In an age when basketball and football dominate the sports headlines across most college campuses, track and field is a sport that usually takes a back seat.
That is, until athletes like Becky Stoyle make some noise and jump their way onto the scene — literally.
Stoyle, a sophomore and Pembroke, Mass., native, made a name for herself this past indoor season, registering historic performances week after week as a key member of the Massachusetts women’s track and field team. Her recent streak of dominance in the triple jump — the event described by UMass coach Julie LaFreniere as arguably the hardest in the sport — has turned some heads, and has helped to start putting track and field back on the map.
Stoyle recently became the first Minutewoman since 2005 to win the gold medal in her respective event at both the Atlantic 10 and New England Championships in the same season. At the A-10s, her jump of 41 feet, 1 inch, set not only her personal best mark, but also broke the program and the conference’s all-time indoor triple jump record. A bronze medal at the ECAC Championships and a third consecutive UMass Athlete of the Week award topped off her unforgettable season-ending ride.