The Vermont State University Castleton men’s and women’s track and field teams turned in a strong showing at the New England Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships over the weekend, with the Spartan women placing 26th overall and scoring 10 points.  

On the women’s side, the Spartans were led by sophomore Kalynn Stevenson, who delivered a stellar performance in the discus, launching a program-record throw of 43.91 meters to finish second overall.  

The toss earned eight team points and currently ranks her 30th nationally in NCAA Division III. Stevenson also picked up two points in the shot put with a seventh-place throw of 12.39 meters, securing her place as Castleton’s first-ever two-time All-New England performer and first medalist at the New England Championships. 

Isabell Lanfear and Karli Martin also qualified for multiple events. Lanfear placed 13th in the javelin (34.11m) and 18th in the shot put (11.42m), while Martin took 21st in the hammer throw (39.87m).  

On the track, Bethany Davis clocked 41:58.71 in the 10,000-meter run, placing 24th overall in the event. 

“The returners also came back in great shape and performed at a high level. Distance athletes found success breaking program records and qualifying for the Conference Championship as well as the New England Championship,” said head coach, Ian Sawtelle. “Bethany Davis is poised to have a bigger year if that is possible after breaking multiple program records, qualifying for the Conference Championship indoor and outdoor as well as her first New England Championship in outdoor.” 

The Spartan men were equally competitive, with veteran Jon Hendley running 34:08.40 in the 10,000-meter to place 21st, closing out a strong collegiate career.  

Freshman Carter Mackey cleared 1.85 meters in the high jump to finish 12th, capping off a season in which he qualified for both the Conference and New England Championships. First-year thrower Eddie Sayers had a breakout performance, tossing 39.68 meters in the discus to take 18th. Sayers, who also qualified for the New England meet in discus and two conference events, is part of a promising group of freshmen. Sidiki Sylla rounded out the Spartan results with a 12.52-meter effort in the shot put. 

Despite the ongoing challenge of training without dedicated track facilities, the Spartans’ coaching staff leaned into creative solutions. Through strategic planning and outside-the-box training methods, they maximized available resources—and it showed. Castleton qualified more athletes for the New England Championships this season than ever before. 

“I am very happy with this team, and I see nothing but success going forward.  We had the most ever athletes in program history to qualify for the New England Championship this outdoor season and had our first two (2) time All New England athlete as well as our first medalist at the New England Championship,” Sawtelle said.  “Track and field is an incredibly demanding sport, especially at the college level where it’s essentially two full seasons in a single academic year. This group rose to the occasion.” 

Freshmen made a notable impact across the board. Megan Carson, Brody Hopkins, and Sean Roth added much-needed depth to the sprints group and show signs to being cornerstones of the Spartan Track and Field team moving forward.  

Sienna Newth and Eddie Sayers stood out in the throws, each qualifying for multiple events at the conference level and showing potential to contend at the regional level in the coming years. 

Meanwhile, the returners came back stronger than ever. Along with Stevenson and Davis, athletes like Karli Martin, Isabell Lanfear, Rachel Doty-Snay, Connor Fournier, McKenna Castor, and Carter Mackey all played key roles in Castleton’s success, with many qualifying for both indoor and outdoor conference and regional meets.  

The season isn’t over yet. Stevenson is currently ranked 30th nationally in the discus and will compete on May 10 at Williams College in a final bid to improve her mark and earn a spot at the NCAA DIII National Championships.