FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Feb. 26, 2025) – Months of preparation will culminate this week for the Northern Arizona indoor track and field teams when they take to the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome for the 2025 Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. The championships are being hosted by Northern Arizona from Thursday, Feb. 27 to Saturday, March 1.
For ticket information, a schedule, and all general meet information, visit the
championship central page. The meet will be streamed on ESPN+ with live results available through Wingfoot Finish.
The Lumberjacks are hosting the championships for the first time since 2018. As a program, Northern Arizona is going for a five-peat with its eyes set on sweeping its fifth-straight Big Sky Conference Championships. The NAU men have won 12-straight titles dating back to 2012 and the women have won four-straight.
The NAU women enter the meet ranked No. 19 in the nation. At last year's championship, they broke a Big Sky record for most points scored in an indoor championship meet with 204.
Men's Sprints and Hurdles Preview
NAU will look to the men's hurdle crew for big points, as
Shon Martin,
Tyson Givens and
Josiah Johnson rank fourth, fifth, and sixth in the 60-meter hurdles. This season, Martin ran 8.05 to rank ninth all-time at NAU and Givens' personal best of 7.99 ranks sixth all-time.
Josiah Johnson will also race in the 400-meters along with three other Lumberjacks. His time of 47.91 is the fifth-fastest and 10
th all-time in program history.
Luke Yruretagoyena has the third-fastest time, clocking 47.65 which ranks eighth all-time at NAU.
Joshua Anderson (10
th, 48.29) and
Kaleel Galloway (11
th, 48.31) will also compete in the 400-meters.
Anderson will also compete in the 200-meters, leading the 'Jacks with the 16
th-fastest time (21.79).
Lamar Smith and
Ian Lipsey will compete in both the 60-meters and the 200-meters. Smith is ranked 18
th in the 200-meters (21.81) and 10
th in the 60-meters (6.86) and Lipsey is ranked 19
th in the 60-meters (6.93) and 20
th in the 200-meters (21.90).
Women's Sprints and Hurdles Preview
Sydnie Watkins will be competing in both the 60-meters and the 60-meter hurdles, ranking third in the hurdles with a time of 8.48 and 17
th in the 60-meters with a time of 7.75.
Shanye Harris, a freshman, looks to give NAU a win in the 60-meters for the second-straight season as she has the top time with 7.44. She is also entered in the 200-meters with the 13
th-fastest time.
The trio of
LiNay Perry,
Kyairra Reigh and
Jordann Germain will represent the Lumberjacks in the 200 and the 400-meters. Reigh is the reigning champion in the 400-meters, and she enters the meet ranked third overall with a time of 54.27. Reigh was also runner-up in the 200-meters at last year's championships and is ranked fifth in the event with a time of 24.16.
Perry earned All-Conference honors with a third-place finish in the 400-meters at last year's Big Sky Championships. She is currently ranked second with a time of 54.21 and
Maggi Congdon is fourth in 54.40, giving NAU the second, third and fourth fastest times in the 400-meters. Perry will also look to improve on an eighth-place finish in the 200-meters last year and is currently ranked third in the event with a time of 23.90.
Germain is ranked 16
th in the 200-meters with a time of 24.79 and
Taylor Jacobs will also race the 400-meters, sitting in 17
th in 56.36.
Men's Distance Preview
Colin Sahlman broke both the Big Sky and NAU's all-time records in the 800-meters (1:46.40) and mile (3:52.82) this season, and is ranked first in both events with his eyes set on defending his 800-meter title.
Kang Nyoak, who finished sixth last year, is also entered in the 800-meters along with
Ford Washburn and
Clayton Shively.
Washburn and Nyoak will triple at the championships, as they are also entered in the mile and the 3,000-meters. In the mile, the Lumberjacks have all nine competitors ranked inside the top 12 led by Sahlman, Washburn,
David Mullarkey,
Caleb Easton and
Drew Bosley.
Last season, the men finished first, second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth in the 5,000-meters with Bosley finishing fourth and
Aidan Puffer placing sixth. Both will be entered in the events this year, with Bosley owning the top time in the Big Sky and Mullarkey ranking second. The Lumberjacks have the top six times in the field, with Puffer ranking third,
Santiago Prosser ranking fourth,
Erik Le Roux ranking fifth, and Jeret Gillingham ranking sixth.
Northern Arizona will rely on the men's 3,000-meters for the bulk of its points this weekend. Bosley and Mullarkey own the top two times in that race as well, followed by Washburn with the third-fastest time. Nyoak,
Cael Grotenhuis, Le Roux, Puffer, Gillingham and Easton will also toe the line in the 3k.
Women's Distance Preview
The Lumberjacks are the defending champions in the 800-meters, mile, 3,000-meters and 5,000-meters, all won by different athletes at last year's championships.
Northern Arizona owns four of the top 10 times in the women's 800-meters, led by
Kiki Vaughn who has the second fastest time of 2:06.38 which she ran last week at the NAU Tune-Up.
Alexandra Carlson (3
rd, 2:08.07) and
Odessa Zentz (4
th, 2:08.21) are right behind her and both ran personal bests that rank inside NAU's top ten this year.
Agnes McTighe has the ninth-fastest time entering the meet at 2:11.20. Also competing in the 800-meters will be
Elise Stearns and
Emma Stutzman who have yet to run the 800-meters this year.
Maggi Congdon is the defending 800-meter champion but will not be entered this year.
NAU will be well-represented in the mile, with nine athletes entered and all ranking in the top 11. Northern Arizona owns the top five spots in the Big Sky in the event. Carlson ran 4:27.20 after altitude adjustments in January and enters with the fastest time ahead of Congdon who set the Big Sky's mile record two weeks ago in 4:27.77.
Nikita Moore is the defending champion in the mile and will be back to defend her title, entering with the third-fastest time this season (4:33.83). Right behind her is McTighe who is fourth. Also running in the mile for Northern Arizona is
Elise Stearns,
Emma Stutzman,
Ava Mitchell,
Karrie Baloga, and
Hayley Burns.
Ali Upshaw won the 5,000-meters indoors last season and will be back to defend her title, entering the event with the fastest time of 15:27.86. Also competing in the 5,000-meters is
Anna Fenske and
Alexis Kebbe who rank second and third right behind Upshaw. Burns,
Alyson Churchill,
Maisie Grice,
Ava Mitchell,
Keira Moore and Nikita will all race the 5,000 meters indoors for the first time this season.
Men's Jumps Preview
Although NAU's defending conference champion in the long jump and triple jump,
Mitchell Effing, as graduated, Northern Arizona still looks to make some noise in the men's jumps.
After a big personal best in the high jump over the weekend,
Carter Anderson has the fifth-best mark in the event after clearing 2.03-meters.
Christian Mutengela is entered in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. He ranks 10
th in the high jump and 13
th in both the long and triple jump.
Sirr Butler placed eighth in the triple jump at last year's championships, and this year he enters the event ranked second with a season-best leap of 14.80-meters.
Also looking to score big points is
Ian Lipsey who is currently ranked third in the long jump with a season-best of 7.20-meters.
Men's and Women's Throws Preview
After sweeping the weight throw at last year's championships, Northern Arizona has its eyes set on doing it once again as defending champion
Garret Bernt returns to defend his title and
Desmond Lott, who placed second, is also entered in the event. The two enter the meet ranked first and second in the Big Sky, with Bernt tossing 22.62-meters and Lott sitting at 22.39-meters – a personal best that ranks second all-time at Northern Arizona. Bernt is the Big Sky and NAU record holder in the shot put with a mark of 23.09-meters. They will be joined in the event by
Nikolas Strait who has the fifth-best mark of 18.88-meters.
Lott also placed third in the shot put at last year's championships and ranks second currently with a mark of 17.57 – a personal best that ranks eighth all-time in program history. Bernt has yet to throw the shot put this season, but is also entered in the event.
A trio of Lumberjacks will represent NAU in the throws, as
Larissa Francois,
Ronan Gallagher and
Sariyah Horne-Kemp are all entered in the weight throw and the shot put. Last year, Horne-Kemp placed third in the weight throw and she enters this year's meet ranked fifth with a mark of 18.70-meters. Her personal best of 19.02-meters ranks fifth all-time at NAU.
Gallagher also cracked the top ten list this year in the weight throw, as her personal best of 18.21-meters ranks ninth all-time. In the shot put, Francois enters with the eighth-best mark with 13.68-meters.
