Women's Track and Field | 5/2/2026 8:39:28 PM
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Entering the 2025-26 school year, the track program at Indiana University East had never won a conference championship.
Nine months later, the Red Wolf women completed a sweep, as IU East won the 2026 River States Conference Outdoor Track and Field title to follow up their indoor victory in February. The Red Wolves led for the majority of the two-day event held on the campus of the University of Rio Grande, finishing 38 points clear of the field with 210 points.
Host Rio Grande finished second with 172 points, while Midway University earned a third place finish with 128.5 points. As he did during the indoor season, IU East head coach Dom Hudson was honored by his peers as the 2026 RSC Coach of the Year.
IU East's victory in Rio Grande was marked by consistency - the Red Wolves only emerged from the conference meet with two individual gold medals - both of which were earned by the same athlete. Vanessa Temple took the top spot in the triple jump, going 1-2 with teammate Naleya Kinney. She then added a win in the 400 meter hurdles, logging a personal best time of 1:02.92.
Despite winning just two gold medals, the Red Wolves were a consistent presence on the podium, with an IU East athlete in the top three of 12 of the 19 individual events. Where the Red Wolves clinched their title was in the relays - IU East swept the three relay races, winning in the 4x100, 4x400, and 4x800 races. IU East's time in the 4x800 meter race moved into the top 25 in the nation.
The top thrower in the nation showed why this weekend, as IU Kokomo's Sydney Duncan earned three gold medals and RSC Field Athlete of the Year honors. Duncan swept the discus, hammer throw, and shot put, with her throw of 16.01 meters in the shot put the new top mark in the nation. Brescia's Caroline Lucas won both Track Athlete and Newcomer of the Year honors, as the freshman swept the 100 and 200 meter races. She also finished third in the long jump and helped Brescia to second place in the 4x400 meter relay.
Additionally, the RSC is also proud to announce the athletes recognized as their program's Champion of Character. Each team in each River States Conference sponsored sport is asked to nominate one athlete as their Champion of Character. These student-athletes best represent the NAIA’s Champions of Character program and its five core values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Servant Leadership and Sportsmanship.
Following a number of last chance events, athletes from around the conference will turn their attention to the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held this year at the Karl Straus Track in Asheville, North Carolina. Qualifying athletes will be announced later this month, with action in the Tar Heel State set to begin on May 20 and continue through May 22.
2026 River States Conference Women's Outdoor Track and Field Awards
Track Athlete of the Year- Caroline Lucas, Brescia
Field Athlete of the Year- Sydney Duncan, IU Kokomo
Newcomer of the Year- Caroline Lucas, Brescia
Coach of the Year- Dom Hudson, IU East
Champions of Character
Kaitlyn Orange, Brescia
Alexandria Saavedra, IU Columbus
Hunter Gardner, IU East
Mia Castillo, IU Kokomo
Hadleigh McGoskey, Kentucky Christian
Dayanna Brito, Oakland City
Maddi Reed, Midway
Hannah Henderson, Rio Grande
Lauren Majors, SMWC
Beth Middleton, Shawnee State
Rebecca Lorincz, WVU Tech