Courtesy: Mike Black
Courtesy: Mike Black

Indiana Tech Pulled Away to Win Fourth Consecutive NAIA Women’s Indoor Track & Field Red Banner

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Indiana Tech went neck-and-neck with William Carey (Miss.) during the final day of the 2024 NAIA Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex. The Warriors pulled past the Crusaders to capture their fourth NAIA Red Banner.

The three-day national meet was hosted by Dakota State (S.D.).

It was the first time since 1999 through 2002 that a team had won the national title for four consecutive years (McKendree (Ill.)).

Indiana Tech scored 88 points to win the national title. William Carey scored 79 points in the national meet and earned the runner-up honor for the fourth time in the last five years.

Concordia (Neb.) and Cumberland (Tenn.) tied for third with 42 points each. Central Methodist (Mo.) was fifth with 32.5 points, followed by Life (Ga.) and The Master’s (Calif.), which tied for sixth with 32 points each. Marian (Ind.) finished eighth with 31 points and Cumberlands (Ky.) ninth with 30 points. College of Idaho and Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) rounded out the top ten after being tied with 28 points each.

There were three national meet records broken on Saturday.

  • The final day of the three-day national championship began with the triple jump in the morning session. Machaeda Linton of William Carey earned her second national title in two days (won the long jump Friday afternoon). She won the triple jump national title after she leaped 12.62 meters (41 feet, 5 inches) on her final attempt.
  • It was the second time in the last three national meets that ITU captured a triple jump national title (Destiny Copeland in 2022).
  • ITU continued to pile up points as the running events kicked off with the 1 mile run.  Lisa Voyles, who was third in last year’s 1 mile national final, won the title in 4:51.58.
  • There was a third team lead change as William Carey took the lead after the 60 meter hurdles. Salieci Myles repeated the 60 meter hurdles national title with a career-best time of 8.23 seconds. 
  • The top four place finishers in the 60 meter hurdles (including Myles) hit personal record times (Hannah Antkoviak of Olivet Nazarene, Kiya Pogue of Indiana Tech, and Doris Mensah of Cumberland).
  • Arriana Benjamin of Marian completed a sweep of the throwing titles. After winning the weight throw title Friday, she sat in ninth place before her final attempt in the shot put. She came through with a season-best mark of 14.97 meters (49 feet, 1.5 inches) on her final attempt to win the national title. She defeated Daveina Watson of Cumberland, who led after the third attempt (personal best of 14.72 meters – 48 feet, 3.5 inches).
  • Benjamin became the first Knight shot puter to win the national title in school history.
  • Praise Idamadudu of Cumberland (Tenn.) established a new NAIA school record time of 52.87 seconds to win the 400 meter dash title, the first Phoenix 400 meter dash national title in school history. The previous old NAIA Championship meet record was set in 1996 (28 years ago) by Fatmat Yusuf of Azusa Pacific (Calif.) in 53.05 seconds.
  • The second NAIA Championship meet record of the day came in the 600 meter final, where Hannah Antkoviak of Olivet Nazarene won the title in 1:28.80. She broke the previous record held by Addy Wiley of Huntington (Ind.) in 2023 (1:29.47).
  • Indiana Tech tied with William Carey in the team standings after the 60 meter dash final with 57 points each. Jamaya Warthen of ITU (7.383 seconds) edged Idamadudu of Cumberland (7.389 seconds) by .006 seconds to win the national title. It marked the first time since 2017 that Indiana Tech won the 60 meter national title.
  • Life won the 800 meter run national title for the first time since 2001 as freshman Emeline Delaville clocked a personal record time of 2:12.05.
  • The Crusaders regained their lead after the 800 meter run as Maria Tirado finished second with a personal record time of 2:12.59.
  • Voyles of ITU claimed her fourth consecutive 1000 meter run national title (her third straight at Indiana Tech).  She clocked a career-best time of 2:46.84 and gave the Warriors the team lead over William Carey by two points (67-65).
  • Voyles became the first four-peat title since 2005-08 when Ruky Abdulai of Simon Fraser (B.C.) won the high jump for four straight years.
  • Hannah Fredericks of The Master's (Calif.) became the first female individual to win the national title for the Mustangs in the 3000 meter run. She hit a season-best time of 10:8.21.
  • Life produced a second individual national champion as Printassia Johnson captured the 200 meter dash in 23.26 seconds. It was the second consecutive year that Life had won the 200 meters national title (Talayla Davis in 2023).
  • Indiana Tech stretched its lead over William Carey after the 200 meter dash (80-71), thanks to Soyinne Grenyion with a second-place finish in 23.51 seconds, and Warthen with a fourth-place finish in 23.82 seconds. Joy Abu of WCU was third with a personal best time of 23.62 seconds.
  • Siena Heights (Mich.) earned the national high jump national title for the first time since 2015. Emma Valentine cleared a personal best mark of 1.77 meters (5 feet, 9.75 inches) to win the national title. Last year’s high jump national title Jennah Carpenter of Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) placed fifth with 1.71 meters mark (5 feet, 7.25 inches).
  • Ellyse Tingelstad of College of Idaho won the 5000 meter run title in 17:22.98. It is the first time since 2018 that the Yotes won the 5000 meters (Molly Vitale-Sullivan).
  • The Master’s eclipsed a new NAIA Championship meet record in the distance medley relay. The team of Ellen Palmgren, Juliette Colunga, Suzie Johnson, and Hannah Fredericks finished in 11:38.20 seconds. The previous NAIA national indoor DMR meet record was set in 2010 by Simon Fraser with a time of 11:39.22.
  • Olivet Nazarene closed the day by winning the 4x400 meter relay (Kiara Carter, Carsyn Brudine, Tera Miller, and Hannah Antkoviak) in a time of 3:42.90. 
  • The top six teams in the 4x400 meter relay finals recorded a season-best time.

Post-Meet Awards
Women’s Outstanding Performer:  Praise Idamadudu – Cumberland (Tenn.) – for her record-breaking performance in the 400 meter dash.

Women’s Most Valuable Performer:  Machaeda Linton – William Carey (Miss.) – scored 25 points in the meet after she won the long jump and triple jump and placed fourth in the 60 meter dash.

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

 

 

Championship Information

NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship

44th ANNUAL
WOMEN'S 
INDOOR
TRACK & FIELD

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
February 29 - March 2, 2024
Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex
Brookings, S.D.