FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 27, 2026) — Northern Arizona Track & Field has been selected as the favorite to win both the men's and women's Big Sky Outdoor Championships, the conference announced Wednesday.
The Lumberjacks enter the outdoor season coming off a full sweep of the Big Sky Indoor Championships, with the men capturing their 14th consecutive title and the women securing their fifth straight. That standard carries into the outdoor campaign, where NAU has won four of the last five conference titles on the men's side and continues to build sustained success across both programs.
On the men's side, NAU was the unanimous No. 1 selection, earning all 10 first-place votes. The women were also picked first, receiving eight of 10 first-place votes.
The Lumberjacks carry national momentum into the outdoor season. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Colin Sahlman claimed the 3,000-meter national title and anchored the program's first-ever indoor distance medley relay national championship. The men's team placed seventh overall, continuing a run of national-caliber performances.
On the women's side, Hayley Burns earned First Team All-American honors in the mile and Second Team honors in the 3,000 meters, highlighting the depth and consistency of the distance group.
Under first-year head coach Jarred Cornfield, NAU has already secured conference titles in cross country and indoor track and field. The goal now is to carry that standard into the outdoor season. That pursuit begins this weekend as Northern Arizona opens the 2026 outdoor campaign at the Carvel Jackson Memorial Track and Field Showcase, hosted by Mesa Community College on Saturday, March 28.
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