FULL RESULTS
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Red Wolves of Indiana University East entered Saturday at the River States Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in fourth place, but knew they were firmly in the hunt for the team title.
Less than 24 hours later, the Red Wolves had the hardware in their hands.
The Red Wolves became RSC champions in women's track and field for the first time, claiming the Indoor Track & Field title at the Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center on the campus of Marietta College. The Red Wolves finished with 174 points, clearing second place Rio Grande by eight points and third place IU Kokomo by 52 points. IU East head coach Dom Hudson was honored by his peers as the RSC Coach of the Year for his efforts in getting IU East their first title.
Following the first day of competition - which features seven of the Championships' 20 events - IU Kokomo held a ten-point lead over Shawnee State, with Rio Grande and IU East sitting 18 and 19 points back, respectively. Kokomo's big first day was powered by a dominant showing in the weight throw, where the Cougars went 1-2-4, led by conference champion Sydney Duncan. The weight throw accounted for 23 of IU Kokomo's 61 points, and was the difference between the Cougars and the other three contenders on day one.
IU East moved from fourth to first on Saturday with consistency across the events. The Red Wolves won just two gold medals on Saturday, with Naleya Kinney the only Red Wolf to win an individual medal. However, IU East was on the podium in nearly every event, giving the Red Wolves the lead early in the day. IU East led Rio Grande by six points heading into the final relay, the 4x400 meters, and put an exclamation point on the title by topping the RedStorm by more than four seconds.
The three main individual awards were spead throughout the conference, with Rio Grande, IU Kokomo, and Oakland City all honored. Rio Grande's Laura Hamm was the Track Athlete of the Year, as the sophomore won gold in the 800m run, 1000m run, and mile run, as well as silver in the 600m run.
The Field Athlete of the Year was IU Kokomo's Sydney Duncan, who swept through the shot put and weight throw with a pair of meet records. The Newcomer of the Year was Oakland City's Emily Martig, a gold medalist in both the 55m dash and the long jump.
Athletes from around the conference will now turn their attention to the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships, held again this year in Gainesville, Florida. Qualifying athletes will be announced in the coming week, with action in Alachua County, Florida set to begin on March 5 and continue through March 7.
2026 River States Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Awards
Track Athlete of the Year- Laura Hamm, Rio Grande
Field Athlete of the Year- Sydney Duncan, IU Kokomo
Newcomer of the Year- Emily Martig, Oakland City
Coach of the Year- Dom Hudson, IU East
Champions of Character:
Kaitlyn Orange, Brescia
Grace Barkes, IU Columbia
Samantha Fowler, IU East
Leslie Sprankles, IU Kokomo
Alexandria Williams, Kentucky Christian
Tanisha English, Oakland City
Malene Obermayer, Midway
Marley Kreischer, Rio Grande
Callee Riggle, St. Mary-of-the-Woods
Jaina Bailey, Shawnee State
Nevaeh Wooding, WVU Tech