Under the direction of 29th-year head coach Tina Lee, the Mount Holyoke track & field team saw action in 14 different meets in 2013-14. Pacing the way was sophomore captain Camille Coklow, who was a NEWMAC and New England Division III Champion, as well as a participant at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The Lyons had a solid opening to the indoor season at the Smith Invitational and went on to compete at the Wesleyan Invitational in January. Sophomore Elizabeth DeLeon had the top performance in that meet, winning the 800-meter run.
MHC found itself back at Smith College for the Benyon Invitational the following weekend. Coklow powered her way to victory in the 60-meter dash, while senior captain Kristina Weld was the winner in the 20lb. weight throw. Also highlighting the event was a win by the Distance Medley Relay team.
Strong efforts continued to prevail as MHC competed at the University of Southern Maine and later the MIT Invitational, which saw Coklow win the 60-dash once again.
The squad concluded the indoor season at the New England Division III Championships, which saw two student-athletes, as well as a relay team in action. Weld powered herself to a 13th-place finish in the weight throw, while junior captain Dana Fry was 16th in the 5,000-meter run.
As spring season approached, the outdoor campaign found itself stalled by mother nature as both the Westfield State and MHC's own Spring Fling Invitationals were cancelled. The outdoor slate finally kicked-off at the Wesleyan Invitational on April 5. Highlighting the outdoor opener was Fry, who posted a school record and victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
At the Smith Invitational the following weekend, Coklow and Weld both shined. Winning the 100 and 200-meter dashes was Coklow, while Weld claimed victory in the hammer throw.
The Lyons continued to charge, heading into the Aloha Relays at Bowdoin with solid momentum. Junior Amber Legare etched her name into the record books, finishing third in the seven-event Heptathlon with a school record mark. Coklow also performed well, finishing first in the 100-dash.
Mount Holyoke was proud to welcome its fellow conference members in late April, hosting the 2014 NEWMAC Championships. It was an outstanding day of competition that saw Coklow win the 100-dash title, earning NEWMAC All-Conference First Team honors. As a team, the Lyons were eighth overall.
The Lyons sent five student-athletes to the New England Division III Championships at Springfield, including Coklow, who repeated as the 100-dash champion. Also finishing strong was Legare, who placed fifth overall in the Heptathlon with another school record mark.
With the outdoor season beginning to wind down, Coklow and Legare headed to the Open New England Championships at Westfield State. Pacing the way once again was Legare, who finished ninth overall in the Heptathlon, an impressive feat as the only DIII competitor in the field.
At the ECAC Championships, the Lyons saw four competitors in action. Coklow paced the performances, finishing third in the 100-dash. Entering the weekend, her top time in the 100 had been a 12.31, but her preliminary run at ECAC's catapulted her among the top in the nation, as she ran a 12.07 – more than enough to secure her spot at Nationals.
Coklow, along with head coach Tina Lee, concluded the season at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University. Coklow, who entered with the 13th-best time in Division III, finished ninth overall with a time of 12.06. She missed the cut for the final by a mere second – only the top eight advanced to the finals.
In addition to Coklow's many honors, the Lyons saw five student-athletes garner NEWMAC Academic All-Conference recognition, including Weld, who was also Mount Holyoke's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
INDOOR
• Finished sixth at the Smith College Beynon Invitational
OUTDOOR
• Finished eighth at NEWMAC Championships
• NEWMAC All-Conference First Team – Camille Coklow '16 (1st in 100-meter dash)
• Were 20th at New England Division III Championships – Camille Coklow '16 – All-New England (won 100-meter dash)
• Two competed at Open New England Championships
• Four competed at ECAC Outdoor Championships
• Camille Coklow '16 – Competed at NCAA Outdoor National Championships (9th – 100-dash; 12.06)
• NEWMAC Academic All-Conference – Elizabeth DeLeon '16, Dana Fry '15, Jennie Ochterski '15, Kathleen O'Connor '14 & Kristina Weld '14
