STANDISH, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College women's track & field team turned in a strong championship performance on its home track this weekend, placing second at the 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Outdoor Championship with 198 points. Emmanuel won the team title with 211 points, followed by Saint Joseph's, Colby-Sawyer (86), Lasell (59), Regis (54), and Simmons (40).
"We have a special group of seniors whose commitment has helped shape and grow our program," said Saint Joseph's head coach Mike Burleson. "Their passion and dedication have been a cornerstone of our growth, culture and success. I couldn't be more proud of our women and their team-first approach. They battled through the entire meet, supported one another, and truly represented what it means to be a Monk. We saw incredible performances across the board, with our athletes leaving everything out there. This was a special year and another strong step forward for our women's program."
The Monks were led by a balanced effort across the track and field events, highlighted by event titles from junior Ava Smart in the 400 meters, junior Alexis Cowan in the long jump, sophomore Ella Labrie in the triple jump, and junior Jemima Kabangu in the shot put. Saint Joseph's also received runner-up finishes from sophomore Bella Koepsell in both the 800 and 1500 meters, junior Audrey Bilodeau in both hurdle events, sophomore Ellie Leech in the javelin, and the Monks' 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams.
SPRINTS AND RELAYS
Smart led the sprint group by winning the 400 meters in a DIII New England qualifying time of 1:00.06, while freshman Amber Pendleton followed in third with another regional qualifier at 1:01.97. In the 200 meters, Smart placed fourth in 27.52 and freshman Olivea Miller added a fifth-place finish in 27.89, while freshman Emma Jones posted a 28.34.
In the 100 meters, Miller placed fourth in the final in 13.18 after running 13.02 in the prelims, while Leech finished fifth in the final in 13.33 following a 13.23 prelim. Jones, Cowan, and freshman Hallye King also competed in the preliminaries and posted times of 13.70, 13.78, and 13.89, respectively.
Saint Joseph's added valuable points in the relays, placing third in the 4x100-meter relay with Smart, Bilodeau, Leech, and Miller in 50.67. The Monks also earned runner-up finishes in both the 4x400-meter relay with Smart, Koepsell, Pendleton, and Bilodeau in 4:11.78 and the 4x800-meter relay with Pendleton, senior Alexia Young, sophomore Cheri Willems, and Koepsell in 10:07.44.
MID-DISTANCE AND DISTANCE
Koepsell delivered a strong championship weekend for the Monks, placing second in the 800 meters in 2:28.36 and second again in the 1500 meters in 5:13.03. Pendleton added a fourth-place finish in the 800 in 2:32.78, while Willems finished fifth in 2:32.91 and Young posted a 2:49.49.
Freshman Meghan Cyr scored in both distance events, placing second in the 10,000 meters in 43:21.13 and fifth in the 5000 meters in 20:54.95. Sophomore Haley Williams added a fourth-place finish in the 10,000 in 44:39.27 and later placed fifth in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 13:56.91, while Young also scored in the steeple with a sixth-place finish in 14:10.07.
HURDLES
Bilodeau paced the Monks in the hurdle events with a pair of runner-up finishes. She posted a DIII New England qualifying time of 15.91 in the 100-meter hurdles final after running 16.16 in the preliminaries, and later finished second in the 400-meter hurdles in another regional qualifier at 1:08.05. Sophomore Olivia Bean added a fourth-place finish in the 400 hurdles in 1:14.37.
JUMPS
Cowan led the Monks in the horizontal jumps by winning the long jump with a mark of 5.01m (16' 5.25"). Labrie followed closely in second at 4.97m (16' 3.75"), while Miller added a sixth-place finish at 4.80m (15' 9"). Bean reached 4.47m, Natalie Young posted 4.45m, Ruth Dougherty added 4.43m, King recorded 4.44m, and junior Selena Huot and junior Samira Mohamed posted marks of 3.67m and 3.64m, respectively.
Labrie then claimed the triple jump title with a DIII New England qualifying mark of 10.64m (34' 11"), while Bean placed second at 10.38m (34' 0.75") and Cowan finished fourth at 10.20m (33' 5.75"). Junior Breya Whitman added a 9.31m mark and Mohamed reached 8.30m. In the high jump, Miller and Labrie both cleared 1.51m (4' 11.5") to place third and fourth, respectively, while Whitman cleared 1.46m for fifth and sophomore Berkley Hutchins reached 1.41m. Junior Jordan Huntley cleared 1.85m (6' 0.75") in the pole vault.
THROWS
Kabangu led the throws group by winning the shot put with a DIII New England qualifying mark of 11.29m (37' 0.5"). Leech followed in third with another regional qualifier at 11.09m (36' 4.75"), while Hutchins added 9.26m and junior Haley Lang posted 7.59m.
Leech also produced a major result in the javelin, placing second with a DIII New England qualifying throw of 38.60m (126' 8"). Lang followed at 25.43m, while Huot and sophomore Sarah Richard-Cote posted marks of 22.45m and 22.30m, respectively. In the discus, Leech placed third at 31.10m, Hutchins was sixth at 28.84m, Lang threw 26.26m, freshman Adriana Olson reached 25.82m, freshman Grace Cunningham posted 25.58m, and Kabangu added 24.14m. Cunningham led the Monks in the hammer throw with a fourth-place mark of 37.33m, while Hutchins followed in sixth at 34.10m. Olson added 30.65m, Kabangu threw 29.68m, and Lang reached 28.08m.
FULL RESULTS
Women's 100 Meters Finals
Olivea Miller – 13.18 (4th)
Ellie Leech – 13.33 (5th)
Women's 100 Meters Preliminaries
Olivea Miller – 13.02 (4th)
Ellie Leech – 13.23 (5th)
Emma Jones – 13.70 (9th)
Alexis Cowan – 13.78 (10th)
Hallye King – 13.89 (11th)
Women's 200 Meters
Ava Smart – 27.52 (4th)
Olivea Miller – 27.89 (5th)
Emma Jones – 28.34 (9th)
Women's 400 Meters
Ava Smart – 1:00.06 (1st, DIII New England qualifier)
Amber Pendleton – 1:01.97 (3rd, DIII New England qualifier)
Women's 800 Meters
Bella Koepsell – 2:28.36 (2nd)
Amber Pendleton – 2:32.78 (4th)
Cheri Willems – 2:32.91 (5th)
Alexia Young – 2:49.49 (12th)
Women's 1500 Meters
Bella Koepsell – 5:13.03 (2nd)
Women's 5000 Meters
Meghan Cyr – 20:54.95 (5th)
Women's 10,000 Meters
Meghan Cyr – 43:21.13 (2nd)
Haley Williams – 44:39.27 (4th)
Women's 100-Meter Hurdles Finals
Audrey Bilodeau – 15.91 (2nd, DIII New England qualifier)
Women's 100-Meter Hurdles Preliminaries
Audrey Bilodeau – 16.16 (2nd, DIII New England qualifier)
Women's 400-Meter Hurdles
Audrey Bilodeau – 1:08.05 (2nd, DIII New England qualifier)
Olivia Bean – 1:14.37 (4th)
Women's 3000-Meter Steeplechase
Haley Williams – 13:56.91 (5th)
Alexia Young – 14:10.07 (6th)
Women's 4x100-Meter Relay
Smart, Bilodeau, Leech, Miller – 50.67 (3rd)
Women's 4x400-Meter Relay
Smart, Koepsell, Pendleton, Bilodeau – 4:11.78 (2nd)
Women's 4x800-Meter Relay
Pendleton, Young, Willems, Koepsell – 10:07.44 (2nd)
Women's High Jump
Olivea Miller – 1.51m / 4' 11.5" (3rd)
Ella Labrie – 1.51m / 4' 11.5" (4th)
Breya Whitman – 1.46m / 4' 9.5" (5th)
Berkley Hutchins – 1.41m / 4' 7.5" (8th)
Women's Pole Vault
Jordan Huntley – 1.85m / 6' 0.75" (8th)
Women's Long Jump
Alexis Cowan – 5.01m / 16' 5.25" (1st)
Ella Labrie – 4.97m / 16' 3.75" (2nd)
Olivea Miller – 4.80m / 15' 9" (6th)
Olivia Bean – 4.47m / 14' 8" (8th)
Natalie Young – 4.45m / 14' 7.25" (9th)
Hallye King – 4.44m / 14' 7" (10th)
Ruth Dougherty – 4.43m / 14' 6.5" (11th)
Selena Huot – 3.67m / 12' 0.5" (18th)
Samira Mohamed – 3.64m / 11' 11.5" (19th)
Women's Triple Jump
Ella Labrie – 10.64m / 34' 11" (1st)
Olivia Bean – 10.38m / 34' 0.75" (2nd)
Alexis Cowan – 10.20m / 33' 5.75" (4th)
Breya Whitman – 9.31m / 30' 6.5" (10th)
Samira Mohamed – 8.30m / 27' 2.75" (13th)
Women's Shot Put
Jemima Kabangu – 11.29m / 37' 0.5" (1st)
Ellie Leech – 11.09m / 36' 4.75" (3rd)
Berkley Hutchins – 9.26m / 30' 4.75" (8th)
Haley Lang – 7.59m / 24' 11" (12th)
Women's Discus
Ellie Leech – 31.10m / 102' 0" (3rd)
Berkley Hutchins – 28.84m / 94' 7" (6th)
Haley Lang – 26.26m / 86' 2" (8th)
Adriana Olson – 25.82m / 84' 8" (9th)
Grace Cunningham – 25.58m / 83' 11" (10th)
Jemima Kabangu – 24.14m / 79' 2" (14th)
Women's Hammer Throw
Grace Cunningham – 37.33m / 122' 6" (4th)
Berkley Hutchins – 34.10m / 111' 10" (6th)
Adriana Olson – 30.65m / 100' 7" (7th)
Jemima Kabangu – 29.68m / 97' 4" (8th)
Haley Lang – 28.08m / 92' 1" (10th)
Women's Javelin
Ellie Leech – 38.60m / 126' 8" (2nd)
Haley Lang – 25.43m / 83' 5" (10th)
Selena Huot – 22.45m / 73' 8" (12th)
Sarah Richard-Cote – 22.30m / 73' 2" (13th)
