Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
 
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (April 15, 2026) – North Central College women's track and field sophomore Alivia Henkel was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Track Student-Athlete of the Week following an exceptional 400-meter hurdle win at last weekend's Chicagoland Outdoor Championships.
 
Henkel earns the first weekly honor of her career and the second for the Cardinals this outdoor season, joining Gwen Berenyi, who received field honors on April 1.

Henkel posted a winning time of 1:01.23 in the 400m hurdles, finishing nearly four seconds ahead of the next competitor. Her mark is the third fastest in North Central history and sits fifth in Division III this season. She also contributed a sub-57-second opening leg to the Cardinals' runner-up 4x400-meter relay team, which clocked a time of 3:53.92 to rank among the top 25 nationally.

Henkel's 400m hurdles and 4-by400m relay times both lead the CCIW this season. The relay holds an eight-second advantage over the next-best conference mark, while Henkel leads the 400m hurdles by five seconds.

North Central is set to travel to Rock Island, Ill. Friday and Saturday, April 17-18 for the Meet of Champions hosted by Augustana College.