The Colgate University men’s and women’s track teams have been on the move as their seasons continue, most recently competing at the University of Pennsylvania following meets at the Armory in New York City and at Cornell University. After opening their season in December, the Raiders have utilized this stretch of busy competition to gauge their progress and build momentum as they prepare for the upcoming slate of invitational and conference meets.
The track teams face a unique and demanding season, spanning from December through the end of the spring semester and featuring competition nearly every weekend. Preparation for that challenge begins months earlier, as team members train throughout the fall to build a foundation capable of sustaining consistent performance across a long and physically taxing schedule. With limited interludes between meets, the Raiders are required to balance recovery, training and incremental improvement as the season unfolds.
Senior pole vaulter Julianna Hallyburton has seen that steady growth firsthand, particularly within the pole vault group, as she highlighted the encouraging development of her teammates.
“[Samuel] Epstein, chasing his 5-meter goal, has improved by almost 10 centimeters every meet and ‘PR’d’ twice in a row,” Hallyburton said. “Melinda Haagensen, who was abroad in the fall, had really good performances at the Boston and Armory meets, which is a great start from coming back from being abroad.”
The two-time captain emphasized the importance of learning from each meet — regardless of the result — and applying those lessons to the next competition. This ability to lean and adapt from the past has been a major factor in sustaining the Raiders’ current momentum.
“I think we can always improve from the past meet,” Hallyburton said. “If you didn’t have a good meet, you can take something and learn from it; if you had a great meet, you can still find something to improve upon.”
That mindset was echoed by junior captain and distance runner Dakin Ebmeyer, who believes the current stage of the season is critical for sharpening performance ahead of championship competition.
“This is a kind of time where we can build up and really start working harder and getting faster,” Ebmeyer said. “It’s really concentrating on fine-tuning the little things so we can be at our best come the indoor championship at the end of the month.”
Ebmeyer also highlighted the team’s chemistry and support system, which have become especially important during long meets and crucial moments. To illustrate the team’s success beyond the track, he pointed to the conclusion of the UPenn meet.
“Nell [Droege] and John [Griffith] were the only people in their event and the last two on the team racing, so we were all along the track cheering them on because it’s hard to do it by yourself,” Ebmeyer said.
Droege, a sophomore captain, noted that the team has one final meet remaining at Boston University — the same venue that will host the Patriot League Indoor Championships on Feb. 28 and Mar. 1.
“That will be great for us to get some familiarity running on that track,” Droege said.
Evidently, runners are committed to embracing every opportunity as another step towards preparation for the postseason.
Despite dealing with injuries across the roster, Hallyburton, Ebmeyer and Droege all emphasized the significance of the team’s positive and encouraging culture. Droege explained that the team has remained grounded and appreciative of the chance to compete.
“It could make morale a little bit low,” Droege said. “It’s definitely hard to see a lot of your friends and people you’ve been training with get injured, but I think it makes everyone who is running grateful that they’re still able to compete.”
With experienced leaders guiding the teams and athletes buying into a process of gradual improvement, the Raiders continue to approach the remainder of the indoor season with focus and resilience. As the Patriot League Championships are fast approaching, Colgate track remains committed to building upon its early momentum and peaking when it matters most, intensely confident that they will score big.
