BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Boston University men's and women's track & field teams wrapped up the Patriot League Outdoor Championships on Saturday with the women finishing second and the men taking third. The Terriers took home a combined seven golds, eight silvers and eight bronzes as well as two major awards from the meet.

The women's second-place finish is the highest since 2017 when they last took second which is also when the meet was last hosted at Lehigh. The men's third place finish is also their best since 2017.
 
BU's first gold medal of the day came from grad student Kasim Cisse. He cleared 2.05m (6' 8.75") to take first, completing the indoor and outdoor sweep at the PL Championships.
 
The Terriers swept the 1,500m titles freshman Vera Sjöberg placed first with a personal best time of 4:25.44 and senior Foster Malleck took first with a 3:45.44. Notably on the men's side, freshman Parker Schneider took second with a 3:47.21.
 
In the women's 5,000m, sophomore Daisy Liljegren took first with a time of 16:31.14 to make it the second year in a row that a BU runner took the title. It also marked her second gold medal of the meet as she took the 10,000m title on Friday night. Right behind her was Sjöberg who finished in 16:31.15 to place second. Notably on the men's side, freshmanFreddy Collins placed third with a time of 14:27.21.
 
Because of their top performances at the championship meet, Liljegren was named the Female Track Athlete of the Meet and Sjöberg was named the Female Rookie of the Meet.
 
Another gold medal on the men's side came from the 4x100m relay team of sophomores Matthew Spicer, Leon Christian, junior Dakota Jackson and freshman Logan Popelka. The squad ran a 40.35 to earn the title with the sixth-fastest time in BU history. The women's 4x100m relay team of freshmen Imari Johnson, Ijeoma Ezechukwu, senior Delia Barbanti and freshman Jada Smith ran the fifth-fastest time at BU with a 46.43 to place third at the meet.
 
Senior Noelani Phillips reached the podium twice on the day. She placed second in the 400m with a 54.26 and took gold in the 200m with a 23.92. Her 200m gold backs up her first-place finish in the event at the indoor championships.
 
In the men's decathlon, sophomore Steven Franco placed second with a score of 6,710, good for the fourth-best score in BU history.
 
Sophomore Emma Lawrence placed second in the triple jump with a personal best distance of 12.37m (40' 7"). She moves up to sixth all-time at BU in the event. 
 
Junior Juliana Nakouzi medaled in the shot put with a mark of 14.41m (47' 3.5"), good for third at the meet and third all-time at BU. Notably, freshman Ellie Roan threw a personal best mark of 13.51m (44' 4") which is the seventh-best distance in BU history.
 
Junior Emma Kowalski had an impressive day in the discus as she threw for 49.22m (161' 6") to place third. She set a personal best with the mark and came just shy of the school record, keeping her at second-all time at BU with the improvement. 
 
Smith and Johnson also medaled in the 100m dash. Smith took second with a time of 11.87 while Johnson placed third with a 12.02 to tie the seventh-fastest mark in BU history.
 
The last top-10 program mark of the day came in the women's 4x400m relay. Junior Jules Hogan, Phillips, Smith and freshman Olivia Dodds ran a 3:52.93 for the eighth-fastest time in BU history.
 
The Terriers will return to competition for the IC4A/ECAC, New England and Yale Last Chance meets beginning on Friday (May 12).

2023 Women's First-Team All-Patriot League (First-Place Finishers)
Daisy Liljegren (5,000m, 10,000m)
Noelani Phillips (200m)
Vera Sjöberg (1,500m)
 
2023 Women's Second-Team All-Patriot League (Second-Place Finishers)
Emma Lawrence (Long Jump, Triple Jump)
Noelani Phillips (400m)
Vera Sjöberg (5,000m)
Jada Smith (100m)
 
2023 Men's First-Team All-Patriot League (First-Place Finishers)
Leon Christian (4x100m)
Kasim Cisse (High Jump)
Dakota Jackson (4x100m)
Foster Malleck (1,500m)
Logan Popelka (4x100m)
Matthew Spicer (4x100m)
 
2023 Men's Second-Team All-Patriot League (Second-Place Finishers)
Steven Franco (Decathlon)
Ryan Rosenberger (Long Jump)
Parker Schneider (1,500m)
 
Final Women's Standings
1. Navy – 241.5
2. Boston University – 150
3. Army West Point – 143
4. Bucknell – 119.5
5. Lehigh – 103.5
6. Holy Cross – 50
7. Colgate – 18
8. Lafayette – 16.5
9. Loyola – 14
10. American – 2 
 
Final Men's Standings
1. Navy – 323.2
2. Army West Point – 169.2
3. Boston University – 109
4. Lehigh – 93.4
5. Bucknell – 67.2
6. Colgate – 30
7. Holy Cross – 23
8. Lafayette – 21
9. American – 20 
 
Coach Sanders Postmeet
We're walking away from this meet both extremely proud of our efforts and even more ambitious for the future. The women pulling off the feat of a runner up trophy after coming into the meet nearly 40 points behind second on paper is a testament to the competitive spirit and performance mindset this program has grown into. Between back to back champions like Foster Malleck or Daisy Liljegren, or fresh new faces getting on the podium for the first time like Vera Sjöberg or Logan Popelka, a standard of excellence has clearly been reestablished within BU track & field. With medalists across the program, our seniors such as Veronica Kriss, Kasim Cisse and Noelani Phillips are leaving their mark on this program better than they found it, and the incredible crop of first year athletes like Ellie Roan, Jada Smith, Imari Johnson and Parker Schneider have a foundation for BU to grow upon for years to come. It was a great weekend to be a Terrier!