Medford, Mass. – January 19, 2025 – The Springfield College women's track and field team took second overall at the Tufts Branwen Smith-King Invitational on Saturday in their first meet of the calendar year.

The host Jumbos won the meet with 259 points, with the Pride producing 140.5 points for second. Bridgewater State took third (87 points), Mount Holyoke finished fourth (76.5), Emmanuel finished fifth (55), Regis finished sixth (27) and Fitchburg State took seventh (5).
 
At the meet, Samantha Paul (Albany, N.Y.) highlighted efforts in the field events as she won the triple jump with a best leap of 11.38-meters (37 feet, 4 inches), which currently ranks 15th best in Division III this season. Springfield also swept the top-2 places in the shot put with Katelynn Taylor (Franklin, Mass.) winning the event with a mark of 12.25-meters (40 feet, 2.25 inches) and Hannah Debian (West Springfield, Mass.)taking second with a mark of 10.82-meters (35 feet, 6 inches). The duo of Taylor and Debian also placed second (14.51-meters, 47 feet-7.25 inches) and 13.27-meters, 43 feet, 6.5 inches) in the weight throw).
 
Autumn Bacik (Watertown, Conn.) rounded out the highlights for Springfield in the field events as she took third in the pole vault by clearing 3.25-meters (10 feet, 8 inches) and sixth in the high jump clearing 1.51-meters (4 feet, 11.5 inches).
 
On the track Katherine DeFosse (Worcester, Mass.) and Natalia Marchand (Hubbardston, Mass.)produced Springfield's best finishes as runners-up. DeFosse posted a time of 9.14 in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, which ranks 26th in Division III this season, while Marchand crossed the line in 1:03.46 in the 400-meter dash.

Marchand finished just ahead of Julia Brillo (Ludlow, Mass.) and Peyton Knott (Leicester, Mass.) in the 400-meter dash as Brillo produced a time of 1:03.51 for third and Knott posted a time of 1:04.16 for fourth.

In the mile, Maddie Shea (Amherst, Mass.) and Kami Wlodyka (Three Rivers, Mass.) finished third and fourth respectively, with times of 5:20.70 and 5:32.08, while Meghan Sullivan (Easthampton, Mass.) took third in the 3,000-meter run in 11:36.41.

Kristina Kyle (Watertown, Conn.) and Taylor Gibson (Billerica, Mass.) rounded out the highlights for Springfield on Saturday as Kyle finished fourth in the 1,000-meter run in 3:06.22, while Gibson took fourth in the 600-meter run in 1:45.32.
 
Springfield will host the Massasoit Classic on January 25 in the Field House.

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