BROOKINGS, S.D. – Numerous athletes produced personal records on the second day of the NAIA Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship Friday, including a new NAIA Championship meet record. The 44^th annual running of the NAIA Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship is hosted by Dakota State (S.D.) at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.

Cumberlands (Ky.) holds a six-point lead in the team standings with 22 points, which were scored in the 3000 meter racewalk. Central Methodist (Mo.) is second with 16 points, while the three-time defending national champion Indiana Tech is tied for third with Concordia (Neb.) at 15 points each. Marian (Ind.), Dickinson State (N.D.), and Hastings (Neb.) are tied for fifth with 14 points each.

• Cumberlands (Ky.) took the team lead with 22 points after the first event Friday, thanks to their four runners placing in the top eight of the 3000 meter racewalk.
• Freshman Heather Durrant highlighted the race with the 3000 meter racewalk championship record of 13:23.29 for the Patriots. She broke the previous NAIA Championship record time of 13:38.07 set by Anali Cisneros of Judson (Ill.) in 2020.
• Durrant became the first Patriot to win the 3000 meter racewalk title in school history (second national indoor track & field national title).
• Nine semifinal running events took place Friday.
• Ellen-Mary Kearney of Milligan (Tenn.) edged Lisa Voyles of Indiana Tech for the top time in the 1 mile run by .14 seconds difference. Kearney clocked in with a time of 4:59.44.  Voyles, who finished third in 2023’s 1 mile run national final, finished with a time of 4:59.58.
• The top 10 runners that advanced to the 1 mile run finals saw a difference of 2.18 seconds between the first and tenth places.
• A pair of William Carey (Miss.) hit the top two fastest times in the 60 meter hurdles. Salieci Myles, the 60-meter hurdles national champion last season, recorded the fastest semifinal time in 8.23 seconds. Her teammate Joy Abu finished second with 8.44 seconds.
• Soyinee Grenyion of Indiana Tech registered the top 400 meter dash semifinal time of 54.35 seconds. Six runners that advanced to the 400 meters final had produced either a personal record or season best times.
• Maria Simancas of William Carey registered a personal record time of 1:31.25 to capture the fastest time in the 600 meter run. Five other runners that advanced to the finals also produced personal record times in the race.
• Praise Idamadudu of Cumberland (Tenn.), the runner-up in last year’s 60-meter dash, hit a personal record time of 7.34 seconds to advance to the final. Five runners that advanced to the 60 meter finalproduced career best times Friday.
• WCU’s Maria Tirado secured the fastest time in the 800 meter run with a personal record time of 2:14.45. 
• More personal record times were registered in the 1000 meter run (five runners that advanced to the finals had a career best time). Abbey Shirts from College of Idaho (2:53.33) edged Ellen Palmgren of The Master’s (Calif.) (2:53.97) by .64 seconds for the fastest semifinal time. 
• Voyles of Indiana Tech, a three-time national champion in the 1000 meters, won the first heat in 2:55.33 and will run in the final.
• Machaeda Linton of William Carey repeated as the long jump national champion. She leaped 6.03 meters (19 feet, 9.50 inches) on her fifth attempt to win the national title.
• Four runners from last year’s 3000 meter final (Caitlin Dominy, Milligan (Tenn.); Alex Ebetino, St. Francis (Ind.); Reagan Hiebert, Saint Mary (Kan.), and Elizabeth Barrett, Indiana Wesleyan) secured a spot in the final on Saturday. Hannah Fredericks of The Master’s (Calif.) hit the fastest time of 10:18.06 in the semifinal.
• Printassia Johnson of Life (Ga.) crossed the finish line in 23.22 seconds as the top 200 meter dash time in the semifinal.
• The top five runners in the 200 meter dash had posted career-best times, including a pair of sprinters from Indiana Tech.
• Concordia (Neb.) won the 4x800 meter relay title for the first time since 1999. The team of Jenna Esch, Rylee Haecker, Julie McIntyre and Kylahn Freiberg finished with a season-best time of 9:6.48.
• The top four weight throwers set personal records, as Arriana Benjamin of Marian (Ind.) threw 19.36 meters (63 feet, 6.25 inches) to win the title. She became the first Knight weight thrower to win the national title.
• A pair of Hastings (Neb.) athletes finished second (Kiara Anderson – 19.32 meters – 63 feet, 4.75 inches) and third (Asia Tyler – 18.21 meters – 59 feet, 9 inches) in the weight throw. Victoria Lotz of MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) was fourth after throwing 18.06 meters (59 feet, 3 inches).
• The day wrapped with the women’s pole vault in a thrilling finish, with a new national champion for the first time since 2020 (Josie Puelz of Concordia (Neb.), won the previous three pole vault national titles).
• Evelyn Dolce of Indiana Tech edged Nevaeh Brown of Midway (Ky.) to win the pole vault national title. Both did post the clearance of 3.87 meters (12 feet, 8.25 inches).  However, Dolce successfully cleared the height of 3.87m mark on the first attempt. Brown cleared the 3.87 meter mark on the second attempt.

Fifteen national titles are on the line during Saturday’s championship day. The final day of the three-day NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship begins with the triple jump at 10 a.m. CT, followed by the shot put at 11:30 a.m. CT.

The NAIA Championship ceremonies are slated for noon CT Saturday. The award ceremony after the conclusion of the meet is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.