Men’s track and field placed fifth with 67 points at the NESCAC Championships on their home track this past weekend. Despite finishing one spot lower than last year’s fourth-place result, the Ephs produced five individual NESCAC champions, three more than last year.
This year’s championship marked the first time since 2002 that the meet was split across two days, introducing separate prelims and finals for various events. Co-captain Zachary Liu-Walter ’26, who won the 800m, described the unique circumstances the new format introduced. “I’ve only really done prelims in Nationals, so it kind of felt like a little bit of a mini-nationals kind of experience,” he said. “It was definitely very new, but also exciting to run a tactical [prelim] race.”
Given the hosting rotation between the 11 NESCAC schools, the meet also marked the first time since 2015 that the College had hosted the NESCAC Championships. “Being at home this year was amazing because all of our teammates that weren’t competing were still able to be there and cheer for us,” 10k NESCAC champion Emil Nelson ’28 said. “There were fans lining all the way around the track … [it] was awesome.”
The Ephs opened on Saturday with a record-breaking performance in the long jump by Uly Junker ’29. With a mark of 7.41 meters on his third attempt of the day, Junker surpassed the previous College record, set in 2025, by .05 meters. Even as a first-year competitor, he said he felt determined to leave his mark on NESCACs. “I really wanted to go and make a statement like, ‘Yes, I’m a first-year, but I do not believe that there is any stage that I can’t compete at,’” Junker said. “I have so much more in the tank, and I really wanted to show up to kick some butt.”
Concurrently, Vincent VanMaaren ’27 tied for first place in the pole vault with a 4.75-meter jump. After missing last year’s meet due to a hamstring injury, VanMaaren returned to the NESCAC Championships with a clear plan. “The goal is just to win and not really think about the heights too much,” he said. “The mindset was just stay calm and confident and not overthink anything.”
VanMaaren cleared his first three heights on his opening attempts, but deteriorating weather conditions made the later vaults more difficult, with nearly half the field failing in the final two heights. “Towards the end, it definitely got a bit cold when the clouds started coming over,” VanMaaren said.
After neither VanMaaren nor his Colby competitor could clear 4.90 meters or the 4.85-meter mark in a jump-off, the pair shared the title.
Later on Saturday, Nelson captured the 10k title with a time of 30:25.93, improving on his runner-up finish from 2025 by 50 seconds. This performance — just his second time competing in the event — inspired him to have more ambition heading into the postseason. “It was an indicator that I could maybe go for a national qualifying time in the next couple of races,” Nelson said. “That was a big confidence booster that made me excited to run more 10ks.”
Henry Alexander ’27, named the NESCAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week two weeks ago, started day two off with a dramatic finish in the 3,000m steeplechase. As the pack rounded the final turn, he surged down the homestretch, moving from third place to first, to claim the title with a time of 9:04.46. “In the last 300m, the energy of the team and all of my friends on the home track really pulled me past the other guys,” Alexander wrote to the Record. “On paper I was the quickest, but none of that matters once the gun goes off, so I was happy to back it up in the race.”
In the next individual event, the 1500m, Keiyu Mamiya ’28 earned the Ephs critical points as he secured second place with a time of 3:50.14, a significant improvement from his fifth-place finish the year prior.
Liu-Walter later built on the team’s momentum in the 800m. After finishing second in prelims on Saturday, he returned to win the final in 1:50.09, breaking the previous, decade-long College record of 1:50.53.
Despite these standout performances, various injuries prevented title-winning Ephs from competing in all of their scheduled events. Junker, who entered as the top seed in the 200m and was set to anchor the 4x100m relay on Sunday, was forced to withdraw from both events after sustaining a knee injury during his long jump victory the previous day. The Ephs’ lineup for the final event of the meet, the 4x800m relay, also saw changes with Liu-Walter unable to compete due to calf issues.
These injuries have been part of a broader concern for the team, according to Nelson. “I think the main thing for a lot of us is consistency, as our team has had issues recently with a lot of people getting sick and injured,” he said. “Doing all the small things right, like getting enough sleep and making sure you’re rested, goes a long way in terms of staying healthy.”
In light of these challenges, the Ephs still aim to build off of their victories this weekend as their season continues. “The most important part is being able to remain in a very positive head space throughout injury, throughout setbacks, and throughout school work, and just … remaining present, positive and optimistic,” Junker said. “I hope that the team can carry this momentum and have a certain drive and a fire to go out and lay it all out there.”
The Ephs will remain at home for the Farley Inter Regional Extravaganza (F.I.R.E) Meet on May 8 and May 9 as their season winds to a close.
