Story Links

BOSTON, Mass. — 

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy women’s track & field team took a trip to Boston University on Friday to compete in the annual John Thomas Terrier Invitational. Amidst a deep field featuring student-athletes from all NCAA levels, as well as top high school and professional talent, several Bears put forth personal record marks and performances that shook up the program’s indoor leaderboards.

One of the highlights of the day was the 4 x 400-meter relay performance put forth by the team of Ella Besant (Morehead, Ky.), Millie Wymbs (Salisbury, N.C.), Bianca McIntosh (Woodbridge, Va.), and Alaina Stonebraker (Sandy, Utah). All four runners had already competed earlier in the day, with three competing twice. Despite this, the squad placed 12th overall with a time of 3:54.49, casually posting the second-best 4-by-4 relay time in program history in the process.

Wymbs, McIntosh, and Stonebraker were the three who ran twice earlier in the day, each of them competing in the 400m and 200m races. Stonebraker ran in the meet’s 400m Invite, reserved for the fastest runners competing that day, and placed 20th overall with a time of 57.49. She later set a new personal record in the 200 after crossing the finish line at 25.13 for 19th place.

McIntosh’s 400 Open time of 1:00.21 was a personal record and a new CGA #8, and the freshman PR’d again later on in the 200 with a time of 26.54. Also improving their top 200 time was Wymbs after running 27.11, while Besant moved up to #2 on the indoor leaderboard for the 500m after going 1:17.68 for tenth place.

Starr Hepburn (Stafford, Va.) was another runner who saw a personal improvement in the 200 her time of 27.13; she also set a new best in the 60 dash at 8.26. Tara Jessen (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) was the top Bear in the 60 hurdles, clocking in at 10.14, while Amanda Delevan (Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Chloe Middleton (McLean, Va.) both set new career standards in the 800 with respective times of 2:21.29 and 2:28.92.

The mile featured Jordan Prinner (Citrus Springs, Fla.) setting a new personal record of 3:33.95, and Claire Semerod (Centennial, Colo.) achieved a massive PR of 9:49.50 in the 3000 later on, an improvement of just over ten seconds on her previous best. Kevyn Fish (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Meredith Isley (Valparaiso, Ind.) closed out Coast Guard’s day on the track by competing in the 5000, with Fish running 18:07.82 and Isley setting a new personal record of 19:02.03 in the distance. 

Mollie Brinker (Wilmington, N.C.) and Allie Wildsmith (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) led the field athletes with another pair of respective performances in the pole vault and high jump. Brinker vaulted up to #2 on the CGA indoor pole vault leaderboard with her 3.51m (11′ 6.25″) clearance, while Wildsmith secured another win in the high jump by getting over a 1.79m (5′ 10.5″) bar. The mark for Wildsmith was her highest clearance since her title-winning performance at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor National Championship this past May.

Ella Corritore (Erie, Pa.) and Kaylee Wright (Plainwell, Mich.) had solid showing in long jump by leaping respective distances of 4.97m (16′ 3.75″) for 15th and 4.82m (15′ 9.75″) for 19th. Wright was also 15th in triple jump at 10.87m (35′ 8″), while Hailey Corritore (Erie, Pa.) earned the slight edge for 14th at 10.91m (35′ 9.5″).

The lone Bear to step foot in BU’s throwing cage during the meet was Mercedes Bowman (Cincinnati, Ohio), who recorded an 11.89m (39′ 0.25″) toss in the weight throw.

Bears women’s track & field will be back in action next Friday, February 6th, at Gregory Field House for their second home meet of the season.