Seven Questions with Macy Daggitt ’25, women’s track and field

In this edition of Seven Questions, Macy Daggitt ’25 spoke with The Campus about her track and field career, her recovery from an ACL injury her sophomore year and her experience with the team at Middlebury.

Jack McGuire: How did you get started with track? 

Macy Daggitt: I started doing track and field in high school, and I feel like my entrance into the sport was kind of just serendipitous. I played lacrosse my freshman year, and after that, I was kind of done with that sport, and I thought, I'm just going to do track to stay in shape and join a community of teammates that I really like. On my first day of practice in high school, my coach told me I had potential, and so I worked with her a lot outside of practice. Over the summer during COVID, we would meet up on opposite sides of the track and do workouts. Then right before my junior year, my coach told me to pursue college running. At first I thought that it wasn’t for me, and I didn’t want to do that. But my coach asked for my top three schools, and I said that I really liked Middlebury. I gave her two other NESCACs, and within the week, the coach here at Middlebury reached out and said they’d love to have me in their program. And that's all she wrote. I committed to Middlebury the summer before my senior year, and I have absolutely no regrets – it's been the highlight of my time at Middlebury.

JM: What events specifically do you compete in? 

MD: I kind of jump around – no pun intended. I do short sprints to the 100 and the 200, but my primary event is the long jump.

JM: How do you think you've grown as an athlete during your four years at Middlebury? 

MD: Ithink that when the coach here at Middlebury made me an offer, it was kind of a shot in the dark. I was by no means expected to come into the program and be a scorer or contributing member, but I guess they saw some potential. I would say, kind of quantitatively, throughout the program, that I was one of the worst jumpers on the team when I got here. But last season, I ended up working out to a record in the long jump. So I think that I've made a lot of quantitative progress since being in the program. I've also learned a lot about myself and made a lot of friends and connections. I think I've grown a lot as a person and as an athlete.

JM: You've had a pretty successful year so far, how do you hope to build on that success, and what are your goals for the rest of the season? 

MD: I would say my outdoor season last year was the peak of my career. I broke the outdoor record with an All-American finish. My indoor season has not been as strong as I had wanted it to be. I would love to do it again in the outdoor season, but my primary goal as a senior is just to take it all in, leave a lasting impact on the program, whether that’sa mark on the track or just as a person, as a teammate. So while I would love to put up big marks in the long jump again or break another record, I really think that my focus has been just enjoying the sport and appreciating it for all that it is in the last few weeks that I'll be doing it.

JM: Are there any specific mentors or people who have really guided you in your journey as a student athlete?

MD: I mean, my coaches obviously have been such great role models for me. They have been so supportive and understanding of everything that I've gone through, physically or mentally. They've always been there as a sounding board and advice-givers, and have been rational figures throughout my time in the program. But I would say first and foremost, my mentors are the women on the team who were older than me and graduated before me. We had one jumper my freshman and sophomore year, Cady Barnes ’23. She was just an excellent athlete – I always looked up to her. I always strive to be up to her caliber. I also had some senior friends last year who made me fall in love with the sport and being part of the team. I would say that just as a whole, the women's team and the women's program have all been my role models.

JM: What are some of your favorite memories from the team?

MD: I would definitely say the spring break trip to San Diego is a super strong, steadfast tradition in the program that everyone looks forward to. It's my favorite thing that we do as a team. But on a more personal level, my most meaningful memory comes from when I tore my ACL during my sophomore indoor season. I was out for an entire year, and the way my teammates stepped up for me was a true testament to how close we are. I couldn’t travel to San Diego that year because of my surgery, but every single day I would receive texts and calls from my teammates that were just like, “we're thinking about you,” or, “we saw a dolphin on the beach today, and it reminded us of you,” because I have this dolphin outfit that I've worn to a number of track functions. I always knew how strong the community of girls was, but the ACL surgery and the way that they drove me to practice, or carried my plate in the dining halls was just a testament to how much I could rely on them, and that was really meaningful. 

JM: What's your favorite restaurant in town?

MD: I'm gonna go Costello's. One of my teammates, Maggie, and I had this very niche order that wasn't on the menu, but we would do a chicken cutlet, pesto, arugula, tomato, and mozzarella cheese. It is truly the most delicious sandwich that I've ever had.