WATERVILLE, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College women's track and field team delivered a breakout performance at the 2025 Maine State Pine Tree Classic hosted by Colby College on Friday and Saturday. Facing off against elite in-state programs, the Monks rose to the occasion with three school records, multiple top finishes, and key championship-level marks — making it one of the most memorable meets in recent program history.

"I'm incredibly proud of how we performed this weekend. We challenged our women, and they responded. So many athletes stepped up — delivering a series of special performances that showcased both depth and talent across multiple events," said Head Coach Mike Burleson.

"It was a meet full of incredible performances. Ellie Leech's first meet back really got our weekend started with a huge javelin throw, shattering the school record by 10 meters in her season debut — a mark that now ranks top 20 in the nation. We kept that intensity all meet and closed with the women's 4x400m relay team, demolishing the previous school record by a full 10 seconds. It really felt like we had our foot on the gas from start to finish.

This was a huge step forward for our women's program, competing against some of the best talent in the state and representing our program with heart and grit. We're excited to carry that momentum into the conference championships next week in front of Monk Nation."

MEET HIGHLIGHTS

• Ellie Leech opened the meet with a statement, throwing 40.04m (131'4") in the javelin — a 10-meter personal best, school record, DIII New England qualifier, and a mark that currently ranks Top 20 in NCAA Division III.

• Ava Smart broke the school record in the 400 meters, placing 7th overall in a stacked field with a time of 1:01.03.

• The women's 4x400m relay team of Smart, Cheri Willems, Alexia Young, and Audrey Bilodeau brought the meet to a thrilling close by smashing the program record with a 3rd-place finish in 4:08.52, cutting more than 10 seconds off the previous mark.

• Audrey Bilodeau continued her consistency in the hurdles, finishing 3rd in the 100m hurdles with a DIII New England qualifying mark of 16.05 and also contributed on the record-breaking 4x4 squad.

• Haley Williams placed 6th in the 5000m, scoring key points in her first Maine State Championship appearance.

SPRINTS & RELAYS

The sprint crew was led by Ava Smart, who broke her own school record in the 400 meters with a time of 1:01.03, placing 7th overall. She was followed closely by Audrey Bilodeau (1:01.18, 8th) and Cheri Willems (1:02.46, 9th), giving the Monks three in the top ten. In the 100m dash, Zoe Indenga (13.78) and Jemima Kabangu (14.59) represented SJC in their championship debuts.

The Monks also had strong showings in the relays. The 4x100m relay of Cowan, Indenga, Kabangu, and Guindon finished 8th in 54.51. The highlight of the day came in the 4x400m relay, where Smart, Willems, Young, and Bilodeau crushed the school record by over ten seconds with a time of 4:08.52, placing 3rd overall.

MID-DISTANCE & DISTANCE

Alexia Young led the mid-distance group with a time of 2:31.27 in the 800 meters (13th place), while Karina Jones ran 3:21.72 in her championship debut. In the 1500 meters, Bella Koepsell ran a strong race, finishing 16th in 5:13.06.

Haley Williams delivered another solid performance in the 5000m, placing 6th in 20:13.93 and scoring key points for the team.

HURDLES

The hurdles group had a standout showing. Audrey Bilodeau ran 16.05 in the 100m hurdles to place 3rd and hit the DIII New England standard. Freshman Madalyn Guindon followed in 7th with a time of 17.32.

In the 400m hurdles, Olivia Bean placed 3rd in 1:12.37, with Guindon earning another scoring performance at 1:17.75 for 4th place.

JUMPS

The Monks had a deep jumps squad competing across three events. In the high jump, Breya Whitman cleared 1.41m to finish 8th.

In the long jump, Alexis Cowan led the way with a 9th-place mark of 4.85m. Ella Labrie followed in 11th (4.72m), with Kate Auricchio (4.19m) and Samira Mohamed (3.74m) rounding out the group.

The triple jump was another area of depth, led by Ella Labrie with a 6th-place finish (10.45m). Olivia Bean jumped 9.85m for 11th, followed by Whitman (9.30m), Auricchio (9.21m), Cowan (9.10m), and Mohamed (8.45m). Zoe Indenga did not record a legal mark.

THROWS

The throwers were highlighted by Ellie Leech, who opened her season with a massive school-record throw of 40.04m in the javelin, placing 2nd and earning a DIII New England qualifier. Her mark currently ranks in the top 20 nationally.

In the shot put, Jemima Kabangu threw 8.96m (19th). The discus saw three Monks in action, with Abby O'Brien throwing 30.97m (9th), Reynolds 27.93m (18th), and Lang 26.22m (20th).

O'Brien also led the hammer throw, placing 5th with a toss of 40.46m. She was joined by Katelynn Reynolds (33.64m), Sarah Joe (29.78m), and Haley Lang (23.07m).

Rounding out the javelin, Sarah Richard-Cote (21.90m) and Lang (21.02m) placed 17th and 20th, respectively.

RESULTS

100 Meters
Zoe Indenga (13.78, 14th)
Jemima Kabangu (14.59, 19th)

400 Meters
Ava Smart (1:01.03, 7th) – School Record
Audrey Bilodeau (1:01.18, 8th)
Cheri Willems (1:02.46, 9th)

800 Meters
Alexia Young (2:31.27, 13th)
Karina Jones (3:21.72, 29th)

1500 Meters
Bella Koepsell (5:13.06, 16th)

5000 Meters
Haley Williams (20:13.93, 6th)

100 Meter Hurdles
Audrey Bilodeau (16.05, 3rd) – DIII New England Qualifier
Madalyn Guindon (17.32, 7th)

400 Meter Hurdles
Olivia Bean (1:12.37, 3rd)
Madalyn Guindon (1:17.75, 4th)

4 x 100 Meter Relay
Alexis Cowan, Zoe Indenga, Jemima Kabangu, Madalyn Guindon – 54.51 (8th)

4 x 400 Meter Relay
Ava Smart, Cheri Willems, Alexia Young, Audrey Bilodeau – 4:08.52 (3rd) – School Record

High Jump
Breya Whitman (1.41m, 8th)

Long Jump
Alexis Cowan (4.85m, 9th)
Ella Labrie (4.72m, 11th)
Kate Auricchio (4.19m, 16th)
Samira Mohamed (3.74m, 19th)

Triple Jump
Ella Labrie (10.45m, 6th)
Olivia Bean (9.85m, 11th)
Breya Whitman (9.30m, 15th)
Kate Auricchio (9.21m, 16th)
Alexis Cowan (9.10m, 17th)
Samira Mohamed (8.45m, 21st)
 

Shot Put
Jemima Kabangu (8.96m, 19th)

Discus
Abby O'Brien (30.97m, 9th)
Katelynn Reynolds (27.93m, 18th)
Haley Lang (26.22m, 20th)

Hammer
Abby O'Brien (40.46m, 5th)
Katelynn Reynolds (33.64m, 19th)
Sarah Joe (29.78m, 24th)
Haley Lang (23.07m, 31st)

Javelin
Ellie Leech (40.04m, 2nd) – School Record, DIII New England Qualifier
Sarah Richard-Cote (21.90m, 17th)
Haley Lang (21.02m, 20th)

UP NEXT!

The Monks now turn their attention to the GNAC Championships hosted at Saint Joseph's College on April 26–27, where they'll look to capitalize on their season-long momentum.