The MIT women’s track and field squad secured its inaugural NCAA Division III National Championship in the program’s history on Saturday, March 15, during the 2025 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships, which took place at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York.
The Engineers, who participated in the event as the highest-ranked team nationally, achieved the highest score ever earned by an MIT women’s team at a national indoor competition. They accrued a total of 49 points, securing them a first-place finish out of 62 teams. They outperformed Washington University, which scored 45.5 points; the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, with 37 points; Loras College, with 32 points; and the State University of New York at Geneseo, with 29 points.
“This outcome was incredibly thrilling, and it’s what our team has strived for all year,” remarks Julie Heyde, the MIT track and field director and head coach for both cross country and track and field. “Since last year, the team recognized their potential to become national champions. We didn’t solely focus on this objective; we’ve emphasized the journey, making this team victory particularly meaningful. Every individual competed for one another, embodying a true team spirit.”
Field events
Senior Alexis Boykin (Clayton, Ohio) set the benchmark in the shot put with her third attempt, achieving a distance of 15.31 meters as the defending national champion. Boykin also secured her title as the indoor national champion in the shot put for the second consecutive time, bringing her total titles for the weekend to two and marking her seventh individual NCAA national championship.
Senior Emily Ball (Des Moines, Iowa) established a new personal best with a throw of 14.19m (46 feet, 6-3/4 inches), finishing sixth and achieving All-American status. Ball’s second throw emerged as her strongest effort, contributing three critical points to the Engineers’ team total.
Junior Nony Otu Ugwu (Katy, Texas) placed ninth during the initial round of the triple jump and did not progress to the finals. Otu Ugwu’s top performance was recorded on her second jump, reaching a distance of 11.78m (38 feet, 7-3/4 inches).
Running events
Graduate student Gillian Roeder (Delmar, New York) crossed the finish line in fifth place in the mile event, showcasing a determined effort and earning All-America recognition with a time of 4:51.97.
As MIT was poised to secure the national championship, Roeder, senior Christina Crow (Mercer Island, Washington), along with juniors Rujuta Sane (Chandler, Arizona) and Kate Sanderson (West Hartford, Connecticut) competed in the 3,000-meter race. Sane secured 20th place with a time of 10:02.86, while Roeder finished 16th at 9:56.02. Crow and Sanderson maintained a position in the middle of the group for the majority of the race before Sanderson made a late charge, ascending to sixth place with just a few laps remaining. Sanderson held onto this position to secure three points and clinch the national title for the team. Crow placed 11th with a time of 9:44.99.
Additional noteworthy statistics
Otu Ugwu participated in her second indoor nationals and her third overall NCAA competition. She achieved 14th place in both the triple jump at the indoor and outdoor national championships last year. Roeder was competing in the mile finale for the first time since the 2023 indoor nationals, where she also finished fifth. Sanderson qualified for the indoor nationals in the 5,000 meters for both 2023 and 2024, but Saturday marked her first All-American honor, having placed 16th in 2024 and 20th in 2023.
In two weeks, MIT will transition outdoors, kicking off the outdoor track and field season on Thursday through Saturday, March 27-29, at the Raleigh Relays, hosted by North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
A version of this article initially appeared on the MIT Athletics website.