(WILMINGTON, Ohio) – Quakers Men's and Women's Track & Field looks to reload after a successful 2024-25 season in Head Coach Tristen Durr's third season in charge.

"Coming into the year, we are young. It is not necessarily a reload, but it's time for the young kids who watched the success from those who left to step up and take their turn and be those big point scorers for us," says Durr. "The younger athletes got to watch greatness, and now it is their turn to become greatness. There is nothing better than watching an example for multiple years, and now you understand what that quality of an athlete looks like on a day-to-day basis, to take their strides."

Coach Durr was named the Great Lakes Region Men's Coach of the Year for the first time in his career last year. Assistant Coach Ron Combs was named the Great Lakes Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year last season, and he also earned the honor during the indoor season.

Key Pieces Lost
Wilmington loses multiple extraordinarily successful athletes but still returns a key core for this season.

The Quakers will move forward without two of the best throwers in 2025-2026. Nathen Borgan, the 2025 Hammer Throw National Champion and a First Team All-American in the Weight Throw leaves a big hole for the Quakers. JJ Durr, the 2025 Weight Throw National Champion and First Team All-American in the Hammer Throw has also left. Borgan returns to the program as an Assistant Coach.

Graduate Students Simon Heys and Noah Tobin are no longer part of the program. Heys was named All-Region in the 5,000- and 10,000-Meter Runs and was a three-time First Team All-American in the 10,000 Meter Run. Tobin earned All-Region in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase and an OAC Champion.

Brady Vilvens earned three-time All-Region honorees in the outdoor High Jump, and a three-time All-American.

Faith Duncan, who earned All-Region in the 1500 Meter Run, 5000 Meter Run, and 10,000 Meter Run does not return. She was a two-time All-Region honoree in the outdoor 5000 Meter Run and an OAC Champion in the 10,000 Meter Run.

Key Women's Returners
Coach Durr outlined multiple key returners on the Women's side.

Junior mid-distance runner Hayden Setty will be a big piece for Wilmington this year. Setty appeared in 16 meets for the Quakers last year and finished Third Team All-OAC in the outdoor 800-meter run. She was also part of the All-OAC outdoor 4x400 Meter Relay that finished second, and the Distance Medley Relay team.

Lucy Trout, a multiple All-Conference member, will be pivotal for the throws side. In 14 meets last year, she finished Third Team All-OAC in the Hammer Throw, while securing six Top-3 finishes. Trout won the Weight Throw and Hammer Throw as well. The senior is also a two-time Academic All-OAC member.

Senior sprinter Chloe Lovett will play a key role in the sprints and jumps. As a junior, Lovett appeared in 16 total meets and finished All Great Lakes Region in the 400 Meter Hurdles. She was Second Team All-OAC in the 400 Meter Hurdles, the outdoor 4x400 Meter Relay team, and the indoor Distance Medley Relay team. Lovett had four Top-3 finishes, including two wins in the 400 Meter Hurdles.

Amy Meyers, a senior thrower, has been a multiple-time scorer for the Quakers. In 15 meets last year, she had eight Top-3 finishes, including wins in the Weight Throw and the Hammer Throw where she set new career bests.

Coach Durr also mentioned some members he believes will take a step forward this year. He mentioned sophomore Sophia Hardwick on the sprint side who had five Top-3 individual finishes, and a win in the Javelin Throw. "The young sprinters have taken a big step. Last year's points were our most in a couple of years," adds Durr. For throws, he mentioned senior Kaitlyn Hickey. In 13 meets last year, Hickey had three Top-3 finishes, including two wins in the outdoor Shot Put.

Women's Newcomers
With a talented freshman class, Coach Durr believes many of the newcomers will play significant roles for Wilmington this year. "The class is really well-rounded," proclaims Durr.

Distance runner Morgan Blair has adapted well. "She has been really helpful and has done well in preparing. She will work into longer races and could take a step in helping find points that we lost to graduation," says Durr.

Jana Metz, a thrower, is expected to be a big addition for throws. "She is a big hammer thrower for us this year. I think she can step in and really fill those points out across the board on a conference level," emphasizes Durr. Muskingum transfer Amber Corll, a scorer for the Muskies last year, will also be helpful for throws.

Andria Pollazek is a key addition to the sprints and jump teams. "Her high jumps will be big for us, and she will step in for relays," adds Durr.

Key Men's Returners
"We return a lot of leaders and all-conference members on our men's side," says Durr.

Senior distance runners Tate Yoder and Gabe Moore will be leaders for Wilmington. "The two of them are great leaders for our team. They are going to go out there and run good races like they always do." Yoder finished in the Top-3 in five individual events in the season, while setting four new career bests. Moore finished in the Top-3 in six events, setting career highs in seven events.

Sophomore Keegan Kidd is another crucial returner in the mid-distance events. "Keegan is a big returner. He scored in the 4x800 Meter Relay for us," says Durr. Kidd was also part of the Third Place All-OAC 4x400 Meter Relay team and had four Top-3 finishes in individual events last year.

On the jumps side, sophomore Trey Sparks is a significant returner. "He was a conference scorer for us, and we want to see him grow as an athlete," adds Durr. In 12 meets last year, Sparks finished with a season-high clearance of 1.87 m in the High Jump and a leap of 11.33m in the Triple Jump.

Sprints return multiple key pieces. "We have our 4x400 and our 4x100 back, both all conference last year. They did a good job last year putting points on the board." Coach Durr emphasized that junior Donovan Mosley is a key factor. "He will be a figurehead there. Day in and day out, he is a grinder. He has done nothing but get better since he has gotten here," exclaims Durr. Mosley was part of the second place 4x100 Meter Relay team and the third place 4x400 Meter Relay Team.

Sophomore Mackenzie Tillman will return to pair up with Mosley in the sprints. "He has done really well for us, and we are super proud of both him and Donovan [Mosley]," expresses Durr. Tillman was part of the 4x100 Meter Relay team that earned second place. Junior Logan Kent was also a member of the 4x100 Meter Relay team last year, and he set career bests in three different events.

For throws, Gustav Jonsson will look forward to continuing his development. "We want him and the other throwers to work their way up to the scoring side and conference level; they have the experience," adds Durr. In his freshman year, Jonsson had a second place finish in the Discus Throw.

Men's Newcomers
Coach Durr believes that his men's freshmen class will step into many roles this year and provide points for the Quakers.

"We have a really nice distance group, with the three-to-five slots open. We are looking forward to their development into longer races, such as the 10K and Steeple," explains Durr.

"On the sprint and jump side, we have younger athletes that we are looking to see if they can help fill the gap from the graduating class." Griffin Roell stood out especially, with Coach Durr noting that he will be crucial for sprints.

Larreon Brodie will lead the freshmen in throws, and Coach Durr spoke very highly of him. "He will be the spear tip on the freshman side. He will be big for us and get us a bunch of points," emphasizes Durr.

Schedule Notes
Wilmington's first meet is the Tiger Opener tomorrow at 11:00 A.M in Springfield, Ohio.

The Ohio Athletic Conference Indoor Championships begin on Friday, February 27 in Tiffin, Ohio.

The Quakers final meet of the indoor season is the Polar Bear Final Qualifier on Saturday, March 7, in Ada, Ohio.