2023-24 Indoor Track & Field Season Preview
11/29/2023
The Brown track and field programs are set to host the 37th annual Alden Invitational this Saturday, December 2 at the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center (OMAC), which will kick off the 2023-24 indoor season.
JUMPS
The Bears’ jumpers return as the team’s strongest event group and one of the tops in all of the Ivy League, spending a good amount of time last season in the Event Squad national rankings. Senior Lauren Yeboah-Kodie returns as the school’s outdoor long jump record holder, and sits in the top four in the indoor long jump and both triple jumps. She was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet at outdoor Heps in 2023 after winning gold in the long jump and silver in the triple jump. She was previously the runner-up in both events during the indoor Heps. Senior Chiamaka Odenigbo captured a pair of Ivy titles last season in the outdoor high jump and the pentathlon. She ranks in the top 10 of multiple events all-time at Brown, including fourth in the pentathlon (3,673) and third in the high jump (1.78m).
The men’s side is bolstered by the return of three-time Ivy League high jump champion, senior John McNeill. McNeill ranks in the top seven all-time in the indoor high jump and long jump, with sophomore Frank Monahan-Morang ranking eighth in the indoor long jump. Fellow senior Zach Love is coming off a sensational junior season that saw him qualify for the NCAA Championships in the long jump last spring. His PR of 7.58 meters (outdoor) ranks third all-time in program history.
THROWS
Brown returns a large number of experienced throwers, including junior Chidinma Agbasi, and seniors Sophia Gallucci and Mackenzie Palinski. All three rank in the program’s top eight all-time in the weight throw and will look to climb closer to the school record this season. Sophomore Zoe Carter-Konate sits ninth all-time in the weight throw, and senior Kendra Ezeama is the highest ranked returner in the shot put, where she ranks eighth in program history (14.46m).
For the men’s team, junior Tyler Gurth returns after leading the Bears at indoor Heps last year in the weight throw and the shot put at the outdoor Heps in May. Brown will also return a handful of sophomores who gained considerable experience last season including Liam Capozza, Ronan Folan and Cole Nesselson.
MID-DISTANCE/DISTANCE
After a cross country season that saw the Bears take steps forward as a group, the coaching staff sees the distance group as the healthiest and fittest it has been in recent years. Senior Stephanie Kriss is coming off a solid outdoor season and finished in Brown’s top three in three of her four cross country meets this fall. Sophomore Nimrit Ahuja returns and looks to contribute at a high level across several events after qualifying for the finals of the 1500 meters at outdoor Heps last season, and followed that up with taking silver at the U20 USATF Championships and qualifying for the U20 Pan-Am Championships in Puerto Rico.
First-year Olivia Fraga was the third fastest rookie at cross country Heps in October and also will look to carry the momentum into her first track and field season. Fellow first-year Nina Kruzewska will make her collegiate debut this weekend and will figure to factor into the 800m, 1000m, 1500m mix this season, along with Tanisha Patil who will debut in the 500 meters this weekend.
Junior Miles Mullins had a breakthrough cross country season this fall for the men and junior Sam Colton came on strong at the end of cross country season, with both having put together strong times in the preseason leading up to track season. Senior Evan Sherman is definitely looking forward to track season and will have opportunities to be a key contributor to the distance group. The staff is also looking to see contributions from freshman Matthew Doherty, who competed in cross country this fall and is a two-time New York state champion in high school in the 1,000 meters.
SPRINTERS/HURDLERS
Senior Marcus Gillespie thrusted himself into the top five all-time at Brown in both the 60-meter hurdles and the 110-meter hurdles last season, with his 60-meter time of 8.08 coming in the finals at indoor Heps. Sophomore Jason Estrada is coming off a strong rookie campaign that saw him rank No. 4 all-time in the indoor 400 meters (48.15) and the No. 5 time outdoors in the 400m (47.36). Senior Jack Kelley will also look to climb the school’s ranks, entering this season No. 7 all-time in the indoor 400m dash (48.57). Junior Daniel Sarisky set an indoor 200m PR last season of 21.75, which ranks fourth all-time.
On the women’s side, senior Brooke Ury holds the school records in both the 60 and 100-meter hurdles. She reset the indoor record on the home track at OMAC in the Brown Invitational on February 18 and set the outdoor mark (13.83) by 0.02 seconds at Ivy League Heps. The coaching staff is also excited to see contributions and growth from two freshman in Alyssa Jackson and Elle Riley.
