The Case Western Reserve University men's and women's track and field teams will begin their 2025-26 seasons with the Spartan Alumni Holiday Classic on Saturday, December 6 at the Veale Center in Cleveland. Action is slated to start at 10:30 a.m.
Division III schools Allegheny, Baldwin Wallace, Grove City, Muskingum, and Oberlin along with Division II Ursuline will be competing at the meet.
CWRU will be looking to build upon its success over the last three seasons, during which the teams combined for six All-Americans.
Head Coach Eric Schmuhl, entering his 14th season at the helm of the CWRU track and field programs, is joined on the coaching staff by full-time assistant coach Rocco Mitolo, long-time distance coach Kathy Nortz Yohann, horizontal jumps coach Drew Linebarger, and sprints and relays coach Juan Perez. Former Spartan Joshua Berman will move to a coaching role and assist with the pole vaulters. Mitolo, who served as a part-time coach from 2015-20 and 2022-25, joined the full-time staff on October 1.
Last season, four members of the women's team received All-Great Lakes Region recognition. Junior Holly Schreiber was honored in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault, senior Lauren Iagnemma earned honors in the indoor 3,000-meter run, senior Ashley Novak was recognized in the indoor 5,000-meter run, and senior Ayla Grabenbauer recorded a top time in the outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase. Additionally, Iagnemma, Grabenbauer, and Schreiber picked up All-University Athletic Association honors for their performances at the conference championships.
The Spartans are returning nine other All-UAA honorees this season, including a UAA Champion. Junior Michelle Lee won the indoor weight throw at the 2025 UAA Championships and added an all-conference finish in the outdoor discus throw. Sophomore sprinter Madhan Manikandaswamy earned three honors from the conference last year, all during the outdoor season. Senior hurdler Bryce Hodge placed in the top three in both the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles and junior Toby Langsner had podium finishes in the weight throw and hammer throw. Also earning All-UAA honors last season were sophomore Donovan Crowley (indoor mile), senior Troy Olson (outdoor 4x100-meter relay), sophomore Charlie Stipanovich (outdoor 4x400-meter relay), and sophomore Sarah Viveiros (outdoor javelin throw).
Other top returners include seniors Connor Evans (jumps/throws), Julia Hluck (distance), Arianna Holbrook (distance), Madison Martinez (throws), Grace Misiunas (hurdles/sprints), and Melanie Taylor (distance), juniors Tanush Anand (jumps), Sarah Ball (sprints/hurdles), Matthew Bezuneh (sprints), and Jacob Slater (distance), and sophomores Bailey Bowen (throws), Brendan Bradish (distance), Artin Fazeli (jumps), Riley Friedman (sprints), Pierre-Andre Geoffrion (jumps), Krish Gupta (jumps), Becca Liaw (distance), Cecilia Postma (distance), and Ishaan Solanki (throws).
The home meet will be the only competition for the teams in 2025 with the Spartans resuming their seasons during the third weekend of January with the Spartan Icebreaker in the Veale Center on January 17. CWRU will also make trips to John Carroll, Baldwin Wallace, Ashland, Denison, and Oberlin, before the GVSU Big Meet and Indoor All-Ohio Championships during Valentine's Day weekend. On February 20, the teams will host the Ed Finnegan Invitational with the UAA Indoor Championships to follow on February 28 and March 1 at the Gosman Athletic Center on the campus of Brandeis University. Members of the teams have one final opportunity to qualify for the postseason with the Polar Bear Last Chance Meet hosted by Ohio Northern the following Saturday.
The 2026 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships will be held from March 13-14 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama. Any individual with one of the top 20 marks in an event or any relay with a top 12 time will qualify for the national meet.
