The Middlebury men's and women's indoor track and field teams opened the new season, hosting the annual Middlebury Winter Classic on Saturday. The Panthers garnered numerous first-place performances and finished second among the five schools competing. The men tallied 137.5 points, trailing only Plymouth State (170), while the women earned 123.5 points. Plattsburgh State (160) captured the team title on the women's side. Both Middlebury teams return to action Saturday, hosting the Middlebury Winterfell at 11:30 a.m. on the New Balance Track in the Virtue Field House.

On the women's side, the Panthers collected four individual victories and added another in a relay. Emily Bulczynski crossed the finish line first in the 800 meters with a top time of 2:24.21. Emma Hills had a strong first meet at Middlebury, winning the 500 meters in 1:21.32 and being a part of the victorious 4x400 relay team. In the relay, she was joined by Lucy Lang, Julia McClain and Ava O'Mara, as they combined for a time of 4:14.97.

In the field events, Kreager Taber and Helene Rowland each won their respective events. Taber cleared the bar at 10' 11.75" to win the pole vault for the fourth-straight year, while Rowland made it three-consecutive wins at the Middlebury Winter Classic with a heave of 39'1.25".

The Panthers had a strong showing in the field events on the men's side, boasting four winners. Minhaj Rahman set a school record in the 35-pound weight throw with a heave or 59' 7.5", besting his own mark of 56'6" set a year ago. Nathaniel Klein took top honors in the shot put with a distance of 47'8". Max Memeger cleared 6'0" in the high jump to place first, while Dylan Mortimer won the triple jump with a distance of 40' 9.5."

Jimmy Martinez won the 200-meter dash going away, pacing the field with a time of 22.27, which was .82 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and .07 seconds off his own school record pace.