FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January. 30, 2026) — Northern Arizona split its roster over the weekend, hosting the Ron Mann Classic inside the Walkup Skydome while a select group traveled east to compete at the Brant Tolsma Elite Invitational. Across both meets, the Lumberjacks recorded event victories, podium finishes and a series of performances that reinforced NAU's early-season positioning within the Big Sky Conference and on the NCAA Division I indoor landscape.
At the Brant Tolsma Elite Invitational in Lynchburg, Virginia, NAU's middle-distance group delivered a standout showing against a limited, high-caliber field. Tor Hotung-Davidsen led the way with a meet victory in the invitational 800 meters, winning in 1:48.18, and followed with a third-place finish in the invitational mile at 3:55.56. Colin Sahlman placed fourth in the mile with a time of 3:55.66, while Rheinhardt Harrison finished fifth in 3:58.98. Clay Shively added an eighth-place finish in 4:00.95, and Kang Nyoak rounded out NAU's mile group in 12th at 4:04.41.
The open 800 meters featured additional NAU depth, with Nyoak placing third in 1:52.54, Shively finishing seventh in 1:53.61, Aiden Barnhill ninth in 1:55.45 and Jonah Fearnley 10th in 1:55.58. Barnhill and Fearnley also competed in the open mile, finishing sixth and seventh with times of 4:10.74 and 4:13.03, respectively.
Distance races continued to be productive for the Lumberjacks. Broen Holman captured the men's 3,000-meter open title with a winning time of 8:15.15. In the invitational 3,000 meters, Manny Perez led NAU with a fifth-place finish in 7:56.13, followed by Derebe Ayele in seventh at 8:06.01. Nyoak finished 15th in 8:14.77, and Zack Munson placed 19th in 8:17.59.
On the women's side at Brant Tolsma, Hayley Burns delivered one of the top performances of the weekend, winning the invitational 3,000 meters in 8:52.72. Ava Mitchell followed with a third-place finish in 9:07.49, Grace Copeland placed eighth in 9:14.82, and Payton Godsey finished 10th in 9:17.74. Anna Fenske also competed in the invitational field, finishing 24th. In the women's invitational 800 meters, Odessa Zentz placed fourth in 2:07.53, Emma Stutzman finished eighth in 2:09.56, and Kiki Vaughn placed 11th in 2:12.06. Stutzman added a sixth-place finish in the invitational mile, crossing in 4:37.91.
Back in Flagstaff, Northern Arizona hosted the Ron Mann Classic on Friday inside the Walkup Skydome, turning in a strong home-meet performance highlighted by multiple event victories and podium finishes. In the sprints, the Lumberjacks swept the top two spots in the women's 200 meters as Sydnie Watkins won the event in 24.55, followed closely by Jordann Germain in 24.56. Watkins also placed sixth in the women's 60-meter final, while Shanye Harris finished runner-up in 7.38. On the men's side, Josiah Johnson claimed the 200-meter title in 21.21, and Nicolas Martinez followed with a fifth-place finish before returning to win the men's 400 meters in 47.82. Luke Yruretagoyena completed a one-two NAU finish in the 400, placing second in 48.19.
In the middle distances at the Ron Mann Classic, Tess Hannigan placed third in the women's mile with a time of 5:07.18, while Jackson Elliott led NAU in the men's mile with a second-place finish in 4:20.56. In the men's 3,000 meters, the Lumberjacks earned an event win as Randy Espinoza crossed first in 8:37.29.
Northern Arizona also delivered a strong showing in the throws on its home track. Larissa Francois won the women's shot put with a mark of 13.68 meters, while Alexys Salas placed fifth. In the men's throws, Desmond Lott captured the shot put title with a throw of 16.78 meters and followed with another victory in the weight throw at 21.12 meters. Nikolas Strait finished second in the weight throw at 19.24 meters. On the women's side, Ronan Gallagher won the weight throw with a mark of 19.16 meters, while Sariyah Horne-Kemp finished second at 18.80 meters.
Collectively, Northern Arizona's performances across both meets reflected strong depth across disciplines and provided valuable early-season momentum as the Lumberjacks continue building toward Big Sky Conference and NCAA postseason competition.
Stay up to date with Northern Arizona Track and Field by following the Lumberjacks on X and Instagram.
Â
