FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (May 10, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University track & field teams are headed to Greeley, Colorado to begin postseason competition and defend their Big Sky titles.
Both the men's and women's teams are two-time defending conference champions, claiming victory during the 2021 and 2022 outdoor seasons. The Lumberjacks have also swept both the cross country and indoor track & field championships already this year, with the teams hoping for a 2022-23 calendar sweep.
The men will be looking for their 25
th total outdoor Big Sky Conference title. The 'Jacks have proven to be dominant in the conference so far this season, occupying many of the top spots in the conference rankings.
The strongest event for the men this season has been the 5,000-meter, with NAU owning seven of the top-10 times in the conference.
Theo Quax and
Nico Young will be the duo to beat in Greeley, bringing in qualifying times of 13:29.35 and 13:30.36 respectively. Quax also has the third fastest 1,500-meter time in the conference, running a time of 3:39.36 earlier this season.
Colin Sahlman is ranked second in the conference in the 1,500-meter, running a qualifying time of 3:38.30.
The men also have two of the top sprinters in the conference in
David Dunlap and
Kyle Smith. Dunlap has the top times in the 100-meter and the 200-meter and is the defending Big Sky champion in both events. He has times of 10.31 in the 100-meter and 20.38 in the 200-meter already this season. Smith holds the third fastest time in the 100-meter and the sixth fastest time in the 200-meter. He has run times of 10.52 in the 100-meter and 21.51 in the 200-meter.
The throws have also been a strong point for the 'Jacks this season, with NAU occupying the top four spots in the hammer throw rankings.
John Murphy has the top mark in the conference, throwing 65.30 meters earlier this season.
Desmond Lott has had a strong first year at NAU, ranking second in the conference with a throw of 62.53 meters.
Garret Bernt and
Parker Bays are ranked third and fourth in the hammer throw, with marks of 62.32 meters and 60.27 meters respectively.
Desmond Lott has also impressed in the discus, ranking second in the conference after throwing 53.52 meters.
CJ McMullen is ranked fourth in the event, throwing 52.06 meters earlier this season.
Parker Bays is currently ranked fourth in the conference in the shot put, hitting a mark of 17.17 meters already this season.
Trevor Hook has been consistent in the javelin this season, setting a new school record with a throw of 68.49 meters to rank second in the conference.
Mitchell Effing and
Jack Normand have been top performers in the jumps this season, each ranking first in their respective events. Effing sits atop the rankings for the long jump with a mark of 7.79 meters while Normand is at the top of the high jump with a mark of 2.11 meters. Effing also ranks second in the triple jump with a mark of 15.50 meters, while Normand is fourth in the event with a mark of 15.11 meters.
NAU has the top 4x100-meter relays in the conference for both the men and women.
MarcAnthony Sanchez,
David Dunlap,
Tyson Givens, and
Kyle Smith ran a time of 39.86 earlier this season, easily putting themselves at the top of the conference.
Alyssa Colbert,
Kyairra Reigh,
Kenya Coburn, and
LiNay Perry set a new school and conference record in the event earlier this season when they ran a time of 44.67.
The women's sprints have been a highlight this season for NAU, with their runners owning the top times in the conference.
Alyssa Colbert has the top times in both the 100-meter and 200-meter, running times of 11.41 and 23.83 respectively.
Madeline Wilson is close behind Colbert, taking the second spot in both events with times of 11.60 and 23.84. Also ranked in the 200-meter are
Kyairra Reigh and
LiNay Perry, who own the third and fourth-fastest times in the conference. Reigh has run a time of 23.90, while Perry has run a time of 24.01 this season.
Perry and Reigh also occupy the top spots in the 400-meter. Perry ran a time of 53.10 earlier this season, with Reigh close behind with a time of 53.16.
The women's distance squad has also had an impressive season, with NAU athletes owning six of the top-eight times in the 5K.
Annika Reiss has the second fastest time in the conference, running a time of 15:49.34.
Jesselyn Bries and
Bryn Morley are close behind with the third and fourth-fastest times. Bries has a season best time of 15:53.19, while Morley has a season best time of 15:55.98.
Reiss also has the top time in the conference in the 1,500-meter and the second fastest time in the 800-meter. She has a season best time of 4:15.02 in the 1,500-meter and a time of 2:07.31 in the 800-meter.
Bryn Morley is close behind in the 1,500-meter, owning the second-fastest time in the conference after running 4:18.57 earlier this season.
Kenashalee Kerr and
Jenna Figueroa have led the women's jumps squad, tying for the top spot in the triple jump with matching marks of 12.47 meters. Kerr is also ranked sixth in the long jump, hitting a mark of 5.68 meters already this season.
Jade Kwinn and
Piper Pfister lead the conference in the javelin throw for the women. Kwinn tops the conference with a throw of 48.76 meters, while Pfister ranks second with a mark of 45.47 meters.
Alaina Diggs ranks second in the Big Sky in the shot put, hitting a mark of 14.72 meters earlier this season.
The Lumberjacks will compete at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships this Friday and Saturday. Live results for the meet can be found
here, while a livestream of the meet can be found on ESPN+. Stay up to date with NAU Cross Country and Track & Field by following us on Twitter and Instagram.
