BROOKINGS, S.D. – Indiana Tech cruised to their third consecutive Red Banner after winning the 2023 NAIA Indoor Women’s Track & Field National Championship Saturday at Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.  The three-day national meet was hosted by Dakota State (S.D.).

The Warriors finished with a total of 85 points to claim the women’s title, the first time since 2013-15 that a team had won three consecutive titles.  Indiana Tech earned its fourth overall women’s team national title in program history since 2017.

Huntington (Ind.) finished as a runner-up after scoring 64 points, highlighted by a historic day by freshman Addy Wiley who won five different national titles.

William Carey (Miss.), who was the national runner-up in the previous three national meets, finished third with 58 points.  Life (Ga.) was fourth with 50 points.

• Saturday’s championship kicked off with the triple jump, won by Paige Manney of Tennessee Wesleyan with a leap of 12.55 meters (41 feet, 2.25 inches).  It marked the first female indoor track & field athlete to win a national title in TWU program history.
• Wiley captured four individual national titles for Huntington.  She opened the day by winning the 1-mile run with a time of 4 minutes, 48.04 seconds.
• Her second national title came three races later, capturing the 600-meter run title by breaking the national championship meet record time of 1:29.47.  The previous record holder was held by Elysia Hodges of Westmont (Calif.) with a time of 1:30.49 in the 2014 national meet.
• After the 60-meter dash final, Wiley posted a time of 2:10.93 to win the 800-meter run national title.  She defeated the 2022’s national defending champion Maggie Whitney of Aquinas (Mich.), who finished as the national runner-up in 2:11.34.
• One race later, Wiley ran in her last individual running event in the 3000-meter run.  She finished the race strong with a time of 9 minutes, 47.57 seconds.
• Wiley closed the day as she ran on the final anchor of HU’s distance medley relay.  Emily Tedder, Destinee McGrady, MacKenzie Brewer and Wiley teamed up with a winning time of 11 minutes, 46.74 points.
• It was Huntington’s third distance medley relay title in the past four national meets.
• A national championship meet record was established in the 60-meter hurdles.  Salieci Myles of William Carey won the title with a time of 8.20 seconds, breaking the previous record of 8.31 seconds set by Akela Jones of Oklahoma Baptist in 2014.  It was the second consecutive year that William Carey athlete won the 60-meter hurdles national title (Joy Abu in 2022).
• Indiana Tech overtook the lead in the team standings with 16 points scored in the 60-meter hurdles national final.  Their lead eventually grew for the rest of the meet to clinch their third straight national title.
• Princess Kara of Indiana Wesleyan defeated the 2022’s defending champion Allison Skala of Doane (Neb.) in the shot put.  Kara tossed 15.25 meters (50 feet, .25 inches) to win the title, followed by Skala who threw 14.46 meters (47 feet, 5.25 inches) on the final attempt.
• Jennah Carpenter of Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) produced the first female indoor track & field national champion in program history after winning the high jump.  She cleared the height of 1.73 meters (5 feet, 8 inches).
• Brianna Florvilus of Life won the 400-meter dash title with a time of 54.16 seconds, edging Kevell Byrd of Dillard (La.) in 54.62 seconds.  Joy Abu of William Carey, the 2022 defending champion, finished third with a time of 54.95 seconds.
• Life added another national champion in the 60-meter dash, paced by Talayla Davis with a time of 7.28 seconds.   She also captured the 200-meter dash national title with a time of 23.67 seconds. 
• Praise Idamadudu of Cumberland (Tenn.) earned a pair of runner-up titles in the 60-meters (7.43 seconds) and the 200-meters (23.96 seconds).
• Lisa Voyles won her second straight 1000-meter run title for Indiana Tech.  She posted a time of 2 minutes, 50.52 seconds in the race.
• Alyssa Bearzi of Milligan (Tenn.) won the 5000-meter run title with a time of 17 minutes, 11.36 seconds.
• Life closed the national meet by winning the 4 x 400-meter relay title with a time of 3 minutes, 39.48 seconds.  It was the first time since 1998 that Life won the 4 x 400-meter relay national title.

Post-Meet Awards 

Women’s Outstanding Performer:  Jaunita Webster-Freeman – Indiana Tech – she set the national championship meet record of 4,258 points in the pentathlon Thursday, winning each pentathlon event.

Women’s Most Valuable Performer:  Addy Wiley – Huntington (Ind.) – she scored 42.5 points overall in the national meet.  She collected five national titles Saturday, winning the 1-mile run, 600-meter run, 800-meter run, 3000-meter run, and helped the team win the distance medley relay.

Women’s Coach of the Year:  Doug Edgar – Indiana Tech