Women's track races at Wheaton College in the rain

Mark Black

Women's Track and Field 3/31/2026 9:20:00 PM

Seven Event Wins Highlight Women’s Track & Field Midweek Meet

Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communications, 630-637-5302

WHEATON, Ill. (March 31, 2026) - Facing windy, rainy conditions after forecasted weather moved the Wheaton Invitational up two days, the North Central College women's track and field team adapted well to the early-week meet on Tuesday. The Cardinals came away with seven event victories and a number of strong performances as they continued to build momentum in the outdoor season.

Gwen Berenyi picked up the pole vault win with a first attempt clearance at 3.70 meters (12'.50"). Caroline Kuttner had another strong day at pole vault, finishing third overall while jumping clean through 3.50m (11'5.75").

In the triple jump, Julia Kelly snagged the win with an 11.16m (36'7.50") leap with Leona Agyemang (10.38m, 34'0.75") and Zainab Maiyaki (10.15m, 33'3.75") claimed second and third place, respectively. Abranet Layne tied for the long jump win with a 4.92m (16'1.75") jump.

Earning a win in the hammer throw was Yakyra Wilder, who tossed a personal best of 44.65m (146'6") to lead the field. Aryana Smith and Sophia Sarno each recorded personal bests, with Smith's 36.91m (121'1") good for fourth while Sarno's 36.20m (118'9") rounded out the top five finishes.

Jillian Beneke secured the win in the javelin by a significant margin, throwing a 31.38m (102'11") mark to lead the field. Kaylie Conklin was second with a 25.75m (84'5") toss and Aryana Smith closed out the top five with a 17.40m (57'1") mark.

Karley Galowitz earned a second-place finish in the shot put with a 10.62m (34'10.25") mark on her first throw of the day. Mackenzie Conklin was third with a 10.18m (33'4.75") toss and Wilder finished fifth with a 9.58m (31'5.25") throw. Wilder also posted a fourth-place finish in the discus with a season best throw of 32.97m (108'2") and Sarno finished fifth with a personal best of 30.75m (100'10").

Charlotte Rossi claimed her first-ever outdoor event win in the 400m hurdles with a season best time of 1:09.10. Rossi also posted a third-place finish in the 100m hurdles, turning in a time of 16.74 seconds with Nicole Luken finishing fourth in a personal best time of 17.28 seconds.

North Central swept the top five spots in the 5,000m run with Dylan Moeller leading the way with an 18:35.29 time. Brianna Ruiz was second in 18:55.15 followed by Molly Sheridan in third in 19:08.29. Segi Smith-Pariola net a personal best performance of 19:13.84 to finish fourth while Yarecci Salmeron rounded out the top five with a time of 19:16.86.
Cire Smith notched a runner-up finish in the 400-meter dash after running a 1:00.94 time. Ellie Logsdon earned a top-five place finish in fourth with a 1:02.59 effort.

Running just the second 100m dash of her collegiate career, Alivia Henkel turned in an impressive 12.50-second run to finish fourth in the field. She also had a big improvement in the 200m dash, clocking a 25.60-second run to finish third in the event. The time ranks just outside the program's top-10 list.

North Central is set to compete in the Chicagoland Outdoor Championships in Elmhurst, Illinois next Thursday-Saturday, April 9-11. Elmhurst University will serve as meet host.

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Players Mentioned

Gwen Berenyi: Pole Vault; Junior

Zainab Maiyaki: Jumps; Junior

Segi Smith-Pariola: Distance; Sophomore

Leona Agyemang: Sprints/Jumps; Freshman

Jillian Beneke: Pole Vault; Freshman

Karley Galowitz: Throws; Freshman

Alivia Henkel: Sprints/Hurdles; Freshman

Abranet Layne: Junior

Nicole Luken: Freshman

Charlotte Rossi: Hurdles; Freshman

Brianna Ruiz: Freshman

Kaylie Conklin: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Gwen Berenyi
: Junior
: Pole Vault

Zainab Maiyaki
: Junior
: Jumps

Segi Smith-Pariola
: Sophomore
: Distance

Leona Agyemang
: Freshman
: Sprints/Jumps

Jillian Beneke
: Freshman
: Pole Vault

Karley Galowitz
: Freshman
: Throws

Alivia Henkel
: Freshman
: Sprints/Hurdles

Abranet Layne
: Junior

Nicole Luken
: Freshman

Charlotte Rossi
: Freshman
: Hurdles

Brianna Ruiz
: Freshman

Kaylie Conklin
: Freshman

North Central College Cardinals

North Central College Cardinals

Seven Event Wins Highlight Women’s Track & Field Midweek Meet

Players Mentioned

Gwen Berenyi

Zainab Maiyaki

Segi Smith-Pariola

Leona Agyemang

Jillian Beneke

Karley Galowitz

Alivia Henkel

Abranet Layne

Nicole Luken

Charlotte Rossi

Brianna Ruiz

Kaylie Conklin

Players Mentioned

Gwen Berenyi

Zainab Maiyaki

Segi Smith-Pariola

Leona Agyemang

Jillian Beneke

Karley Galowitz

Alivia Henkel

Abranet Layne

Nicole Luken

Charlotte Rossi

Brianna Ruiz

Kaylie Conklin

Program Highlights