MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's and women's track & field teams kick off their inaugural season this Saturday at the Suffolk Relays taking place at the Track at New Balance.
 
Peter Early, the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Saint Anselm College, will guide the program through its first official indoor track & field season. The Hawks have 10 total meets lined up for the 2023-2024 indoor campaign. Saint Anselm will compete in their first Northeast-10 Indoor Championship starting on Friday, Feb 16, and concluding on Saturday, Feb. 17. The team will also take part in the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Indoor Championships on Friday, Feb. 2.
 
"I'm excited for our student-athletes and the group we put together," said coach Early. "Not only for the incoming class and transfers but also for all our captains who were already here on campus. It speaks to how great Saint Anselm is that talented student-athletes still wanted to come here without a program. That's what I'm most excited about is to have the student-athletes who came before the team existed, who maybe were on the cross country team and wished they could do track, or student-athletes who did track in high school and chose Saint Anselm but didn't have the ability to compete on a track team. Having this track & field program moving forward represents not only what we have currently but also represents all those who came before us and that is certainly something that we are excited about."
 
The women will be led by senior Caroline Codner (New London, Conn.) and sophomore Rebecca Cady (Lowell, Mass.) for the inaugural season. "I think we are going to make a big statement this year," said Codner. "We've all been working really hard; we have some very talented recruits and student-athletes from campus. I think it's going to be an awesome season."
 
"I'm really excited for this season and to see how everyone competes," commented Cady. "I think our opponents are scared because they know we're a good team and I'm excited to see how it plays out."
  
When asked about the leadership dynamic on the team Cady responded saying, "Since we have such a large class of freshmen, we want to make sure that everyone feels included and help them adjust to college. It's our job as captains to make sure they transition well." Codner added that the captains on the team, "all bring something different to the table which helps us all relate to everyone. I think that is a big strength we have together."
 
On the men's team, senior Michael Rochette Jr. (Leominster, Mass.) and junior Anthony Pasquarosa (Beverly, Mass.) will also help guide the young program during its first season on the Hilltop.
 
Rochette, a senior who participated in track during high school, is looking forward to "getting back into the swing of things." He continued saying "For me being a student-athlete is a huge part of my identity, so having this opportunity to compete again is a major milestone for me." Pasquarosa noted his excitement for the upcoming year saying, "We have a really tough and gritty crew with a lot of talent. I think we're going to make a lot of noise this season and I'm so excited to get started."
 
"I think being a captain on this team is not a challenge," said Pasquarosa. "In terms of getting the team going and ready to compete, it's not challenging because this group is ready and willing to compete and win."
 
"While building this team we tried to make a complete roster and brought in student-athletes in each event group," commented coach Early. "We have high expectations, and I don't believe I'd be doing my job if our goal wasn't first place. Will that be easy, no, but is it attainable, absolutely."

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