After three years of training on track rolled out over concrete, running on curved treadmills, and commuting to practices in North Adams and Bennington, Vt., the track and field team has finally stepped onto a home track. The Multipurpose Recreation Center (MRC), which will fully open later in the winter, will serve varsity, intramural, and club sports.
The MRC features a 200-meter indoor track, tennis courts, and a climbing wall. The work will be nearly completed by the end of Winter Study, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for Feb. 13, according to Director of Athletics Lisa Melendy.
Before the MRC opened for the track team on Jan. 5, they traveled to Bennington to practice in a rented storage room, according to triple jumper Abdiel Perde ’28.
Affectionately known as the “Track Shack,” the training center was a 30-minute drive away from campus, according to captain and heptathlete Livi Mazerolle ’26.
The additional commute time made it difficult to complete full workouts, 400m and 4x400m relay runner Cate Donaldson ’27 explained. “It just made us feel sometimes a little bit rushed while we were doing our practices,” they said. “Sometimes we couldn’t get through all of our lifts because we had to get back to campus so that we could eat dinner.”
The time constraints affected the quality of training, athletes said. “One of our problems last year was because of how rushed we were; we weren’t able to warm up fully,” Perde said. “People who were injured weren’t able to fully take care of themselves. Now, you can come early or stay later if you need to, which is definitely beneficial.”
Beyond the challenges of the commute, the facilities in Bennington were not intended for a collegiate track and field team. “We only had 60 to 80 meters of [rolled-out] track the past two years,” Mazerolle said. “We haven’t been able to run [indoor] workouts on the ground in three years.”
Jumpers practiced on elevated wooden runways, while throwers trained in close proximity to sprinters, creating a chaotic environment, according to Perde. “It didn’t feel like an actual competition space,” he said.
The off-campus training arrangement also divided the team. While the speed and power group, including sprinters and field athletes, traveled to Bennington, distance runners often trained separately outdoors or in the turf rooms in Lasell Gymnasium, according to Donaldson. “We were only connected by the fact that we were on the same team,” they said.
The MRC has already transformed how the athletes train, according to Mazerolle. The facility’s open layout and natural light have created a more energizing environment, the athletes said. “It just feels right,” she said. “I’ve just been so much more motivated. It’s fun to have everyone under one roof.”
The MRC’s location and resources have also made it easier for injured athletes to stay connected with the team. Previously, they had to stay on campus to bike while the rest of the team traveled to Bennington, creating a divide within the team, according to Mazerolle. “[Now], we’re all just in the same space and really supporting those people who might not be able to do everything, but are nonetheless here with us,” she said.
Jan. 21 marked a turning point for the sprinters, who completed a high-intensity special workout on an indoor track for the first time in three seasons. “[It] was the first time anybody who’s not a senior ran a special workout on the ground, not on the curved treadmill, for the indoor season,” Donaldson said. “That was really special.”
According to Mazerolle, the MRC is helping the team set new goals for performance and cohesion. “The distance side of the track team and the speed and power side have always been pretty separate,” she said. “This year, I want us to be one team.”
Perde is hopeful that this physical unity will help motivate everyone on the team. “Since we’re all in one space now, we can help each other, push each other to be better,” he said.
The athletes’ excitement extends beyond practice. “Get ready,” Mazerolle said. “We’re leveling up this year.”
That energy will carry the team into the spring outdoor season. With the opening of the MRC, the team now has the space, cohesion, and momentum to hit the ground running on their home turf.
“It’s going to be an unreal year,” Perde said.
