Simmons University Athletics recently announced the addition of Varsity Indoor and Outdoor Track for the 2024-25 school year. Both teams will compete in the Greater Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).
Indoor and Outdoor Track will join the nine current varsity sports at Simmons. Eight of these teams compete in the GNAC. Rowing, the ninth team, competes in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).
Erica Schuling, director of athletics & recreation at Simmons, said in an interview with the Voice that she hopes “more students will benefit from the opportunity to participate in a sport they are passionate about while gaining life skills and valuable lessons in leadership and resilience that a team environment offers.”
Bringing back both track teams has been a multi-year process. Simmons has a history with Indoor and Outdoor Track, with both teams competing as varsity sports in the 1990s before being discontinued in 1998.
With the teams getting approved by the Hiring and Promotions Committee on May 14th, Simmons could not announce the new additions to the athletics lineup before May 15th, the deadline for students to make their Fall 2024 deposits.
Hannah Bergeron, a rising sophomore on the Simmons cross country team, said in an interview with the Voice that she is “really excited to see what happens” with Simmons Track. While it will be an adjustment for Bergeron and the Simmons cross country team to go from one season to three, Bergeron said “the regimen the team provides will be nice to have year-round.”
According to Zachary Joachim, head cross country and track coach at Simmons, this hasn’t prevented him from recruiting a strong freshman class. This includes track and field-specific athletes, such as sprinters, jumpers, and throwers. Beyond these recruits, Joachim also mentioned well-qualified Simmons students have contacted him to join the team.
In an interview with the Voice, Joachim said he is “excited about the opportunity for us to compete with the best in the conference.” He feels Simmons Track and Field “…can be very competitive right away.”
The track teams will be competing in a variety of meets, which is likely to include invitational meets and the GNAC championship. This is consistent with the schedules of the current GNAC track teams, who primarily compete in invitational meets.
