For the fourth time in five years, Elon University’s women’s track and field team reigned supreme at the Coastal Athletic Association Outdoors Championship on May 15. They clinched the title with 147 points — 25 more than Hampton, who finished second. It is the sixth championship for the Phoenix in their 10 league meets. 

This victory comes with some redemption after the team was denied a fourth straight championship the previous season. Director of track and field, and cross country Mark Elliston listed injuries as a big reason why they couldn’t capture last year’s championship. He said it made a huge difference for everyone to be at full strength this season. 

Injuries weren’t the only component driving the team’s desire to reclaim the championship. Junior Lizzie Lopez said the team was motivated by projections that ranked them No. 3 among all CAA teams. 

“We probably had a different attitude,” Lopez said. “We were projected to finish third and we wanted to show everyone that we weren’t a third place team, and we deserved to be at the top.”

She said that after last season, there was an overwhelming determination for the team to finish strong heading into 2025. 

Elliston said he was impressed by the team’s desire to get back to their winning ways. He listed their preparation and work ethic as two key factors which helped them stay focused.

“To have them all at 100% was good,” Elliston said. “The preparation was there. Everyone was able to do the workload, and then also continue to stay focused as we went into the meet. That was a really big positive as far as going for the title again.”

For the tournament, Elliston attributed Elon’s success toward having multiple players excelling in different events. The team’s diversity in competitions additionally served as inspiration to their players. Elliston said each player had their own particular event. 

“I think each team member may have had their own event that really inspired them,” Elliston said. “To have two or three events go well and have that team member doing better than expected is always something that inspires everyone to do their part.”

Whereas some track teams may have great distance runners or terrific hurdlers, Elon had athletes who excelled in multiple categories. Some of their notable results in hurdling included sophomore Caden Cerminara coming in fourth for the pole vault, along with senior Jazlyn Jefferson and freshman Mia Stimpson finishing top five in the triple jump. 

In long distance events, Elon had junior Hannah Weber, along with seniors Madison Synowiec and Mariana Martinez, finish top three in the 5,000 meter. Sophomore Quinn Smith and junior Sara Petitjean finished top two in the 1,500 meter. 

Elliston labeled Elon’s versatility as a key factor in the team’s performance. He said it was great seeing the Phoenix perform as a team throughout the duration of the championship. 

“We needed to come through in as many events as we could to the best of our abilities, and that’s what we did,” Elliston said. “Some teams come to the championship and they have a lot of sprinters, jumpers or some really good throwers, but we came in as a complete team.”

No player embodied that more than Lopez, who competed in the heptathlon: a seven-event athletic contest which includes sprinting, hurdling and throwing competitions. While Lopez was initially nervous, she said the support from her teammates helped ease her concerns. She finished in first place with a score of 4,959 points. Lopez made her presence felt during each event. She placed first in the long jump and finished no lower than fifth in all other events.

Lopez said it was rewarding for her after missing the second day of last year’s championship with an injury. She said she felt a surge of accomplishment after completing the whole event. 

“Last year I wasn’t able to complete the second day because of my injury, so it was really cool to finally finish the heptathlon as a whole,” Lopez said. 

As Elon closed in on the title, Elliston said one of his favorite things was seeing how much his players were building up one another. He said he viewed the championship as a total team effort giving credit to the seniors, who he described as a “very strong class,” and to the freshman, who he said made a difference in their first year. 

“We came into the championship as a team,” Elliston said. “It was really great to watch everyone feed off each other, knowing that we had the strength and that we were going to make a run at the championship, and that’s what they did.”

Some of Elon’s athletes will continue their season at the National Collegiate Athletic Association East preliminaries in Jacksonville, Florida, from May 28-31. Senior Mikayla Jones was chosen in the 5,000 meter, while Synowiec was selected for the 10,000 meter. 

Jones and Synowiec will compete within the Eastern region for a bid to the NCAA track and field championship in Eugene, Oregon, from June 11-14.

“It’s pretty exciting to see,” Elliston said.