Nichols College Athletics

NEW LONDON, Conn. (4/11/2026) - The Nichols College men's and women's track & field teams competed at the 2026 Silfen Track & Field Invitational, hosted by Connecticut College across Friday and Saturday. With no team scoring, the Bison turned in a strong weekend highlighted by multiple podium finishes and three program-record performances.

Leading the way on the men's side was sophomore Blake Pattison, who delivered a historic performance in the 100-meter dash. Pattison clocked a time of 10.80 seconds in the preliminary round to take first overall before following it up with a 10.64 finish in the finals to place second. His first mark and second break the previous program record of 11.04, set by Jared Mason (2019-2023) at the MIT Final Qualifier (5/18/2023), establishing a new benchmark for the program.

Nolan Charbonneau crushed the men's 110m hurdles events, placing third in the first round of the event with 15.57 and then winning the finals with a staggering time of 15.08, a program record for the Bison. The Men's 4x100 Relay team consisting of Eric Manilut, Nolan Charbonneau, Giormani Fortes De Brito, and Blake Pattison also secured the No. 1 finish in the event, producing a time of 43.10 and replacing the top program record time of 43.14m last set by L. Grogan, A. Killian, J. Mason, and C. Toussaint at the MIT Final Qualifier (5/18/2023).

On the women's side, Adison Dawe highlighted the field events with a record-breaking performance in the hammer throw. Dawe recorded a mark of 40.29 meters, tying for third overall and surpassing her own previous program record of 39.80 meters set at Bonnie Edmonson (4/18/2025). 

Nichols also competed in the multi-events, where Caminea Layman represented the Bison in the heptathlon. Layman finished 12th overall with 2473 points, breaking her previous No. 1 record mark of 2425 points at the Springfield Triangle Classic (2/20/2026), highlighted by a seventh-place finish in the 800 meters and eighth-place finishes in both the 200 meters and 100-meter hurdles.

On the men's side, Liam Wilcox turned in a strong performance in the decathlon, finishing seventh overall with 4,355 points, a program record.

Nichols also saw a number of strong performances across both track and field events. Gabrielle McKayle led the Bison sprinters in the women's 100 meters, finishing 13th overall with a time of 12.95 seconds. In the 400 meters, Lixion Koulmbai placed 24th with a time of 1:09.52.

In the field events, Haley Bethin posted a top-10 finish in the discus with a throw of 30.25 meters to place seventh overall, while also competing in the shot put. Erin Wyndham added a 16th-place finish in the discus (26.92m) and led Nichols in the javelin with a 14th-place throw of 25.42 meters.

The Bison throwers continued to show depth, with multiple athletes contributing across events. Emma Cheffer and Destiny Gardner each recorded marks in both the shot put and hammer throw, while Catherine Pollock and Julia Fearing added additional entries in the discus and javelin.

On the men's side, Nichols showcased a strong sprint group in the 100 meters, with multiple athletes competing in the preliminary rounds alongside Pattison. Giormani Fortes De Brito also represented the Bison in the 200 meters, placing 15th overall with a time of 23.22.

Top Performers - Men

100m Dash
Blake Pattison – 10.80 (1st, prelims) / 10.64 (2nd, finals)

110m Hurdles
Nolan Charbonneau - 15.08 (1st, Finals)

4x100 Relay
Eric Manilut, Nolan Charbonneau, Giormani Fortes De Brito, Blake Pattison - 43.10 (1st)

Decathlon
Liam Wilcox – 4355 pts (7th)

Top Performers - Women

Discus Throw
Haley Bethin – 30.25m (7th)

Hammer Throw
Adison Dawe – 40.29m (T-3rd)

Heptathlon
Caminea Layman - 2473

The Bison will look to build on their momentum and continue their outdoor campaign next week at the Edmonson Classic on Saturday, April 17th.