NEW LONDON, Conn. — The Smith College track and field team delivered a well-rounded performance Saturday at the Coast Guard Academy Invitational, headlined by a dominant sweep of the pole vault that produced a new national ranking mark, along with strong contributions across sprints, middle distance, and throws.

Pole Vault Dominance
The story of the day belonged to the Bears' pole vault corps. Senior Kerry Seekamp (Destin, FL/Fort Walton Beach) captured first place with a clearance of 3.55m (11-07.75), a mark that enters the 2026 NCAA Division III national rankings at No. 26 in the outdoor season. Classmate Jillian da Costa Pinto (West Hartford, CT/Conard)  was right behind in second at 3.25m (10-08.00), and sophomore Cadence Sorensen rounded out the effort in fourth at 3.10m (10-02.00), giving Smith three of the top four spots in the event.

Sprints and Middle Distance
Senior Lena Baker (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit North)  produced the Bears' top individual track finish, taking second in the 400m with a time of 59.74. Baker also ran a fifth-place 200m at 26.95. Sophomore Elowyn Gottsacker (Portland, OR/Roosevelt)   showed her versatility, posting a 17th-place finish in the 100m (13.19) before competing in the 400m hurdles, where she placed ninth (1:11.97). In the 800m, junior Catherine Collins (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) and first-year Avery Maiese ran a pair of strong efforts, placing fifth (2:22.50) and sixth (2:23.29), respectively. On the relay side, the 4x400m squad of Indie Lamb (Barrington, RI/Barrington High School), Collins, Maiese, and Elaine McCarty () ran 4:12.54 to finish fourth and enter the 2026 Division III national outdoor rankings at No. 73.

Throws Junior Mollie Doyle () led the field contingent with an eighth-place finish in the hammer throw at 36.29m (119-00). First-year Caroline Brennick (Cranston, RI/Cranston East) contributed an eighth-place javelin mark of 27.34m (89-08) and also competed in the discus (22.41m, 16th) and shot put (7.67m, 19th), showcasing her versatility as a multi-event thrower.

Smith returns to action April 10-11 at the Silfen Invitational, hosted by Connecticut College in New London, Conn.

About Smith Athletics Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information, log on to GoSmithBears.com and follow the Bears on Facebook and Instagram.