BOSTON – Headed to Boston University for the first time this season, Emmanuel Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field takes on the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Meet on Sunday, Feb. 16, at the BU Track and Tennis Center with events starting at 10:00 a.m.

The Saints women's program is seeking its third indoor title in five years while the men's program is in line for their best finish since the inaugural championship meet where the team finished in third. In the GNAC Pre-Championship Poll, conducted by the head coaches of the competing programs, the Saints women were voted to finish second while the men were selected fourth in the poll.

In a similar spot to last year's championship run, the women's program will rely on their depth of scoring to make a difference on Sunday at BU. In the 2024 Championship Meet, the Saints took first place individually in only one event, but their ability to score points with top-six finishes across all 16 events led them to the title.

In the field, the Saints hold several of the top positions on the GNAC Performance List entering the meet. Senior Cynthia Brito has the GNACs longest triple jump this year with a distance of 10.57 meters. Sophomore Kason Huynh holds the GNAC top spot in the long jump with a jump of 5.35 meters.

Junior Emily Greene, sophomore Ava Fisher, and first-year Zahara Widito hold second position on the performance list in the high jump, shot put, and long jump respectively. Senior Desiree Robinson, one of several multi-sport athletes on both squads, figures to play a role across the jumping events in her return to the GNAC Indoor Championship.

On the track, the depth scoring continues to tell the story as critical points could be decided throughout the running events. Senior Caroline Carey holds the third-best times in the 60 meters and 200 meters in the GNAC this season at 8.30 and 27.25 seconds, respectively.

Junior Sydney Gonzalez holds the third-best mile time and fourth-best 800 meters among conference runners this year with times of 5:44.95 and 2:33.24, respectively. Rookie runner Donna Gauvin rounds out the top-three performances in the GNAC with the third-best 60-meter hurdles at 10.19 seconds.

On the men's side, their success in the field could also launch them to a podium finish on Sunday at the BU Track and Tennis Center.

Junior Pierre Paul Labossiere has been steadily improving throughout the year and enters Sunday with the second-best triple jump and second-best high jump on the GNAC Performance List. His triple of 12.89 meters and high jump clearance of 1.87 meters are within striking distance of the top spot on the performance list.

Junior Jahan Puryear is second in the pole vault this year in the GNAC, clearing the bar at 2.75 meters at the Suffolk Relays last month.

On the track, the Emmanuel men's programs have top-three finishes in the 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays. The 4x800 holds the second-best time in the GNAC this season at 9:17.69 while the 4x400 has the third-best time in the conference at 3:37.15.

Other top-five performance list times for the men include sophomore Ryan Bausch and his 1,000 meters in a time of 2:52.37, good for fourth-best in the GNAC this season. Sophomore Nicholas Ware holds the fifth-best 5,000 meters with his time of 17:27.05.

Seven teams are competing in the Women's Indoor Championship, up from five a season ago. Newcomers Johnson & Wales and Simmons compete with Colby-Sawyer, Emmanuel, Lasell, Regis, and Saint Joseph's College.

JWU was voted to win the women's title in the Pre-Championship Poll, taking five of seven first-place votes, amassing 47 total points. Emmanuel scored second in the poll with the remaining two first-place votes and a total of 44 points. Saint Joseph's followed in third place, claiming 27 points in the poll.

On the men's side, the same five teams from 2024 will vie for the GNAC Championship in Colby-Sawyer, Emmanuel, Lasell, Regis, and Saint Joseph's College.

Saint Joseph's was voted to win their third consecutive men's championship, claiming 24 of a possible 25 points in the Pre-Championship Poll. Regis placed second with 21 points, followed by Colby-Sawyer (15), Emmanuel (10), and Lasell (5).