LANCASTER, Pa. – Three event championships, 16 top 10 finishes, and numerous personal bests highlighted the season-opening Diplomat Open for the Franklin & Marshall women's track & field team. The Diplomats begin their 2025-26 season on Friday afternoon with the first of three regular season home meets inside the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center.
Picking up right where she left off as an indoor national qualifier a season ago, Lauren Dunnigan won the 60 meter dash (7.79 seconds) and 60 meter hurdles (9.13). The school record holder in both of those events, Dunnigan was just two-hundredths of a second off her school record time in the 60 meter dash. She later placed third in the 200 meter dash (26.70) by posting a time that was just five-hundredths of a second off her personal best in that event where she ranks second in school history.
The Diplomats third victory came in the 4x400 relay where Amanda Imhauser, Jordyn Collie, Avery Canady, and Annalise Kauffman crossed the line in a time of 4:18.05. Kauffman was also second in the 800 meters earlier in the evening as her newest personal best time of 2:22.40 ranks her seventh in school history. Abby Bachman finished ninth in the 800 meters (2:33.44). Imhauser's leadoff leg capped another busy night for the multi-event athlete as she additionally contested the 60 meter hurdles (10.15 seconds), long jump (4.97 meters), and shot put (9.62m).
Tara Silverman and Katie Scott were second in the mile and 5,000 meters, respectively, after stellar closes to their cross country seasons just a few weeks ago. Silverman's mile time of 5:16.77 moves her up to second in the school record book as she was joined among the top seven finishers by teammates Jordyn Collie (5:40.29) and Georgia Hodgson (5:49.99). Scott ran the second-fastest 5,000 meter indoor time in school history (18:23.88) and was joined in the top 10 of that event by Hana Hyman (19:55.32). In the 400 meters, Emily Jones (1:06.25) and Anna Atticks (1:07.18) both earned top 10 finishes.
Highlights of the field events included Hayden Adams placing fourth in the pole vault (3.05m) and fifth in the high jump (1.47m). By clearing 1.47 meters in the high jump, Adams is now tied for 10th in the school record books. The throwing events were led by Max McCoy who placed 11th in the weight throw (11.63m) and 15th in the shot put (9.88m).
Women's track & field will now break from competition as the semester closes. The Diplomats return to action with a winter break training trip to Virginia before they compete in Shenandoah's Kaye & JJ Smith Invitational on Sunday, January 11.
