Mammoths Battle Hamilton in Track Meet

The Amherst men’s and women’s track teams kicked off their Covid-abbreviated season in dual-meet action against NESCAC rival Hamilton College. 

On the women’s side, the scorecard may show a decisive, yet competitive 84-77 total point victory against Hamilton, but it fails to note the true magnitude of Amherst’s dominance. The Mammoths only competed in 13 events, winning a remarkable 12 of 13 events in which they submitted a competitor.

Amherst swept the floor in the 400-meter event, taking the top three spots in the event. Juanita Jaramillo ’22 (59.94), Anna Madden ’22 (1:00.09), and Isabelle Lobo ’22 (1:03.80) each crossed the finish line at least three seconds ahead of Hamilton’s first finisher.

Ally Deegan ’24 and Sophia Wolmer ’23 finished first and second in the 1500-meter run, clocking in at 4:50.31 and 4:50.34, respectively.

The Mammoths also claimed the top four spots in the 100-meter hurdles race. 2020 All-American Ella Rossa ’21 took home the gold with a time of 14.45 seconds, followed closely behind by Lauren Lamb ’21 (15.42), Bridget Cassata ’24 (16.81) and Trintje Nydam ’24 (17.91).

In her collegiate debut, Nicole Barbaro ’24 won the 400-meter hurdles, clocking in at 1:11.95. Additionally, the relay-consortium of Madden, Lobo, Jaramillo and Susannah Auderset ’23 claimed victory in the 4×400 meter relay with a time of 4:04.92.

On the field side, Amherst was equally as dominant. Mia Bawedi ’24 claimed the gold in the pole vault in her collegiate debut, registering a height of 2.60 meters. Sam Tichelaar ’22 (5.14 meters), Rossa (5.11 meters) and Kiana Ward ’24 (5.00 meters) took home gold, silver and bronze in the long jump, and Lamb’s jump of 10.91 meters in the triple jump easily secured first place.

In shot put, Amherst claimed all of the first five spots. Bethany Martin ’24 led the way with a 10.00-meter throw, Rossa finished second with a distance of 9.28 meters, followed by Carolina Andrade ’24 (9.14 meters), Debra Thayer ’24 (8.39 meters) and Nydam (7.78 meters). Martin continued her strong debut performance by claiming victories in discus and hammer, as well.

While the men’s team was not as dominant, they managed to take home six event victories.

Kyland Smith ’24 edged out teammate Ben Wadsworth ’22 by sixth tenths of a second in the 400-meter dash to grab the gold with a time of 53.65 seconds

Ellis Phillips-Gallucci ’23 secured a victory in the 400-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line with a time of 56.04 seconds.

The quartet of Smith, Benjamin Bell ’24, Robert Innes-Gold ’22 and Ryan Prenosil ’22 logged a second place finish (3:27.37) in the 4×400 meter relay.

Gabriel Dos Santos ’24 earned the win in the high jump, clearing a 1.87 meter bar to record the victory.

Chris Gong ’23 recorded a 6.94-meter long jump to take the gold in the event, beating out Troy Colleran’s ’22 6.82-meter jump.

As a team, the Amherst men’s squad ultimately fell to Hamilton 69-52, winning six out of fourteen events. 

On Sunday, April 20, both Mammoth teams will be back in action at Williams College.