The 2025-26 indoor and outdoor season proved to be another memorable chapter for the UMass Lowell men's and women's track & field programs, as the River Hawks celebrated conference championships, school records, individual award winners and continued excellence in the classroom.

The men's team built on its America East cross country championship in the fall by capturing both the America East Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships, completing a remarkable conference Triple Crown. The women, meanwhile, continued to elevate the program with conference champions, record-breaking performances and standout efforts across every event group, highlighting the continued growth of the River Hawks. 

The indoor season opened in early December at the Harvard Classic, where both squads wasted little time making their presence felt.

On the women's side, senior Nia Mainer-Smith (Taunton, Mass.) opened the year with a personal-best victory in the mile (5:14.98), edging teammate Raihana Yameogo, who placed second in 5:16.34. Jayani Santos enjoyed a strong start to her sophomore campaign, posting a personal best in the 60m dash before winning the 200m, while Avery Pitts added a third-place finish in the high jump.

The men's sprinters immediately shined, sweeping the top four spots in the 200m. Tristan O'Riorden led the charge with the victory, followed by Iyanuoluwapo Omisore, Michael Fisher and Dmitrius Shearrion, showing off the River Hawks' depth.

The following weekend at the Dartmouth December Invitational, the River Hawks' multi-event athletes stole the spotlight.

Fleur Balogh De Galantha opened her season with a runner-up finish in the pentathlon, winning three of the five events to earn America East Female Athlete of the Week honors. Freshman Nyrah Joseph followed closely behind in third, highlighted by a second-place finish in the 800m that helped secure America East Female Rookie of the Week recognition.

On the men's side, Brandon Riley and Derek Munroe etched their names into the program record book by both surpassing the previous school record in the heptathlon. Riley claimed the event title with 5,241 points, recording personal bests in the 60m hurdles and 1,000m while matching his career best in the pole vault to earn America East Men's Field Athlete of the Week accolades. Munroe finished second with 5,129 points after winning both the pole vault and 1,000m.

As the calendar turned to January and the new year, the River Hawks continued to build momentum at the Ivy League vs. America East Challenge.

Pitts claimed the high jump title with a clearance of 1.65,, earning America East Female Field Athlete of the Week honors, while Santos continued her impressive indoor campaign with another victory in the 200m and a third-place finish in the 60m. Yameogo and Salma Boukhtam also highlighted six personal-best performances for the women's squad in the 3,000m.

The men finished second in the team standings with 49 points behind an impressive all-around performance that included 11 top-three finishes and three event victories. Riley captured the high jump with a clearance of 1.85m, Jacob Szalewicz won the mile, Alejandro Lynch recorded a personal-best victory in the 500m and the River Hawks dominated several field events, including the shot put, where five throwers finished among the top seven.

The River Hawks continued to gain confidence throughout the remainder of the regular season, hosting the River Hawk Invitational at the TRACK at new balance, where the women's middle-distance group showcased the program's depth further, placing three runners among the top 20 in both the 800m and 1,000, races. On the men's side, the team of O'Riorden, Anthony Massari, Lynch and Fisher captured the 4x400m relay title, while Kevin Vigneault earned a runner-up finish in the weight throw.

When championship season arrived, both teams were prepared to deliver some of their best performances of the year.

The women opened the America East Indoor Championships with six personal-best performances on the opening day, led by Balogh De Galantha, who captured the conference pentathlon title with a personal-best 3,496 points after recording PRs in the 60m hurdles and shot put. Joseph added a fourth-place finish in the event, while Úna Price scored valuable points with a fourth-place finish in the pole vault.

The momentum continued into the final day, as Santos raced to the America East title in the 400m with a personal-best time of 54.18 seconds, becoming one of the conference's premier sprinters. Pitts added a runner-up finish in the high jump, and the River Hawks combined for seven additional personal bests to cap a successful championship weekend.

While the women celebrated individual milestones across multiple event groups, the men's squad assembled one of the most complete team performances in conference championship history.

After finishing the opening day atop the team standings with 52 points, the River Hawks closed the meet with 172.5 points to secure their second consecutive America East Indoor Championship.

The distance runners laid the foundation on day one as Isaac Henderson captured the conference title in the 5,000m with a personal-best 14:12.36, leading four River Hawks among the top six finishers to account for 22 team points. Andrew Benassi highlighted another dominant distance performance with a personal-best runner-up finish in the 1,000m.

The championship effort continued on day two as the River Hawks claimed 12 individual event titles while receiving contributions throughout the lineup. Wouter Van Den Akker won the 3,000m, Devin Moreau followed in second, Fisher earned silver in the 400m and Will Simard placed third in the mile. Riley added another podium finish in the 60m hurdles, while Camren Allain and Kenneth Kalvinek reached the podium in the high jump and shot put, respectively.

The multis once again proved instrumental to the championship run, with Munroe finishing second in the heptathlon and Riley placing third to combine for 14 valuable team points before the 4x400m relay put the finishing touches on the conference title.

The River Hawks closed the indoor campaign at the NEICAAA Championships, where Joseph earned a third-place finish in the pentathlon and Nidlaire Olivier placed third in the 60m hurdles against some of the region's top competition.

The season's success extended beyond competition, as Sarah Ross, Fleur Balogh De Galantha, Derek Munroe and Brandon Riley earned America East Indoor Track & Field All-Academic honors. Munroe was also recognized as the America East Winter Scholar-Athlete, adding another accolade to an already historic indoor campaign.

With one conference championship already secured and momentum continuing to build across both rosters, the River Hawks entered the outdoor season poised to carry their success into the spring.

The River Hawks continued their momentum into the outdoor season, where both squads continued to produce standout performances against strong competition while adding even more names to the program record book.

The women made an immediate statement at the Raleigh Relays, as freshman Alessandra Forgione enjoyed a memorable collegiate outdoor debut by breaking the school record in the javelin with a throw of 44.60m. The performance earned her America East Female Field Athlete of the Week honors and marked the beginning of one of the most impressive individual seasons in recent program history.

On the track, Jayani Santos continued to build on her successful indoor campaign, while the men's distance group wasted little time making its mark. Wouter Van Den Akker posted the fastest 10,000m time in the America East with a 15th-place finish against a talented field, earning America East Male Track Athlete of the Week recognition.

Hosting the D'Amour Invitational later that month, the River Hawks showcased their skills once again on the track and field that would later hold the 2026 America East Outdoor Championships.

The women collected eight top-two finishes and won four events, highlighted by Raihana Yameogo's victory in the 800m and a dominant showing in the 3,000m, where Anna Fondakowski led six River Hawks among the top 10 finishers with Sarah Ross placing second. Nhyira Nkansah, Una Price and several other field athletes added victories and podium finishes to cap another successful day on their home track.

The men were equally impressive, winning 10 events behind victories from Joshua Toth, Daniel Kennedy, Alejandro Lynch, Anthony Massari, Tyler Young, Camren Allain and Rere Edokpolo, while sweeping the top three positions in the shot put and claiming first and second in the 4x100m relay.

As the season progressed, both programs continued to build confidence through strong performances at invitationals throughout New England and beyond.

Forgione continued rewriting the record book, breaking her own school javelin record with a throw of 45.00m at the Sam Howell Invitational before surpassing it once again at the MIT Final Qualifier with a mark of 46.44m to close the regular season.

Meanwhile, the men's sprint squad established a new school record in the 4x100m relay with a time of 40.85 seconds at Sam Howell, a mark that would not stand for long.

Another of the year's defining storylines came from the River Hawks' multi-event athletes.

At Tufts, Derek Munroe broke the school record in the decathlon with 6,935 points after winning five of the 10 events and recording personal bests in both the long jump and 1,500m. The performance earned him America East Male Field Athlete of the Week honors while continuing a remarkable season that began with a record-breaking indoor campaign.

The River Hawks continued to shine at the Bryan Clay Invitational in California and George Davis Invitational back home in Lowell, with several athletes producing personal-best performances against elite competition.

Van Den Akker rewrote the school record in the 5,000m with a time of 13:52.52 at Bryan Clay, while the women enjoyed one of their strongest collective performances of the spring at George Davis.

The River Hawks totaled 11 personal bests and 12 top-three finishes, highlighted by victories from Krista Bettez in the 3,000m steeplechase and strong performances throughout the lineup. Selena Wood finished second in the 3,000m with a personal best, Nyrah Joseph recorded a PR in the 100m hurdles, Raihana Yameogo and Nubia Pereira continued the success of the middle-distance group, while Maggie McInerney and Kathryn Perrone turned in a pair of runner-up finishes in the 400m hurdles. Zoe Clarke added a personal best in the discus, and Forgione remained among the conference's top javelin throwers with another runner-up finish.

The men's squad matched that success with nine event victories and 16 top-three finishes. Dmitrius Shearrion captured the 100m dash with a personal-best 10.78 seconds, Nate DeAngelo won the 800m with a personal-best performance, Chris Guerin claimed the two-mile title in his collegiate debut and Landen Vaillancourt added a victory in the 5,000m. Reznor Rokicki, Jack Shepherd and Camren Allain each earned field event victories, while the 4x400m relay capped another strong weekend with a first-place finish.

At the George Davis Invitational, the 2025 America East Men's Cross Country Championship-winning team was honored and presented their championship rings, while decorated alum and former All-American, James Kotowski, was also presented a custom ring for competing in the NCAAs and Olympic Trials.

Championship season once again brought out the best in both River Hawk squads.

The women opened the America East Outdoor Championships with podium performances from Mary-Kate Finn, who finished third in the 10,000m, and Forgione, who earned runner-up honors in the javelin. The team added five personal-best performances on the final day, highlighted by Avery Pitts' tie for third in the high jump, as several River Hawks contributed valuable team points across the two-day meet.

The men's team entered the final day within striking distance of the conference title after a dominant opening day from its distance runners. Will Benoit captured the America East title in the 10,000m, Van Den Akker finished second and Isaac Henderson added a fifth-place finish as the River Hawks totaled 22 points in the event alone to position themselves for another championship run.

On the final day, the men completed their remarkable Triple Crown season by securing the America East Outdoor Championship with 166.5 points, giving the program conference titles in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field during the 2025-26 academic year.

Munroe once again led the way, breaking his own school record in the decathlon with 7,034 points while winning five of the 10 events to capture the conference title. Riley followed with a runner-up finish after winning both the high jump and 110m hurdles while setting personal bests in the 110m hurdles and 1,500m

Elsewhere, Fisher earned silver in the 400m, John Kivlan tied for second in the high jump, Rokicki placed second in the discus and the River Hawks added valuable points in both the 4x100m and 4x800m relays. The sprint relay also lowered its own school record to 40.77 seconds, capping another historic weekend for the program.

The record-breaking performances did not stop there, as Graham Stedfast set a new school record in the 800m with a time of 1:48.47 at the Battle Road Twilight Series. Van Den Akker closed out his outstanding campaign by representing the River Hawks at the NCAA East First Round in the 10,000m after earning his spot among the region's top distance runners.

The program's success once again extended beyond competition. Sarah Ross, Fleur Balogh De Galantha and Derek Munroe earned America East Outdoor Track & Field All-Academic honors, recognizing their excellence both on the track and in the classroom.

From the first meet in December to the final races of the outdoor season, the River Hawks continued to raise the standard for the program. The men's team completed one of the most successful years in school history with an America East Triple Crown, while the women's squad continued its upward trajectory behind conference champions, school-record performances and contributions throughout the roster.

With conference championships, program records, postseason recognition and continued academic success defining the 2025-26 campaign, the future remains bright for UMass Lowell Track & Field as the River Hawks look to build on another unforgettable season.