Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communications, 630-637-5302
March 27-28, 2026 - The North Central College women's track and field team turned in a well-rounded performance across two days of competition at the First Chance Invitational and Distance Fling on the Jay & Dot Buikema Track inside Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
Friday night's action was highlighted by a second-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase by freshman Dylan Moeller. Competing in the first steeplechase of her career, Moeller clocked an 11:33.36, less than two seconds off the freshman record, and now ranks 10th in program history. Brianna Ruiz finished sixth in 12:01.87, while Molly Sheridan placed 10th in 12:39.18. Lily Anderson added a strong distance performance with a personal-best 38:41.05 in the 10,000m to place seventh overall.
The Cardinals' throwers delivered several top finishes, led by
Yakyra Wilder's runner-up mark in the hammer throw at 43.22m (141'9"). In the javelin,
Isabella Valentin also secured a second-place finish with a throw of 35.49m (116'5"), while
Jillian Beneke (32.91m, 108'0") placed fourth, Abigail Davidson (30.56m, 100'3") took sixth, and
Kaylie Conklin (26.50m, 86'11") finished ninth.
Mackenzie Conklin added an eighth-place finish in the discus with a 31.46m (103'2.50") throw. In the shot put,
Karley Galowitz placed eighth with a mark of 10.91m (35'9.50"), followed closely by Wilder in ninth at 10.68m (35'0.50").
Saturday began with a win in the 4x100m relay, as Cali Minkie, Alivia Henkel, Zara Uvakova, and Elianna Keyes combined for a 48.47 finish. The 4x800m relay team of Giselle Alcala, Yarecci Salmeron, Kamryn Neer, and Arielle Manas followed with a second-place effort of 10:49.00.
Valentin continued her strong weekend on day two, placing third in the 100m hurdles with a personal-best time of 15.79. In her collegiate debut in the event, Julia Kelly finished fifth in 16.07, while Charlotte Rossi placed ninth in 16.43. In the 400m hurdles, Valentin took second in 1:09.75, Rossi added a fifth-place finish in 1:11.35, and Gabrielle Gangloff placed 10th in 1:26.53.
In sprint action, Uvakova led the Cardinals in the 100m dash with a fourth-place finish in 12.98, while Keyes (13.09) and Nicole Luken (13.11) placed ninth and 10th, respectively. Zoe Ulaszek paced the team in the 200m dash, finishing sixth in 26.84, while Luken and Ellie Logsden tied for ninth at 27.30.
North Central dominated the 400m dash, placing four athletes in the top 10. Henkel led the way with a winning time of 57.58, a personal best that ties for sixth in program history. Minkie followed as runner-up in 59.12, with Ulaszek (1:01.34) in seventh and Betty Tsoutsas (1:02.39) in ninth.
In middle-distance action, Cire Smith claimed victory in the 800m with a time of 2:21.99 in a 45-runner field. Moeller added a third-place finish in 2:23.03, while Ruiz placed ninth in 2:30.64.
In the field events, Lucia Sanchez Scriven placed second in the long jump with a mark of 5.28m (17'4"), followed by Aaliyah Rodriguez in third (5.20m, 17'0.75") and Kelly in fourth (5.17m, 16'11.50"). Conklin added a seventh-place finish in her collegiate debut with a jump of 5.00m (16'4.75"). In the triple jump, Zainab Maiyaki secured third place with a leap of 10.73m (35'2.50").
The Cardinals swept the top two spots in the pole vault, with Gwen Berenyi winning the event with a 3.97m (13'0.50") clearance and Caroline Kuttner finishing second at 3.67m (12'0.50"). Lily Wintergest placed fifth with a clearance of 3.22m (10'6.75"). In the high jump, Hannah Galletti cleared 1.44m (4'8.75") to tie for ninth, capping off a strong weekend for North Central across all event groups.
North Central continues its start to the outdoor season with a quick turnaround as the Wheaton College Invitational has been moved up from Thursday to next Tuesday, March 31.
