wire victory over Kean. Playing just 25 minutes against the Cougars, Baylock set career highs in both points (33) and 3-pointers (7), both of which are the most by a TCNJ player since 2021. The sophomore now easily paces the conference and ranks fifth in Division III in 3-pointers made per game (3.4), converting at an impressive 38.6% clip.

Rychkov made history of his own in his 2025-26 debut en route to the sophomore’s second Track Athlete of the Week honors. Competing at the TCNJ Indoor Open, Rychkov matched the school record in the 60-meter (6.77) before breaking the TCNJ and NJAC record – held by future Olympian Cheickna Traore – and setting the third-fastest finish in Division III history in the 300-meter with his time of 33.54.

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Sports

Volleyball’s Loryn Helgesen Named America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week

Published

20 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen has been named the America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, Nov. 16. The award is voted on by a state-wide media panel.

With their sponsorship of the student-athlete of the week, America First Credit Union donates funds directly to support student-athlete scholarships.

Helgesen, from Kaysville, Utah, led the Aggies during a pair of matches last week at the NCAA Tournament, including a first-round upset of seventh-seeded Tennessee (3-2) and a loss to second-seeded Arizona State (3-1). Against the Volunteers, Helgesen finished with 14 kills on a .308 hitting percentage and tied for the team lead with four blocks while adding seven digs, one ace and one assist. Against the Sun Devils, Helgesen recorded 19 kills on a .429 hitting percentage, both team highs, and added three digs, one block and one assist.

Helgesen finished the season with a .295 hitting percentage, ranking ninth all-time for a single season at USU with at least five attacks per set. Her career hitting percentage of .275 also ranks sixth all-time in program history with at least 1,000 attacks.

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

Join The Big Blue Club

Gifts to the Big Blue Club provide the resources necessary to build championship-caliber programs. It also comes with great benefits, including complimentary parking at football and men’s basketball games, access to the best seat locations, exclusive ticket presales, and more. Join online here or contact a member of the Big Blue Club via email or by phone at (435) 797-2583.

Nominees from other sports for USU Student-Athlete of the Week included:

MEN’S BASKETBALL – Junior guard Mason Falslev (Benson, Utah) helped Utah State to a 1-1 record on the road last week with a 74-6` loss at South Florida and a 79-53 win at Charlotte. Against the Bulls, Falslev scored 19 points, to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, while shooting 7-of-17 from the floor, 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Against the 49ers, he scored 22 points, along with six assists, five rebounds, and four steals, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, 0-of-3 from 3-point range and 8-of-8 at the free throw line. For the week, Falslev averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game, while shooting 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from the field, 33.3 percent (3-of-9) from 3-point range and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) at the free throw line.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – Junior guard Aaliyah Gayles (Las Vegas, Nevada) led the Aggies with 16.0 points per game last week in a pair of road losses at LMU (63-58) and San Diego (70-66). Against the Lions, Gayles scored 12 points and added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Against the Toreros, Gayles scored a team-high 20 points, USU’s first 20-point scorer this season, on 6-of-15 shooting, and led the team with four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block.

2025-26 America First Credit Union USU Student-Athlete of the Week Winners

Sept. 1 – Miles Davis, Football

Sept. 8 – John Miller, Football

Sept. 15 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 22 – Bryson Barnes, Football

Sept. 29 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 6 – Kaylie Kofe, Volleyball

Oct. 13 – Tess Werts, Soccer

Oct. 20 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Oct. 27 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

Nov. 3 – Mara Štiglic, Volleyball

Nov. 10 – Rine Yonaha, Soccer

Nov. 17 – Garry Clark, Men’s Basketball

Nov. 24 – MJ Collins, Men’s Basketball

Dec. 1 – Andrea Simovski, Volleyball

Dec. 8 – Loryn Helgesen, Volleyball

– USU –

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Sports

NC State kicks off indoor track season with strong distance performances – Technician

Published

31 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

There’s no shortage of fast runners in the NC State athletic program. With women’s cross country coming off an NCAA National Championship run, many of the same speedsters who hoisted the big trophy have made the transition to indoor track season.

NC State’s top runners made the trip up to Boston, Massachusetts, to compete in the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, while the throwers stayed close to home and competed in the Winston-Salem College Kick-off in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Success continued for the Wolfpack in long distance running as a number of athletes marked strong performances in the 3000m and 5000m races.

In the 3000m, junior Angelina Napoleon led the charge with a fourth-place finish in the elite first heat, with a time of 8:46.15. Also competing in the first heat, Sadie Englehardt finished 17th with a time of 9:09.47. Junior Kate Putman competed in the second heat, finishing 14th with a time of 9:17.92.

Three NC State athletes competed in the 5000m, with senior Briley Bickerstaff finishing 40th with a time of 15:59.61, graduate Brooke Rauber finishing 54th with a time of 16:06.79 and junior Jolena Quarzo finishing 72nd with a time of 16:15.68.

Senior Grace Hartman, notably absent from the initial indoor track events, was away competing in the 2025 USA Track & Field Cross-Country Championships. In a field full of current and former NCAA champions and USA Olympians, Hartman finished with a strong sixth-place time of 34:25.7.

On the men’s side, junior Elliot McArthur sped through the mile in 4:03.19, placing eighth overall to become No. 9 on NC State’s top-10 list. Sophomore Noah Valyo and the UNC-Chapel Hill transfer, junior Luke Wiley, competed in the 5000m. Vaylo finished 156th in 14:27.13 and Wily finished 177th in 14:39.19.

In the throwing events, taking place in Winston Salem, junior Tony Taylor II showed out with a runner-up finish in the weight throw with a personal-best 17.83-meter toss. Sophomore Bradley Pawlak also showed some gusto with a fifth-place mark of 17.24. In the women’s weight throw, junior Natalie Griffith finished fifth with a personal-best 16.80-meter toss.

The Wolfpack women’s shotputters also made the trip to Winston-Salem. Junior Iniyah Mitchell finished 26th with a mark of 10.38m, while graduate Jakerra Covington finished 32nd with a mark of 9.71.

Next up, the Pack will head to Blacksburg, Virginia, for the Virginia Tech Invitational Jan. 16-17.

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Sports

NCAA Women’s Div I Volleyball Tournament Glance

Published

36 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

By The Associated Press

2025 NCAA Women’s Div I Volleyball Tournament Glance All Times EST

First Round

Thursday, Dec. 4

No. 4 Colorado def. American, 25-16, 25-19, 25-16

No. 4 Kansas def. High Point, 25-20, 25-15, 25-18

No. 6 Baylor def. Arkansas St., 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 23-25, 15-10

No. 5 Miami (FL) def. Tulsa, 25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 25-20

No. 4 Indiana def. Toledo, 25-18, 25-15, 25-17

North Carolina def. No. 6 UTEP, 24-26, 25-11, 25-18, 25-21

No. 8 UCLA def. Georgia Tech, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 25-10

No. 6 N. Iowa def. Utah, 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10

Utah St. def. No. 7 Tennessee, 25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 18-25, 15-11

No. 3 Purdue def. Wright St., 25-13, 25-21, 25-19

No. 1 Kentucky def. Wofford, 25-11, 25-19, 25-12

Cal Poly def. No. 5 BYU, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10

No. 3 Creighton def. Northern Colorado, 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8

No. 2 Arizona St. def. Coppin St., 25-11, 25-14, 25-12

No. 4 Southern Cal def. Princeton, 25-19, 25-12, 25-13

No. 3 Wisconsin def. Eastern Ill., 25-11, 25-6, 25-19

Friday, Dec. 5

Marquette def. No. 7 W. Kentucky, 25-22, 25-21, 25-16

Michigan def. No. 8 Xavier, 25-19, 25-15, 25-23

Kansas St. def. No. 8 San Diego vs., 21-25, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 15-12

No. 6 TCU def. Steven F. Austin St., 25-8, 26-24, 25-20

Florida def. No. 7 Rice, 27-25, 25-23, 25-19

No. 5 Iowa St. def. St. Thomas (Minn.), 21-25, 25-13, 25-16, 21-25, 15-8

No. 8 Penn St. def. South Florida, 25-23, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19

No. 1 Pittsburgh def. UMBC, 25-10, 25-17, 25-13

No. 2 Louisville def. Loyola Chicago, 25-17, 25-9, 25-12

No. 2 SMU def. Cent. Arkansas, 25-13, 25-13, 25-13

No. 3 Texas A&M def. Campbell, 25-17, 25-9, 25-12

Arizona def. No. 7 South Dakota St., 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15

No. 1 Nebraska def. LIU, 25-11, 25-15, 25-17

No. 1 Texas def. Florida A&M, 25-11, 25-8, 25-14

No. 4 Minnesota def. Fairfield, 25-12, 25-7, 25-13

No. 2 Stanford def. Utah Valley, 21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14

Second Round
Friday, Dec. 5

No. 3 Purdue def. No. 6 Baylor, 25-16, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20

No. 4 Indiana def. No. 5 Colorado, 25-20, 25-17, 25-13

No. 1 Kentucky def. No. 8 UCLA, 30-25, 25-16, 28-30, 25-17

No. 4 Kansas def. No. 5 Miami, 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25

No. 3 Creighton def. N. Iowa, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21

No. 2 Arizona St. def. Utah St., 25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15

No. 3 Wisconsin def. North Carolina, 25-14, 25-21, 27-25

Cal Poly def. No. 4 Southern Cal, 25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7

Saturday, Dec. 6

No. 2 Louisville def. Marquette, 21-15, 25-11, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12

No. 1 Pittsburgh def. Michigan, 25-23, 25-23, 25-18

No. 1 Texas def. No. 8 Penn St., 25-16, 25-9, 25-19

No. 1 Nebraska def. Kansas St., 25-17, 25-21, 25-16

No. 2 SMU def. Florida, 25-11, 25-21, 26-24

No. 3 Texas A&M def. TCU, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 29-27

No. 4 Minnesota def. No. 5 Iowa St., 25-22, 25-21, 25-14

No. 2 Stanford def. Arizona, 25-16, 25-27, 25-17, 25-20

Third Round
Thursday, Dec. 11

No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 3 Creighton, 1 p.m.

No. 1 Kentucky vs. Cal Poly, 3:30 p.m.

No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Minnesota, 7 p.m.

No. 2 SMU vs. No. 3 Purdue, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 12

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana, noon

No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m.

No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 3 Texas A&M, 7 p.m.

No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Kansas, 9:30 p.m.

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Sports

Colby Sweeps Team Titles at Home Elm City Classic

Published

47 minutes ago

December 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Waterville, Maine – The Colby College Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams opened their indoor season in dominant fashion, sweeping both team titles as they hosted the Elm City Classic. The men scored 155 points to finish 1st of 5 teams, while the women collected 168 points to finish 1st of 4 teams on their home track.

The men delivered strong performances from sprints to field events. Ian Irwin won the 60m (7.02), while Levi Biery swept both the 200m (23.12) and 60m hurdles (8.47). Jackson Coelho claimed the 600m (1:21.71) and later anchored the victorious 4x400m relay with Sam Graubart, Biery, and Logan Sullivan (3:32.24). In the distance events, Stephen White captured the 3000m (8:32.80), and the Mules won the distance medley relay behind Chris Gould, Liam McGoldrick, Hugh McGuire, and Danny Reyes (11:07.15). Colby also earned multiple wins in the field, highlighted by Logan Sullivan taking the high jump (1.93m) and Logan Lehnert winning the pole vault (4.45m).

The women controlled the meet from start to finish, led by Charlotte Brake-Hoffman, who won both the 60m (7.90) and 200m (25.87). Tally Zeller took the 400m (59.16), Kaitlyn Ewald earned wins in the 600m (1:38.07) and long jump (5.14m), and Paige Goodwin secured the mile (5:44.18). Josie Hopkins won the 60m hurdles (9.62) and placed second in the pentathlon, while the 4x400m relay of Ellie Wang, Brake-Hoffman, Amina Cifric, and Alex Hermsdorff (4:11.92) closed out the track events with another Colby victory. In the field, Amina Cifric won the pole vault (3.32m).

The meet produced a strong list of AARTFC qualifiers, and several Mules broke into the Colby all-time top ten, including Hopkins (#3 LJ), Cifric (#4 PV), Sullivan (#5 HJ, facility record), Jack Coelho (#5 600m, facility record), and several multi-event athletes.

The Mules will be back on January 16th for the Bates Invitational at Lewiston, Maine.

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