PLYMOUTH, NH – The Johnson Track and Field team opened its inaugural indoor track meet at the Plymouth State University Winter Classic on Friday afternoon, in what marks a historic day for the program.

On the women's side, several athletes ran their first ever track meet for the Badgers, led off by Olivia Davis in the 60m dash, where she ran a 9.12, nearly matching her 55m PB equivalent in the process and finishing 11^th in the meet. First-year teammate, Dahlia Maynard, followed suit with a top-10 finish in the 200m, opening with a strong 100 and holding on to finish with a 33.47 down the homestretch. In her first mid-distance event, Maddie Power placed herself firmly in the chase pack of the mile, crossing the 800m split in a blistering 3:06 and a final place of 7^th in 6:35, establishing a bright future in the 800-mile distances. Off the track, first-year thrower, Sierra Reed, made the finals in the shot put, with a mark of 7.71m. There, she nearly matched her prelim best with another 7.69m, ultimately finishing 8^th.

Several outdoor track athletes made their return to competition at Plymouth, with Ida Eames finding her rhythm once again over the 60m hurdles with a time of 11.31. This would put Eames at 4^th place, the highest place for the Badgers to that point in the meet. In what proved to be the most dramatic race of the day, returning sprinter, Kali Wooster, and first-year teammate, Shelby Royea, toed the line next in the two-lap 400m race. Wooster and Royea crossed the 200m split in 32-high and 33-low, respectively, sitting at fourth and fifth place. Bell lap rang and Wooster turned on the jets, closing what was a 20m gap and overtaking the second and third-place runners on the final turn. With 30m remaining in the homestretch, the gap closed to a photo-finish, with Wooster taking 2^nd by .07 seconds in what would be a decisive school record for the outdoor 400m, and finishing first for DIII athletes. Royea closed strong in an impressive debut of 73.45, proving to be a true threat in the 200-400m.

The women wrapped the meet's competition with a sprint medley relay (200m, 200m, 400, 800m) consisting of Davis, Jen Longway, Eames, and Power in a time of 5:23.95 and 4^th place finish. The mix of first-time athletes and veteran performers was a fitting way to conclude the team's first meet of the season.

On the men's side, first-year teammates Io Binder and Jonathan Cayole took to the oval for eight laps in the men's mile. As rookie milers, the two set the pace early, working together as they crossed the 400m mark in a pair of 73s before Cayole opened a slight gap entering the 800m in 2:28 to Binder's 2:30. Pushing through the dreaded third 400, both finished strong as Binder took 9^th in 5:15.17 and Cayole 11^th in 5:26.80. In the 600m, senior David Heath broke his 400m personal best en route to a 13th place finish in the event. To close out the season opener, Josh Beckett threw shot in his collegiate debut, setting a mark of 7.04m for 18^th place.

"I am beyond happy with how this young team rose to the occasion that is the program's first ever indoor track meet. The unique experience is not without its challenges and each athlete displayed a combination of confidence and composure typically found in veterans of the sport. We have one more meet before the semester break, taking on Division 1 competition at Dartmouth, and I am even more excited to see the team's progress continue," Coach Ringwood had to say following the season opener. "What he said," followed Coach Hunwick.