FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 6, 2026) – Northern Arizona opened competition Friday at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic inside the UNM Indoor Track & Field Facility, facing one of the deepest and most nationally competitive fields of the indoor season.
Action began for the Lumberjacks in the men's 200 meters, highlighted by sophomore Josiah Johnson, who posted a 21.19 from the unseeded section. The performance marked a personal best, moved Johnson to the top of the Big Sky performance list this season, and placed him No. 6 all-time in NAU history in the event. Johnson now sits among the program's best ever across the 60-meter hurdles, 200 meters, and 400 meters. Additional appearances came from Luke Yruretagoyena, Nicolas Martinez, Shon Martin, Jase Weingart, and Erick Reyes-Aguilera, as Northern Arizona tested itself against elite national competition.
Northern Arizona's women delivered one of the most encouraging segments of the day in the 200 meters, producing multiple season bests in a nationally stacked field. Jordann Germain clocked a 24.46 to rank eighth in the Big Sky, while Shanye Harris followed closely at 24.51 to move into ninth. Ariel Haygood (24.63) and Sydnie Watkins (24.67) added additional depth for the Lumberjacks.
In the men's weight throw, Desmond Lott placed second overall with a mark of 20.84 meters. Nikolas Strait followed with an 18.63-meter effort to finish ninth overall and rank inside the conference's top 10, while Grant Wade added an 18.30-meter throw, right at the Big Sky top-10 cutoff. Ryan Edelman rounded out the group with a best mark of 17.10 meters.
On the women's side of the ring, Sariyah Horne-Kemp placed third overall with an 18.93-meter throw, moving her into second in the Big Sky standings. Ronan Gallagher followed with an 18.02-meter effort, while Larrissa Francois recorded a best throw of 16.34 meters.
The Lumberjacks navigated some challenges on the long jump runway Friday. The men's long jump was led by Justin Cardoza with a mark of 7.26 meters, while Malachi Marshall (7.04m) and Shon Martin (6.97m) rounded out the group. On the women's side, Brenna Rodriguez posted a mark of 5.81 meters, with Alexa Hamilton adding a 5.66-meter effort.
In the high jump, Bjorn Molenaar was limited by calf discomfort and recorded a no-height on the men's side. Kaelyn Giarrusso competed in the women's high jump, clearing 1.60 meters and showing promise by taking three strong attempts at a season-best bar of 1.65 meters.
Assistant coach Ernie Clark, who oversees the program's sprints and jumps, highlighted the significance of the women's sprint performances and the developmental value of the meet.
"The big piece for me was how proud I was of the women in the 200s," Clark said. "We came into an environment with some of the top sprint and jump groups in the country, and they rose a level. We had multiple season bests and lifetime PRs, and that's huge. Mentally, they needed to see their training show up in a meet, and that was a really positive step."
Clark also noted the importance of learning through less-than-perfect conditions in the jumps.
"In the jumps, we were a little bit off, and that's part of the process," Clark said. "This was our first meet this year off our own runway. We've got to be able to make adjustments when things aren't perfect and still hit good marks."
Northern Arizona now turns its attention to Saturday as the meet transitions into a championship-style schedule. Field events begin at 11 a.m. with the women's triple jump featuring Hamilton and Rodriguez, and the men's triple jump with Cardoza, Marshall, and Molenaar.
Track action opens with the hurdles, as Martin and Reyes-Aguilera compete in the men's 60-meter hurdles prelims, followed by the women's prelims featuring Giarrusso, Jadyn Montgomery, and Watkins. The sprint slate continues with Cole Coppedge in the men's 60-meter dash and Harris, Haygood, Alaynah Reed, Rodriguez, and Watkins on the women's side.
The 400 meters follows late morning, with Johnson, Martinez, Reyes-Aguilera, Weingart, and Yruretagoyena competing for the men, and Bella Brauc, Germain, Haygood, Reed, and Janelle Sanchez lining up for the women. The day concludes with the 4×400-meter relays.
"I really like where we're at going into tomorrow," Clark said. "The confidence is there, the training is there, and now it's about letting them do their job."
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