BU Track and Field Teams to Host Patriot League Championships This Weekend
Terriers enter year’s biggest meet with a record-breaking season for both the men’s and women’s programs
BU women’s track and field team celebrating a new school record in the 4×800 meter relay at the ECAC/IC4A Championships February 8, 2026. Photo by Trinity Robbins/BU Athletics
BU Track and Field Teams to Host Patriot League Championships This Weekend
Terriers enter year’s biggest meet with a record-breaking season for both men’s and women’s programs
As the Boston University men’s and women’s track and field teams gear up for this weekend’s 2026 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championship, the focus is on being prepared.
Grant Cartwright, Terriers director of track and field and cross country, emphasizes to his athletes that performance goals and results are a distraction. “We don’t get too caught up on what’s on paper,” he says. “The buildup to the week can be stressful for athletes, so just focus on having the best sessions you can have leading up to it.”
That’s how the Terriers expect to earn an advantage heading into this year’s championship. The fact that they’re hosting the event at the Track & Tennis Center will also be key to the Terriers’ success, Cartwright says.
Typically, only about 32 BU athletes—from both men’s and women’s teams—travel to the championship, but since the University is hosting this year, athletes from the entire program will be on hand for the full competition.
“We want to make sure that the home setting is felt in every single event,” Cartwright says, “and that the team is really supporting each other.”
To date, it’s been a record-breaking season for both the men’s and women’s programs, their leader says. Additionally, several athletes are within striking distance of qualifying for the 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, being held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark., March 13 and 14.
On the men’s side, Thomas Cowan (CAS’28) is leading the way. He broke his own school record in the 800 meters during the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on February 13 with a time of 1:46.83. At the same meet, Freddy Collins (ENG’26) set a school record in the 3000 meters with a time of 7:49.90.
“It was pretty surreal,” Cowan says. “All the boys were there to watch and cheer me on, which is a big reason as to why records can be broken.”
Cowan will compete in the 800 meters in the Patriot League championship and will likely also run in the 4×800-meter relay and the distance medley relay. For the NCAA Championship, he is on the bubble to qualify in the 800 meters. “It’s pretty exciting to be in this position and to potentially have a chance at going through,” he says. “It’s something that’s obviously prevalent in my mind, but there’s a real focus on the league championships.”
Cowan is a sophomore, and Cartwright says his performance on the team is a testament to who he is as an athlete. He’s a leader too, Cartwright notes, with an ability to connect with teammates and support them.
For the women, Peace Omonzane (CAS’26) is leading the way as a captain. “The staff sees her as somebody who really cares about the success of our program,” Cartwright says. “She’s got a very good ability to recognize what are the tangible things that she and the team need to do to be successful, and she’s able to carry herself and lead the team in that way.”
Teammate Ellie Roan (CAS’26), another women’s standout, set the school record in the weight throw at the Valentine Invitational, with a distance of 21.45 meters.
Omonzane will compete in the long jump, the triple jump, and the 60-meter dash at the championship. She’s already the meet record holder in both the long and triple jump, and she’s aiming to extend those marks, set a personal best in the 60 meters, and secure as many NCAA qualifying standards as possible.
Despite her lofty personal goals, it’s supporting the entire team that is most important for Omonzane—“to just show up for each other and to be there for each other through it all. We’re such a team that we ride on each other’s energy,” she says. “We get to be together and support ourselves and set us up to be one of the best teams every time we step out on that track.”
And that doesn’t mean the team isn’t prioritizing success: “We want to win. We always want to win,” she says.
The Patriot League Women’s and Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championships are Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1, at Boston University’s Track & Tennis Center in Boston. Live stats and results will be available here all day, and BU fans can find more information on goterriers.com and follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TerrierTFXC and @BUGameDay.