UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's track and field team is set to begin its 2025-26 campaign this weekend as the team hosts the Utica Holiday Classic. Start time on Saturday, December 6 is set for 1pm from the Todd and Jenn Hutton Sports and Recreation Center. 

Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live results can be found here, courtesy of Leone Timing. 

At the Helm: The Pioneers are led by Head Coach James Lemieux, who enters his seventh season leading the team. Lemieux works directly with the Pioneer throwers and also assists Coach Sam Catterson with the cross-country program. In 2022 and 2024, Lemieux led the men's team to its fourth Empire 8 Conference Outdoor team title, while he and the coaching staff won Empire 8 Men's Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year. Assistant Coaches Sam Catterson, Tanner Burton, and Joe Pruckno will be returning for the indoor season with the team as well.

Run it Back: Last season saw the Pioneers capture fifth place at the Empire 8 Indoor Championships, hosted at Utica, after securing 38 total points. The Pioneers qualified in 10 events in last season's AARTFC Regional Championship, with 12 Pioneers competing in the events. School records were plenty last season, with multiple records being set and then broken again. Hannah Allison (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) set a new school record in the high jump twice last season, once at 1.61m, and then followed with a 1.62m hop later in the season. Catherine Manna (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) also set a new record in the 3000m with a time of 10:36.65, which was later broken by Marlo Townsend (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) with a time of 10:30.63. Six Pioneers were selected to All-Empire 8 teams in Allison, Manna, Townsend, Madalyn Haaf (Pompey, NY/Fabius-Pompey) and Lilly Messler (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville), while Amelia Petersen (Fonda, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) was Utica's recipient of the Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year Award. 

Schedule Breakdown: Utica will play host for four events this season, the Holiday Classic on December 6, the Winter Opener on January 16, the Blue and Orange Invitational on February 6-7, and the Fast Trax Invitational on February 14. The Empire 8 Indoor Championships will take place on February 27-28, hosted by Nazareth University, with the AARTFC Regional Championship being held on March 6-7 at the Armory Track in New York City. Qualified athletes will compete at the NCAA DIII Championships, set for March 13-14 in Birmingham, AL. 

Track Em' Down: The Pioneers will welcome several new and old faces to the track this season. Nyasia Marsh (Westmoreland, NY/Westmoreland) has returned to the track to build off of her sophomore campaign last season where she managed a 44.56 in the 300m, and an 8.01 in the 60m last season. Also returning to sprint for the Pioneers is Arianna McClendon (Rome, NY/New York Mills) who finished with a time of 43.09 in the 300m last winter, and posted a season's best 1:01.00 in the 400m. Marlo Townsend (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) and Catherine Manna (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) have also returned for the Pioneers to run distance this season after each trading the school record in the 3000m. Townsend posted personal bests in the 800m with a time of 2:31.52, the mile with a time of 5:26.52, and the school record 10:30.63 in the 3000m. Townsend, alongside Manna was part of the second place finishing distance medley relay team at the Empire 8 Championships. Manna also put together a great indoor campaign last season, posting new personal bests in the 1000m with a time of 3:19.94, the mile with a time of 5:27.29, and a 10:32.67 in the 3000m. Utica will welcome graduate transfer Laura Suppa (Canastota, NY/Canastota) to the track this season, after spending last season at Ithaca College. Suppa took home the 60m hurdles crown in her junior season's Liberty League Championship with a time of 9.00, which would qualify her for the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships where she would place 14th overall. In her senior season, Suppa took home the AARTC Regional Championship in the 60m hurdles, and managed to earn All-American status after her fourth place finish at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships. 

Back for More: Field events will also see a slew of returning talent for the Pioneers. Returning this season is Hannah Allison (Herkimer, NY/Herkimer) who set the school record in the high jump last season with a mark of 1.62m. Allie Cary (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) is also making her return to the throwing circle after not competing last season. In her freshman campaign, Cary was a Empire 8 All-Conference selection after posting a 12.91m mark in the shot put and a 13.91m mark in the weight throw. Riley King (Oswego, NY/Oswego) also returns to the throwing circle after posting a personal best mark of 15.75m in the weight throw last season. Stefania Grimaldi (Poland, NY/Poland Central) also has returned after posting a personal best 2853 in the pentathlon last season. Returning to the jumping pits this season is Zeniyah Ghoulson who posted a 5.15 mark in the long jump last season, and an 11.12m mark in the triple jump. 

Up Next: Following the winter break, the Pioneers will host the Utica Winter Opener on January 16. Start time from the Todd and Jenn Hutton Sports and Recreation Center is set for 4pm.