The opening meet of the 2025-2026 PVIAC indoor track season took place at Smith College on Sunday, with five different Hampshire County schools participating. Each team made its mark in the first competition, setting the tone for the rest of the season.
Amherst
The Hurricanes had an exciting first meet, finishing in first place across four different events. Ololara Baptiste began her junior season with a bang, placing at the top of the girls 600-meter race with a time of 1 minute, 43.30 seconds. Her teammate Ella Jamate came in third, clocking in at 1:52.01.
Juliana Albo took home first in the girls high jump, hitting 5 feet exactly, while also claiming the top spot in the long jump at 15-07.00 and being the runner-up in 55-meter hurdles at 9.84.
In the girls 4×200-meter relay, Amherst finished more than seven seconds faster than second place, crossing the finish line at 1:49.33. Longer distance running also saw the Hurricanes have success with top-five finishes for Genevieve Dole and Coral Pope in the girls 1000-meter dash and girls mile, respectively.
Senior Yairelis Bachand’s second-place finish in the shot put at 29-08.00 rounded out a successful day for the Amherst girls squad. Wesley Dunford was the lone Hurricane boy to finish in the top five, walking away with a fourth-place spot in the high jump at 5-06.00.
Northampton
The Blue Devils began their year with a few top finishes, headlined by Maddalena Figueroa-Starr’s dominant performance in the girls 1000-meter run. The senior clocked in at 3:18.70, which was more that 11 seconds quicker than second place.
Northampton came up just short in a couple of other events, including a second-place finish in the mile by Maya Zink, who finished at 6:04.91.
Allie Sullivan showed off her jumping abilities on Sunday, finishing as the runner-up in both the high jump (5-00.00) and the long jump (15-06.75). Fellow senior Ella Hoogendyk took home fourth in the long jump, with a 14-06.50 finish.
As a team, the Blue Devils came in fourth place in the girls 4×200- meter relay, just narrowly outside the top three at 1:58.07.
Hampshire
The Raiders had one first-place finish on Sunday, with Brooke Hockenberry blazing past the competition in the girls mile, crossing the finish line at 5:39.90, which was 25 seconds faster than second place.
Long-distance running was Hampshire’s specialty, with the girls 1000-meter dash being its most impressive event. Three Raiders made up the top four spots, with Charlotte Letendre (3:29.74) in second, Keegan Butler (3:30.26) in third and Natalie Dunlap (3:31.97) in fourth. Kathleen Barry was the runner-up in the 2 Mile, clocking in at 13:19.06.
Caitlyn Packey had a third-place finish in the shot put, while Bethany Tobiasz rounded out the day for the girls, coming in fifth in the 300-meter at 46.09. Aidan Conklin put his stamp on the day for the boys, taking home third in the 600-meter with a 1:32.77 finish.
South Hadley
Despite the Tigers not having any first-place finishes, the team put together an impressive day, consistently finding their way into the top five. Lincoln Belsky did tie for first place in the boys high jump at 5-06.00, alongside six others.
Anthony Adams and Matt Gillis each placed in the top five in the long jump, with Adams in third (19-01.50) and Gillis in fifth (18-06.00). Gillis also added a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter run, clocking in at 38.25.
The girls 2 Mile saw South Hadley with multiple top finishes as well, with Grace Cooney’s time of 13:36.76 good enough for third, and Margaret Healey’s 13:43.15 finish good for fifth. Trevor Sullivan began his freshman season with a fifth-place finish in the boys 2 Mile with a time of 10:14.62.
Mikayla Weaver and Trevor Sullivan rounded out the individual top-five finishes, coming in fourth in the girls 600-meter run (1:52.04) and the boys mile (5:02.83), respectively. The boys 4×200-meter relay came in fourth place at 1:39.73, while the girls took home fifth at 2:01.07.
Holyoke
The Purple Knights participated in Sunday’s late window, with a first-place finish by Yasani Thompson in the girls 300-meter dash with a time of 42.52, headlining the day.
In the boys 600-meter run, two Holyoke athletes eclipsed the top five, with Ryan Kennedy (1:35.08) in fourth and Byron Guadalupe (1:35.99) in fifth place.
Jose Feliciano finished in fifth place in the 300-meter run, clocking in at 40.99. Addison Rodriguez was the lone non-runner to place top-five, snagging fifth in the girls shot put, measuring in at 26-00.00.
The team came together for the boys 4×200-meter relay, taking home fourth place with a time of 1:41.59.