NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Coast Guard Academy women's track & field team opened up their 2025 indoor season at home with the CGA Winter Invitational. The Bears had eight event winners and five runner-up finishes across the team.
Coast Guard took on athletes from six visiting schools: U.S. Military Academy Prep School, Connecticut College, Farmingdale State College, Westfield State University, Medgar Evers College, and Division II University of New Haven.
Junior jumper Allie Wildsmith (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) was among the Bears' event winners with a record-setting day in her season debut. Wildsmith won the high jump at a bar-clearing 1.80 meters (5' 10.75"), breaking her previous personal best by 0.08 meters. On top of that, the 2024 All-American set a new facility and school record and tied the third-best mark in Division III indoor track & field history, becoming the first athlete in ten years to do so.
Coast Guard secured two more first place finishes in jumping events thanks to junior Mollie Brinker's (Wilmington, N.C.) 3.10 meter (10'2") pole vault and senior Madelyn Greene's (Chesapeake Beach, Md.) 10.51 meter (34'5.75") triple jump.
In the running events, sophomore Makenna Topp (Anthem, Ariz.) ran a 1:38.63 to win the 600 meters and shave two seconds off her personal best. Her performance also moved her up to fifth on Coast Guard's all-time list for the event.
In distance news, senior Riley Thorburn (Chelsea, Mich.) won the 1,000-meter run and set a personal best with a 3:12.28. Sophomore Mia Mastrogiovanni (Manahawkin, N.J.) won the mile with a 5:24.07, beating out the second place finished by nearly ten seconds.
On to sprints, junior Alaina Stonebraker (Salt Lake City, Utah) was the winner of the 200-meter dash with her 26.81. Earlier in the day, she set a personal best in the 55-meter dash with her 7.42 second place finish. Freshman Millie Wymbs (Salisbury, N.C.) introduced herself by running a 1:03.78 in the 400 meters for second place.
Sophomore mid-distance specialist Kate Stebbins (Chapin, S.C.) was another runner-up for the Bears, placing second in the 800 meters with a time of 2:27.17. Finally senior thrower Maureen Hammond (Downington, Pa.) was second in the shot put thanks to her best toss of 11.82 meters (38'9.5").
The Bears return to action next weekend pulling double-duty, competing at UMass Lowell's River Hawk Invitational at the TRACK at new balance and Wesleyan University's own indoor invitational. Both events take place next Saturday, January 25th.
