ROCHESTER, NY – The MIT women's track & field team finished with 49 points to win the first NCAA Division III women's track and field national championship in program history on Saturday at the 2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships, hosted by Nazareth College at the Golisano Training Center.
"This was such a fun and exciting outcome and what our team has been working toward all year," said Julie Heyde, MIT Director of Track and Field and Cross Country and Track and Field Head Coach. "Since last year, even, the team knew they had a possibility of being national champs. We didn't gear only toward this goal, we have been very process driven and that's why this team win is so special. Each and every person competed for each other, representing a total team culture."
The Engineers, who entered the meet as the top-ranked team in the nation, scored the most points ever scored by an MIT women's team at a national indoor meet to finish ahead of second place Washington U.
THE BASICS:
- MIT Team Score: 1st of 62 (49 points)
- Top-Five Team Scores: 1. MIT 49; 2. Washington U. 45.5; 3. Wis.-La Crosse 37; 4. Loras 32; 5. SUNY Geneseo 29
HOW IT HAPPENED - FIELD EVENTS:
- Shot Put: Senior Alexis Boykin's (Clayton, Ohio) third attempt was the mark to beat as the defending national champion registered a mark of 15.31 on her third attempt to win her second national title of the weekend. Senior Emily Ball (Des Moines, Iowa) set a new PR with a mark of 14.19m (46' 6 3/4") to finish in sixth and earn All-American honors. Ball's second throw was the best attempt for the MIT senior, earning the Engineers three valuable points in the team standings.Â
- Triple Jump: Junior Nony Otu Ugwu (Katy, Texas) finished ninth in the first flight and did not advance to the final. Otu Ugwu's best mark came on her second jump with a mark of 11.78m (38' 7 3/4").
HOW IT HAPPENED - RUNNING EVENTS:
- Mile: Grad student Gillian Roeder (Delmar, N.Y.) finished fifth in a hard-fought race, earning All-America honors with a time of 4:51.97.Â
- 3000m: With MIT on the verge of clinching the national title, Roeder, senior Christina Crow (Mercer Island, Wash.) and juniors Rujuta Sane (Chandler, Ariz.) and Kate Sanderson (West Hartford, Conn.) took to the track in the 3000m. Sane finished 20th in 10:02.86, with Roeder taking 16th in 9:56.02. Crow and Sanderson held in the middle of the pack for most of the race before Sanderson made a late move, taking over sixth place with just a few laps remaining. Sanderson would hold the position to earn three points and clinch MIT's first national championship. Crow took 11th in 9:44.99.Â
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Boykin repeated as the indoor national champion in the shot put, winning her second title of the weekend and her seventh individual NCAA national championship. Ball's finish was her first All-American honor in the shot put.
- Otu Ugwu was making her second appearance at Indoor Nationals and her third overall NCAA appearance. She was 14th in the triple jump at both the indoor and outdoor national championship last year.Â
- Roeder was running in the final in the Mile for the first time since 2023 indoor nationals, where she also finished fifth.
- Sanderson qualified for indoor nationals in the 5000m in both 2023 and 2024 but Saturday was her first All-American after finishing 16th in 2024 and 20th in 2023.
NEXT UP:
- MIT will head outside in two weeks, opening the outdoor track & field season Thursday-Saturday, March 27-29 at the Raleigh Relays, hosted by NC State University in Raleigh, NC.
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