Women’s thrower Emma Kowalski (CAS’24) at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational, February 3. Kowalski and the women’s throwers are ranked No. 13 nationally. Photo by Matt Woolverton

Patriot League

Terriers Host Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships This Weekend, the First Time since 2017

Program will seek to defend last year’s finish

A year after claiming their best Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships finish in half a decade, the Boston University men’s and women’s track and field teams are primed for another strong showing at this weekend’s 2024 PL Indoor Track and Field Championships. But the Terriers are not focused on how they finish among the 10-team field this year. Instead, BU head coach Gabe Sanders says, BU will compete to have “their best day.” 

“I am not going to look at the team ranking or the scores a single time this weekend,” Sanders says. “You know why? Because when I see someone in scarlet and white on the track or in the circle with ‘Boston’ across their chest, I will be too busy screaming my lungs out, cheering for them.” 

This is the first year since 2017 that BU has hosted the Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships, and Sanders says his athletes are excited about defending their home turf.

“There’s going to be something absolutely different and electric about having your conference championship on your home track and venue, like the Track and Tennis Center, aka the Launch Pad,” the coach says. “The Patriot League, a very proud conference, is coming back to a very proud facility that is going to put every student-athlete at every Patriot League school in an advantageous position to have a great, successful weekend.” 

Sanders says he is excited about seeing “a lot of Terriers on top of the podium,” hoping to challenge BU’s 9 Patriot League titles and 12 podium appearances earned during last year’s Championships, held at the US Naval Academy. Both the men and women’s programs earned second place behind Navy—the best finish for both programs since 2016 and 2017. 

“We’re excited to see what we can do, and how close we can get to that number-one slot for both the men and the women,” says thrower Emma Kowalski (CAS’24). 

BU enters this year’s championship having notched a number of accomplishments this season. Three men’s distance runners—Parker Schneider (COM’26) (3:56.67), Foster Malleck (Questrom’23, MET’25) (3:55.80), and Freddy Collins (ENG’26) (3:59.59)—have all clocked sub-4-minute miles in events this season, a feat not seen at BU for eight years. The BU men’s mile squad is ranked 17th in the nation.

In addition, the programs have seen 21 all-time top-10 marks this season—14 for the women and 7 for the men. However, the group Sanders is the most proud of is the No. 13–ranked women’s throwers squad. Last weekend, thrower Ellie Roan (CAS’26) posted a school-record 19.68m in the weight throw, earning PL Field Athlete of the Week and snatching the record from teammate Kowalski, who broke the school record on January 13 (19.19m). 

“It’s super exciting to see all of our hard work paying off,” Kowalski says. “My best day would probably be having a consistent series. The throws are a very interesting event where you give it all you can for three attempts. I’m just trying to get it out there as far as I can and keep pushing those numbers.” 

Elsewhere for the women, Sanders highlights his two former horizontal jumper conference champions, Asia Hamilton (COM’25) and Emma Lawrence (CAS’25), as well as transfer Peace Omonzane (CAS’26), a two-time PL Field Athlete of the Week, who is a national top-30 in the triple jump. 

“We’ve got three women that should all be contending for the victory this weekend in both jumps,” the coach says. 

On the track for the women, he is excited to see how Vera Sjöberg (CAS’25) will perform, describing her as “the best athlete in the entire conference.” She will be going for the “Triple Crown”—the mile, 3K, and 5K—this weekend after breaking the school record for the 1000m on February 3 (2:46.61). 

For seniors like throwing captain Sam Dennerlein (Sargent’24), this weekend’s competition has a special resonance.

“I think a lot of us are aware that this is the only time in our lives that we’re going to be able to do this,” Dennerlein says. “So we will definitely enjoy it while we have it—to throw or jump or run our best. But the enjoyment is definitely a part of it. When I’m 32, I’m not going to be doing this, so I am doing it now to have fun and feel the excitement.” 

Dennerlein and Kowalski both joined the BU track and field team in fall 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Dennerlein says it’s been rewarding to see the team rebound. 

“The program was in a very different place, all the coaches were pretty much new at that point, so it was a different feeling,” he says. “It’s been great to see the program grow into what it is now. It’s very different, but I love where it is. So it’s good that for my last Patriot League Championships, as a senior, it’s here in Boston. Beyond the competition, it’s good to see that the program is in a pretty solid place from where it started.” 

Sanders says he’s excited that BU is hosting the championships and that a number of recent alums will be returning to cheer on this year’s athletes.

“I’m really proud of this program and the progress that we’ve made since my arrival,” he says. “I’m really proud of the young people that we have in this program and the way they represent and carry themselves in this athletic department. This is going to be a lot of fun and a great weekend at BU.” 

The men’s and women’s Patriot League Track and Field Indoor Championships are Saturday, February 24, and Sunday, February 25, at the BU Track & Tennis Center. The track events will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats and results will be available all day on patriotleague.org, and BU fans can find more information on goterriers.com and follow along on Twitter at @TerrierTFXC and @BUGameDay. The NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston on March 8 and 9.