It has been a school year to remember for the Quinnipiac women’s indoor track and field and cross country programs. After the latter took home its first MAAC Championship since 2015, the indoor track and field team – which has a number of crossovers from the cross country program – had a high bar to reach.

And reach it they did. Over a two-day period this past weekend, the track and field program finished second in the MAAC Championships with 179 points, falling just 14 behind Rider for the top spot. The Bobcats and Broncs were the only two schools to record over 100 points overall.

The Bobcats continued their dominant run as of late, finishing second in the conference for each of the last three indoor championship meets. This, along with six individual event champions, capped off a successful conference season for Quinnipiac.

The two-day event showcased the Bobcats’ ability to win, both as individuals and as a team. On Saturday, freshman jumper Erin Brennan was named MAAC Champion in the pole vault after recording a program-record 3.46 meters.

Brennan also scored in the triple jump, giving her 12 total points in the competition, good enough for the Women’s Field Rookie of the Meet honors.

In the field category, sophomore Olaitan Olagundoye finished first in the high jump at 1.65 meters. Nicknamed “LaLa,” the jumper and sprinter also came in the top 10 in the triple jump.

On Saturday, two Bobcats qualified for the MAAC finals. Junior Liv DiStefano and freshman Rachel St. Germain finished first and second, respectively, in the 5k. Those two runners were a small part of Quinnipiac’s successful weekend, which had 13 athletes place in the top 10.

In the 800 meters, middle distance runner Emily Young continued her scorching-hot graduate season by winning the event. At 2:16.19, Young’s time was the fourth best in her collegiate career.

“Over both days, they really exceeded our expectations and really made it a fun meet to be part of,” Quinnipiac head coach Carolyn Martin said in a press release on GoBobcats.com.

The Bobcats’ final award of the weekend was in the 4×400 event, where the sprinter quartet of sophomore Rylie Smith, junior Alyssa Romagnoli and freshmen Sydney Lavelle and Izzie Anzaldo took home the gold.

The 4×400 was not the only first-place finish that Smith had, as she also took home the crown in the individual 400-meters. The Pittsburgh native ran a time of 55.21 seconds, just ahead of Romagnoli for the top spot.

“First and second, baby,” Romagnoli said to Smith as they embraced after the 4×400 event in an video posted to the team’s Instagram account.

Other Bobcats that had stellar performances were Lavelle (9.00 seconds) and Avery Jordan (9.18 seconds), who both recorded times in the 60-meter hurdles that were good for top five in the Quinnipiac record book. Lavelle also added to her resume by recording a 5.58-meter jump in the long jump, good for sixth all-time in Quinnipiac history.

Quinnipiac will now look to bring this championship mentality into the ECAC Championships, which stretch from March 3-5 in Boston. The Bobcats came in fifth place last season and will see if their MAAC hardware will translate to the bigger stage and beyond.

“We significantly closed the gap and performed very well across the board,” Martin said. “I’m looking forward to see how we can continue this momentum into the outdoor season.”