In the sport of indoor track and field, the Beacons have their own budding superstar: Hulerie McGuffie. On top of a 5th-place finish — and in the process becoming the 17th Beacon from Women’s Track to be named an All-American in Track and Field in the 400 meter dash during last year’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships as a freshman — McGuffie, now in her sophomore season, has added a 2nd place finish in the indoor 400 and another All-American award so far this year.
Back on March 15 at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lincoln, Neb., McGuffie, a native of Lynn, Mass., ran a personal best 55.28 seconds to capture the silver medal.
A female Beacons athlete hasn’t placed at the National meet since 1989, when Jackie James and Charlotte Winward both placed second in the 100 meter hurdles and the Heptathlon, respectively.
“I was just kind of like, ‘Wow, there is so much talent here,’” McGuffie said on returning to Nationals. “It was really crazy.”
In the 400 preliminaries on March 14, Hulerie ran a 55.36 and found herself atop the qualifiers for the finals the following day — a feat that even surprised her.
“Coming into the meet, I was ranked fourth, and when I saw that I had a faster time than Ashante Little [of Wheaton College, who would go on to win the event], someone who is very well known, my jaw just dropped, I couldn’t believe it.”
Despite coming up short in the finals, McGuffie knows that it will give her something to shoot for when the outdoor season rolls around.
“I didn’t really expect this during the indoor season, so I’m really excited to see what I’m capable of this upcoming season. Coming in second makes me want to prepare more for [the outdoor season].”
McGuffie credits her hard work during practice for her return to Nationals. The rising star is already making a name for herself. Based on her recent personal best, she is only .32 seconds off the indoor school record in the 400, and 1.83 seconds off the outdoor record, both held by Genesia Eddins.
Along with her accomplishments in the 400, McGuffie also holds school marks in the indoor 60 meter dash, the indoor 200 meter dash (in which she also competed in at Nationals), and both the indoor and outdoor long jump.
To now be mentioned in the same breath as such legendary Beacons athletes like Eddins, Murtonda Durant, and Darrelle Boyd, McGuffie says it is more than an honor to be compared to such all-time greats.
“To even be mentioned in the same name or compared to [Eddins, Durant, and Boyd], knowing how great they were, it’s certainly a great honor.”
When Hulerie McGuffie’s career as a Beacon comes to a close years from now, her name will undoubtedly be among the all-time great University of Massachusetts Boston runners. 
The Women’s Track and Field team is unquestionably the most decorated in school history. 16 different women have been named Division III All-Americans and the squad won four National Titles in the mid- to late-80’s (1985 Indoor, 1986 Indoor, 1986 Outdoor, and 1987 Indoor). Former athletes Murtonda Durant, Genesia Eddins, and Darrelle Boyd, who were the center points of those championship teams, are still to this day some of the more recognizable names around the Clark Athletic Center. McGuffie still has a long way to go before she has a plaque in the lobby, but she is well on her way if she continues to turn in great performances like she has been recently.