FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 28, 2023) – The Northern Arizona University women's cross country and track & field teams had a highly successful and historical season.
The team earned their fifth straight cross country conference championship, their third straight indoor track & field conference championship, and their third straight outdoor track & field conference championship.
Elise Stearns,
Annika Reiss, and
Alyssa Colbert all earned recognition following impressive seasons which saw them each succeed at a national level.
Stearns finished fourth at the NCAA Cross Country National Championship, the highest finish from an NAU woman since 2005 when Johanna Nilsson won the individual title. Reiss finished eighth in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, the highest finish from an NAU woman since 2018 when Ashley Taylor finished fourth in the 800-meter. Colbert became the first NAU women's sprinter to make it to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships since 1998 when Samantha George competed in the 400-meter.
A Season to Remember
The women had high hopes for their season, as they earned their second-highest preseason ranking since 2009, beginning the season as the 22
nd team in the nation.
The team started the season off with a glimpse at the success that they could have, winning the George Kyte Classic for the fifth year in a row. They scored a total of 16 points, with all NAU scorers placing in the top-10.
Elise Stearns was the top finisher as she placed second with a time of 15:16.4 on the 2.5-mile course.
At the Cowboy Jamboree, the team got their first look at the course which would host the NCAA National Championships.
The women shattered expectations as they ran their best team effort of the early season and finished second behind hosts Oklahoma State.
Elise Stearns continued to impress as she finished in fifth place with a time of 20:29.5, while
Annika Reiss was right behind in sixth place with a time of 20:32.5. All five scorers finished in the top-28, leading to a team score of 88 points.
Their second-place finish at the Cowboy Jamboree led the women to their highest USTFCCCA ranking in school history. Following their strong performance, they shot up the rankings to be ranked fourth in the nation. This was also the first time in school history that both the men's and women's teams had been ranked in the top-5 at the same time.
The team then headed to the Nuttycombe Invitational, eager to continue their success and cement their place among the top teams in the nation.
The women placed third as they finished behind the top two teams in the nation, NC State and New Mexico.
Elise Stearns solidified her place as one of the nation's top runners as she led the Lumberjacks. Never falling out of the top-10 throughout the course of the race, Stearns eventually finished third with a time of 19:57.5.
Heading into the postseason, the women were eager to show that they were truly a top team in the nation. They successfully defended their Big Sky title, sweeping the championships with the men for the 18
th time.
The women scored just 22 points in their victory, the lowest conference championship score since the NAU women won in 2002 with a score of 18 points.
Elise Stearns took the individual title after making her move in the last mile to take the lead, finishing with a time of 16:25.3.
Annika Reiss wasn't far behind, placing second with a time of 16:36.1. Earning a spot on the All-Conference team along with Stearns and Reiss were
Taryn O'Neill,
Bryn Morley,
Jesselyn Bries, and
Maggi Congdon.
As the 'Jacks headed to the Mountain Regional, their sole focus was on earning their spot at nationals. The women tied for second but ultimately lost the tie-break to Utah, earning their spot at the national championships after being picked in the NCAA National Championship selection show.
Elise Stearns put up another strong effort, taking second place with a time of 19:55.7, earning All-Region honors along with teammates
Jesselyn Bries,
Bryn Morley, and
Alexis Kebbe.
The NCAA National Championships would see the team return to Stillwater, Oklahoma to face one of the toughest courses in the country. Despite the challenging course and outstanding competition, the women saw their best finish since 1991 as they placed sixth.
Elise Stearns showed why she is one of the top runners in the country, finishing fourth with a time of 19:43.9 to earn her first All-American honor.
Annika Reiss placed 47
th, with
Jesselyn Bries not too far behind in 67
th.
Bryn Morley and
Alexis Kebbe rounded out the scoring for NAU, finishing 95
th and 99
th respectively.
The women finished with a total of 257 points to finish sixth behind NC State, New Mexico, Alabama, Oklahoma State, and North Carolina.
Raising the Standard
The women's indoor track & field season saw numerous records fall as the team kept the historic year rolling.
The season started strong as
Elise Stearns set a new school and conference record in the 5,000-meter at the Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. In her first career indoor 5K, Stearns ran a time of 15:33.74, smashing the previous record as she finished 10
th overall in the race.
As the new year began, things heated up for the Lumberjacks on the track. At the first home meet of the season, the Axe 'Em Open,
Alyssa Colbert broke her own school record in the 60-meter with a time of 7.30. Colbert would go on to break her record again at the Ron Mann Classic with a time of 7.24.
Colbert had a standout year for the 'Jacks, not only breaking the 60-meter school record, but also the 60-meter conference record, 60-meter conference championships record, and the school and conference 200-meter record.
The sprints squad impressed throughout the season, culminating in a school record-breaking performance at the Don Kirby Invitational.
LiNay Perry,
Kyairra Reigh,
Alonna Johnson, and
La Trouchka Duke combined to run a 4x400-meter relay time of 3:37.89 as they shined among the nation's best.
The final school record to fall was toppled by
Madeline Wilson, who broke the pentathlon record at the Ron Mann Classic. Wilson scored a total of 3,882 points after earning PRs in the high jump, shot put, long jump, and the 800-meter. Her jump of 1.73 meters in the high jump also put her at fifth all-time in school history in the event.
At the Big Sky Conference Championships, the women's team scored a total of 200.5 points, the highest in conference championship history. The sprints squad contributed 80 of those points, with
Alyssa Colbert earning Co-Women's Most Valuable Athlete for her efforts. She was the 60-meter and 200-meter champion, with her 60-meter time setting a new conference championships record.
Also earning Co-Women's Most Valuable Athlete was
Annika Reiss, who took gold in the 3,000-meter and the mile. Reiss led the distance squad, which contributed 91 points to the team's historic total. In the 3K, NAU earned 28 points as their athletes finished first, second, fourth, fifth, and eighth.
Maggi Congdon took home the gold in the 800-meter, breaking the conference championship record in the event after running a time of 2:05.71. Another strong event for the 'Jacks was the mile, with the team earning a total of 23 points. Reiss and
Bryn Morley took the top two spots, while
Nikita Moore placed fourth in the event.
Triple jump was the strongest event for the jumps squad, earning 13 points total.
Jenna Figueroa was the highest NAU finisher as she placed second after jumping 12.03 meters.
Kenashalee Kerr finished fifth in the event while
Lily Margolis placed eighth.
The throws squad was small but mighty as they contributed 10 points from only two events.
Alaina Diggs finished fourth in the shot put, while
Sariyah Horne-Kemp hit a lifetime best mark of 18.15 meters in the weight throw to place fourth as well.
Two Lumberjack women qualified for the NCAA Indoor National Championships, each earning All-American status.
Elise Stearns competed in the 5K, running a time of 16:34.04 to finish 11
th and earn second-team All-American honors.
Annika Reiss impressed as she ran a personal best time of 4:40.79 in the mile to finish eighth as a first-team All-American.
Sprinting to the Finish
The women kept their momentum rolling as they began the outdoor season, breaking the 4x100-meter relay record in their first meet.
Alyssa Colbert,
Kyairra Reigh,
Kenya Coburn, and
LiNay Perry combined to run a time of 44.85, a record which would be broken three more times over the course of the season.
The sprints squad was a highlight for the team the entire season, with multiple athletes seeing impressive performances.
Kyairra Reigh was one such athlete, with the sophomore having a breakout season for the Lumberjacks.
Reigh was a part of each 4x100-meter relay team which broke the school record and saw success in both the 200-meter and 400-meter as well. She ran a time of 23.90 in the 200-meter at the Desert Heat Classic, her time putting her at number six on the NAU all-time list for the event. Her best event this season, however, was the 400-meter. Reigh ran a time of 52.90 at the conference championship, winning gold in the event and narrowly missing out on a school record.
LiNay Perry and
Madeline Wilson were also bright spots on the sprints side, each seeing notable victories throughout the season. Perry's top event was the 400-meter, where she had a season best time of 53.10 at the Mt. SAC Relays. Her time earned her a ninth-place finish against many of the nation's best sprinters.
Madeline Wilson excelled in the 200-meter this season, earning the Big Sky title in the event after edging out teammate
Alyssa Colbert. Wilson ran a season best time of 23.84 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
The top competitor for the Lumberjack women this season was
Alyssa Colbert. She set three school records throughout the season, and advanced to the NCAA National Championships. While at the NCAA West Regional, Colbert ran a time of 11.19 in the 100-meter dash, destroying the previous school record and earning her place at the national meet. Colbert also set a school record in the 200-meter with a time of 23.54, and was joined by
Kyairra Reigh,
La Trouchka Duke, and
LiNay Perry as they combined to run a time of 44.40 to set a new 4x100-meter school record.
At the Big Sky Conference Championship, the team completed the season sweep along with the men, taking the outdoor title for the third consecutive year. The women scored a total of 192 points, with
Annika Reiss earning Co-Women's Most Valuable Athlete and
Alyssa Colbert being named Women's Most Outstanding Performer. The team earned a total of seven gold medals en route to their decisive victory.
Reiss was a double event champion, taking gold in both the 800-meter and the 1,500-meter. She ran a time of 2:07.34 in the 800-meter to easily take the win, while she ran a time of 4:33.84 in the 1,500-meter to win her second medal of the weekend. The 1,500-meter was the highest scoring event for the distance group, with
Bryn Morley placing second to help add a total of 18 points for the women.
The long jump was another high scoring event for the 'Jacks, with
Jenna Figueroa and
Kenashalee Kerr finishing second and third in the event to earn 14 points. Figueroa jumped a personal best 5.84 meters while Kerr jumped 5.79 meters.
The javelin proved to be the strongest event for the throws group, with
Jade Kwinn and
Piper Pfister adding 11 points. Kwinn placed second with a throw of 45.08 meters, earning a silver medal for her efforts, while Pfister finished sixth after throwing 42.39 meters.
The sprints squad was the strongest of the competition, earning a total of 95 points to lead the team to victory. The strongest event was the 200-meter, in which NAU had five athletes in the finals who earned a total of 31 points.
Madeline Wilson took the gold, while
Alyssa Colbert took silver and
La Trouchka Duke earned bronze.
LiNay Perry and
Kyairra Reigh finished fifth and sixth to add to the point total as well.
The women's sprinters swept the podium in both the 200-meter and the 100-meter.
Alyssa Colbert earned the event win in the 100-meter, while
Madeline Wilson placed second, and
La Trouchka Duke finished third. The 100-meter was the second highest scoring event of the competition, with the women earning 26 points.
As the postseason continued, the Lumberjacks sent a total of 12 women to the NCAA West Regional in Sacramento, California.
Nikita Moore earned a spot in the quarterfinals of the 1,500-meter, eventually finishing 22
nd overall with a time of 4:20.47. She also competed in the 5,000-meter, finishing 34
th overall with a time of 16:23.16.
Annika Reiss also competed in the 5K, running a time of 15:57.86 to finish 16
th and narrowly miss out on a trip to the national meet. Another impressive performance in the 5K came from
Jesselyn Bries who finished 20
th with a time of 16:01.26.
Jenna Figueroa and
Jade Kwinn were the only field athletes who competed for the 'Jacks, but they turned in strong efforts. Figueroa jumped 11.96 meters in the triple jump to finish 46
th overall, while Kwinn threw 45.34 meters in the javelin to finish 34
th.
Alyssa Colbert was the only NAU woman to punch her ticket to the national meet, advancing in the 100-meter after running a time of 11.19 and setting a new school record.
At the NCAA National Championships Colbert gave it her all in the semifinals of the 100-meter, entering the race ranked 33
rd in the nation in the event. She finished 21
st overall after running a time of 11.39 to earn honorable mention All-American honors.
