ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (February 13, 2026) - Northern Arizona Track & Field opened competition Friday across three premier indoor meets, competing at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque, the Husky Classic in Seattle and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. The Lumberjacks delivered strong performances in the throws, sprints and distance events, with competition continuing Saturday at all three sites.
NAU's throws group led the way on Day 1 inside the Albuquerque Convention Center. Desmond Lott finished second overall in the men's weight throw with a mark of 22.05 meters, continuing his national level season. Nikolas Strait added an 18.98 meter performance, while Ryan Edelman (17.18m) and Grant Wade (16.96m) contributed additional depth.
On the women's side, Sariyah Horne-Kemp captured the weight throw title with a 19.60 meter mark. Ronan Gallagher followed in second at 18.47 meters, giving the Lumberjacks a 1–2 finish in the event. Larissa Francois added a 16.87 meter effort. In the jumps, Justin Cardoza cleared 2.08 meters in the men's high jump to finish tied for fourth, while Christian Mutengela posted 2.03 meters and Bjorn Molenaar cleared 1.88 meters. In the men's long jump, Shon Martin led NAU with a mark of 7.01 meters, and Oluwatoni Adigun recorded 6.50 meters.
The sprint group logged a full slate of efforts in the 200 meters. Josiah Johnson led the men with a 21.26, followed by Blaise Nelson (21.91), Nicolas Martinez (21.99), Cole Coppedge (22.01), Luke Yruretagoyena (22.04) and Jase Weingart (22.19). In the women's 200 meters, Shanye Harris paced NAU at 24.06, followed by Jordann Germain (24.36), Ariel Haygood (24.67), Sydnie Watkins (24.85) and Alaynah Reed (25.51). In the 400 meters, Jase Weingart posted a 48.62 on the men's side, with Joshua Anderson running 49.79 and Jake Preston adding 50.10. Bella Brauc led the women's 400 at 56.92, while Reed doubled back to record 58.58.
At the Dempsey Indoor, Northern Arizona's distance squad competed in one of the premier distance meets of the indoor season. In the men's mile, Rheinhardt Harrison led the Lumberjacks with a fourth place overall finish in 3:55.73 in Heat 1, running competitively in a deep national field. Ford Washburn followed with a 4:00.02 effort in the same section, narrowly missing the four-minute barrier.
In the men's 3000 meters, Kang Nyoak clocked 8:05.04 to finish 26th overall, while Randy Espinoza ran 8:06.43 to place 27th as both gained experience in a fast-paced environment. The men's 5000 meters saw Broen Holman post 14:13.02 to finish 17th overall, with Zack Munson adding a 14:16.75 effort to place 19th. On the women's side, Payton Godsey ran 9:29.96 in the 3000 meters to finish 34th overall in a loaded field.
At Boston University, NAU delivered strong middle distance and distance performances on one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world. In the invitational section of the men's mile, Colin Sahlman placed fourth overall in 3:52.30, adding another sub 3:53 performance to his resumé and reinforcing his position among the nation's top milers. Earlier in the meet, Clay Shively broke the four-minute barrier in 3:56.96, finishing fourth in his heat and marking a significant milestone in his indoor campaign. In the men's 5000 meters, Manny Perez led the Lumberjacks with a 13:37.64 effort to finish seventh overall in a tightly contested race. Derebe Ayele added a 13:59.67 performance, dipping under 14 minutes and strengthening NAU's depth in the event as championship season approaches.
Competition resumes Saturday at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque, the Husky Classic in Seattle and the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston as Northern Arizona continues its national-caliber weekend across three cities.
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