The WashU women’s track and field team won its seventh straight indoor conference championship this year. (Courtesy of Brandeis Sports Information)

Dating back to 2018, one team has reigned supreme in the University Athletic Association (UAA) women’s track and field competition. On March 2, WashU continued its dominance, winning the Bears’ seventh straight UAA indoor track & field championship. Led by six first-place finishes, the Bears logged 186.5 points, significantly outscoring second place University of Chicago’s 129.5 points. On the men’s side, No. 11 WashU finished in fourth place for the third season in a row, led by strong pole vaulting and middle-distance runs.

WashU’s women’s distance medley relay team of sophomore Lauren Raley, sophomore Ellie Cain, first-year Kate Delia, and sophomore Lucinda Laughlin broke the UAA record by three seconds, while the team of sophomore Quinn Bird, senior Kylie Spytek, junior Caroline Echols, and junior Cate Christopher won the 4×400-meter relay.

Echols also finished first in the 800-meter race, followed by Delia and senior Cate Stevens to sweep the podium. The Bears also took the top three spots in the 60-meter, with senior Jasmine Wright, junior Maya Davis, and junior Julia Coric rounding out the top three. Coric followed up her 60-meter performance with a first place finish in the 200-meter race.

Building off a strong cross country season, Laughlin kept up her long-distance momentum, winning the 3000-meter race.

In addition to excellent performances on the track, WashU thrived in the field elements. Senior Jenae Bothe won her second consecutive UAA indoor shot put title, while fellow senior Mackenzie Walker set a personal record with a 4.00-meter pole vault, the fourth-best mark in Division III this season. 

The WashU men’s team finished fourth, with their performance led by UAA records in the 4×400 and pole vault events. Senior Dayton Lasack, first-year Logan Fairchild, senior Brandon Brazil, and junior William Frohling set a conference best with a time of 3:16.46 in the 4×400. Lasack and Frohling also finished first place in the 400-meter and 800-meter races, respectively.

The Bears’ men’s team has been the best in Division III in the pole vault this season, and the UAA meet was no exception. Junior Peter Lichtenberger and senior Tommaso Maiocco both shattered the previous UAA record — previously set at 4.96-meter by Lichtenberger in 2025 — with 5.07-meter pole vaults. 

The Bears turn their attention towards NCAA qualifiers at Wartburg University this weekend, their last meet before the NCAA indoor championships in Birmingham, Alabama on March 13 and 14. After WashU’s women’s team finished second at indoor nationals last year, the UAA championship performance shows that WashU is ready to compete with the nation’s best at nationals once again.