Gwynedd Valley, Pa. – (5/1/2026) – On the eve of the 2026 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Men's and Women's Track and Field Championships, Gwynedd Mercy University Head Coach Branden Soubik is eager to see his Griffins perform, "I think our women can truly have a spectacular Championship. Fanta and Ezzie are going to earn points in the sprints, Abby should perform well in the middle distances, and our relay team is tough." He continued, "I also like Izzy's chances in the Triple Jump and of course we are looking forward to Kaitlyn's performance in the Javelin."
 
Graduate Kaitlyn Snyder (Elizabethtown, Pa.) has been the story of the spring for the Gwynedd Mercy University women's track and field team. The former Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen earned back-to-back AEC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors (Apr. 20, Apr. 27) with her Javelin distances at the Millersville University Invitational (3^rd, 38.04 on Apr. 18) and Elizabethtown College's Blue Jay Tune-Up (2^nd, 33.58 on Apr. 24-25); the first throw was a University-record that earned the Red and Gold six points while placing her third in the event, fourth on the Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Metro Region Outdoor Performance List, and 56th on the TFRRS NCAA DIII National Outdoor Performance List. Gwynedd Mercy University will also enter freshmen Mallory Klug (Collegeville, Pa.) and Sydney Nesbitt (Philadelphia, Pa.) in the Shot Put.
 
The 2025 AEC Women's Track and Field Rookie of the Year, sophomore Fanta Dukuly (Philadelphia, Pa.) has been a mainstay on the AEC Women's Track and Field Weekly Report with Honor Roll appearances on March 31, April 13, and April 21. Already this spring, she has recorded personal bests in the 100-Meter (5^th, 12.72 at Oscar Moore Invitational on Apr. 11), 200-Meter (6^th, 26.53 at Oscar Moore Invitational on Apr. 11), and 400-Meter (12^th, 1:06.67 at Blue Jay Tune-Up on Apr. 24-25). Dukuly place first the 100-Meter (1st, 12.82, 10 points) and second in the 200-Meter (2nd, 26.68, 8) at the 2025 AEC Championships. Her classmate, sophomore Ava Ezzie (Drexel Hill, Pa.) also made an AEC Women's Track and Field Weekly Honor Roll (Apr. 27) appearance for her personal best in the 400-Meter (4th, 1:01.94) that earned the Griffins five points at the Blue Jay Tune-Up (Apr. 24-25). Dukuly will be joined in the AEC 100-Meter alongside freshmen Brianna Freitag (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Gabriella Rossi (Philadelphia, Pa.), while Ezzie and Freitag will accompany her in the 200-Meter. Freshman Abigail Flannery (Cinnaminson, N.J.) headlines the Red and Gold competitors in the middle distance events. Fellow freshmen, Mary Rivas-Leiva (Horsham, Pa.) will join her in the 800-Meter, while Emmee Belt (Southampton, Pa.) and Hannah Satalin (Schwenksville, Pa.) are also entered for the 1,500-Meter. Their classmates, Olivia Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Izzy Bofinger (Mount Holly, N.J.) are also scheduled to compete as part of the Griffins' 4x100-Meter Relay lineup (Taylor, Ezzie, Bofinger, Dukuly). Additionally, Bofinger is an entrant in the Triple Jump.
 
The 2026 AEC Women's Track and Field Championships are scheduled for a 3:15 p.m. start on Saturday, May 2, at Immaculata University's Draper Walsh Stadium. Day two's (May 3) schedule of events is set for at 9:45 a.m. starting gun.