Men’s Track and Field Building on Momentum: A Conversation with Captain Zuri Johnson ’26

Annika Haley ’26

Sports Editor

The Trinity College men’s track and field team closed out an impressive 2024-25 season with broken school records, All-Region honors and standout performances. With multiple athletes returning, the Bantams enter the 2025-26 season with high expectations.

Sprinter Zuri Johnson ’26 and jumper Donovan Koukal-Kollie ’27 stood out for the Bantams last season, earning the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors. Johnson collected his third straight outdoor All-Region selection, becoming one of the most decorated sprinters in program history. He broke the school record in the 200-meter dash (21.33) and helped set new program marks in both the 4×100 (41.99) and 4×400 (3:18.05) relays.

The Bantams displayed their talent and potential for this season at the Trinity Invitational on Saturday, Apr. 12th 2025. Trinity finished fourth out of twelve teams with 22 personal and season bests. Johnson’s record-breaking 200-meter performance and his win in the 400 meters (48.79) highlighted the day. Koukal-Kollie took first in the triple jump (13.76m), while Arinze Okigbo ’28 ranked in the top 100 nationally in the 100 meters.

On the field, Peter Passaro ’27 placed 13th in the shot put with a throw of 13.86 meters. Sam Benham ’27 also proved to be one of the team’s strongest distance runners, achieving a personal-best 3:58.33 in the 1500 meters.

By the end of the season, Trinity had athletes ranked among the top 100 nationally across several events and three school records were broken. 

The team’s mix of strong returners and promising underclassmen has created a strong foundation for continued success. As the Bantams prepare for the upcoming season, The Tripod got the chance to talk with key contributor, Johnson, regarding last season and his expectations and goals for the upcoming season.

Johnson  reflected on the factors that fueled both his personal and team’s success last season: “The biggest factors were definitely my teammates, especially my old teammate Nolan McKenna ’25 and Connor Quiet ’25. They were my best friends and we would push each other every practice. Some of the younger guys as well, like Liam Kelly ’28 and Okigbo really stepped up to the plate and played big roles that they had to fill last year. I think the biggest factors were my teammates regarding our success because although track is an individualized sport at times, the events come down to team chemistry and teammates having your back.”

Johnson also discussed how the preseason has unfolded and what the team is focusing on right now. He said, “For me personally, the preseason has gone absolutely amazing. I have taken on a leadership role by directing practice and lifts so personally it’s been going really well, and I’ve been working my tail off. For the team, everything has been working hard and everyone’s really excited and antsy to finally start running. Preseason has been great, everyone’s working hard and ready to get rocking and rolling.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Johnson outlined both his personal and team expectations: “My expectation for myself is that I want to go to nationals. I was four spots away from it last year so I was very close and that has been my motivation throughout the summer and preseason, and it will be my motivation for the entire year. I have a goal board in my room where I write all my goals in a checklist, so I check off each time I reach a goal and I am hoping to achieve all of them. I want to win the NESCAC as an individual and win New Englands as an individual, so I have a lot of stuff I want to accomplish before I graduate. As a team, I just want us to compete and do their best and that’s all I can ask for really. As long as everyone’s giving me 100% effort, that’s all I can ask for.”

Finally, Johnson highlighted a few teammates who have stood out during preseason training. He said, “I want to shout out James Lyon ’29, he’s been working his tail off. He works out with me in the weight room and he’s in my event group, so I’ve been pushing him really hard and trying to show him the ropes. The first-years have been doing great in the preseason. I’ve been pushing all of them and taking them under my wing to show them how it’s done so that when I leave, they can instill that for the people to come.”