Women's Track Heads Into ACC's With New Attitude, Reputation

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Located less than 15 minutes from the main Chestnut Hill campus of Boston College, the TRACK at New Balance is the latest addition to the Las Vegas Strip-type of complex surrounding the apparel and footwear manufacturer's main office. It flanks both the Red Auerbach Center utilized by the Boston Celtics and Warrior Ice Arena, the practice sheet for the Boston Bruins, and, once complete, will serve as a state-of-the-art centerpiece to the region's multi-sports scene.

Within the facility itself, a 200-meter hydraulically-banked indoor track sits as the main attraction. It's an unprecedented arena that will bring the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to Boston for the first time, and once open will serve as the future home of Boston College's men's and women's track programs.

The team that enters that facility, though, is very different from the one known throughout the nation as an upstart team experiencing steady growth. For years, BC has competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference without the points to back up the strong work ethic or personal growth, but as this weekend is likely to prove, the steady build now has the Eagles poised to make waves as a program capable of doing something special among its conference peers.

"We have had a quick couple of months," said head coach Randy Thomas. "Last year, we didn't have events during the winter due to COVID. But now with Boston University reopened and its track being reopened, we had opportunities to compete every weekend. It felt like the season flew by; I can't believe we're already at the ACC meet, but our team is handling it very well."

Indoor season traditionally challenges Boston College on levels that are very different from programs located throughout the region. The Eagles don't have a formal competition track on campus, meaning their schedule was often at the mercy of meets hosted regionally by other schools. Last year, as COVID-19 prevented colleges and universities from inviting other schools to train at their facilities, BC lost the ability to compete in Massachusetts. A weekend meet at Clemson and a dual meet at Army helped build a schedule, but the typical competitions in and around Boston never happened during the indoor season.

It was a new issue compounded by the typical weather woes experienced by any team that practices outside during the New England winter. BC was able to avoid that for much of this year thanks in no small part to milder temperatures, and for the first time in two seasons, the Eagles were able to train in a way that regularly enhanced their performance.

It started with a December 4 meet at Boston University, but after a month break, the month of January brought weekly meets for the Eagles to build towards. They succeeded in placing in several events at the Sorlein Memorial Invitational hosted by Rhode Island before the annual Battle in Beantown returned to BU. As the season progressed, the John Thomas Terrier Classic led directly into the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge, and the David Hemery Valentine Invite offered steady improvement prior to this weekend's ACC Championships.

Senior Kate Mitchell continued a season that started during her cross country year by winning the 800-meter at the Battle in Beantown, a season-long improvement that culminated with the third-fastest time in the event in school history when she ran a 2:05.73 at the Hemery meet two weeks ago. In the distance events, both Lauren White and Anna Oeser offered consistency and improvement, while Isabella Bruno continued to shine in the field events. In her final showing before the ACCs, she registered her best long jump of the season, a 5.62-meter leap that placed fourth.

Mitchell will also hold a role in the team's distance medley relay, an event the Eagles are hoping to take a little bit of surprise to the ACC. Elite runners can dot the entire field in that, but BC can counter the skill with its own talent, which itself contains a good amount of team chemistry.

Kyla Krawczyk notably won the 400-meter run at the Battle in Beantown, and Marne Sullivan is a former national qualifier who finished in the top-20 at the David Hemery Valentine's Invite.

"I'm really happy for Kate," Thomas said. "She's a senior, but she's struggled with some injuries off-and-on for the last couple of years. Finally this summer and fall, she was able to get out and train every day, and she built a great base. She's having a fantastic indoor season, and she's been very, very competitive.

"With our distance medley, we've been able to find a good lineup with Kate in the 1,200," he continued. "She ran a 2:44 in the 1,000, so we can leave her in the 1,200. We can then go with Kyla Krawczyk in the 400-meter and then move Marne Sullivan into the 800 with Lauren in our anchor position."

All of this has BC poised for a breakout at the ACC meet right before it moves into its new home in Brighton. For years, the Eagles have had to compete in a league not bound by the same meteorological obstacles, but as the finishing touches are completed at The Track, a new day dawns for a program that's always risen to answer the bell.

It's the latest chapter of a new relationship that stands to revolutionize college track and field. New Balance has long been the worldwide leader in running products, and the new facility will contain dedicated space for both running and field events with VIP boxes, video production areas and seating for up to 5,000 spectators. It was already named the host of the 2024 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and will, for the first time, allow BC to host events without having to travel to the fabled Reggie Lewis Center.

"It's going to be a situation for our kids where we will host competitions during the winter," women's track head coach Randy Thomas said. "Everybody's going to want to come train and race at this facility, and it's going to host both the NCAA Championships and the ACC Championships. For us, that's a sense of finally having a home facility, and that's really exciting. It's a game changer for our track and field programs, and I couldn't be happier for them."

The 2022 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championship kicks off on Thursday in Blacksburg, Virginia. First day coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. with coverage continuing through the weekend on the ACC Network Extra, with streaming available through ESPN's online platform for cable subscribers with access to the channel.

Women's Track Heads Into ACC's With New Attitude, Reputation

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Players Mentioned

Isabella Bruno

Kyla Krawczyk

Anna Oeser

Marne Sullivan

Lauren White