CLEVELAND, OH – The 2026 NCAC Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held Friday-Saturday, Feb. 27-28 at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. The Ohio Wesleyan women, who are seeking their league-leading 17th NCAC title and first since 2020, and the John Carroll men, who are aiming for their first championship crown, were selected as the favorites heading into this year's meet based on pre-championship balloting by the league coaches.
 
In the men's poll, John Carroll was picked as the preseason favorite, totaling 77 points and six of the nine first-place votes. Wittenberg followed closely in second with 70 points and three first-place votes. Wabash claimed third with 69 points, followed by Ohio Wesleyan in fourth with 53. DePauw took fifth with 46 points, while Oberlin (31) edged Kenyon (30) to place sixth and seventh, respectively, and Denison (20) and Wooster (9) rounded out the nine-team field.
 
John Carroll enters the conference championship positioned to contend at the top of the team standings. Under the guidance of second-year head coach Daniel Tutskey, the Blue Streaks return a mix of experienced veterans and emerging first-year and sophomore contributors, highlighted by top-five NCAC performances in 14 different events across the program's sprint, hurdle, mid-distance, distance, relay, and field groups.

• John Carroll owns multiple top-five marks in the 60-meter dash, led by first-year Isaiah Travlee (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights), who ranks second in the NCAC with a time of 6.92.
• The Blue Streaks hold six top-four times in the 200-, 400- and 800-meter dashes, led by senior Basheer Alramahi (Westlake, OH/Westlake), who anchors JCU with the conference's top time in both the 400 (47.31) and 800 (1:50.72) and second-fastest time in the 200 (21.69).
• John Carroll has two top-five times in the mile, led by sophomore Sam Su (Akron, OH/Woodridge), who tops the league with a 4:08.55. Distance strength continues in the 3,000-meter run, where the Blue Streaks hold two of the conference's top three marks, including Su's NCAC-best 8:27.15.
• Sophomore Joey Naiman (Tallmadge, OH/Tallmadge) ranks second in the NCAC in the 5,000-meter run, recording a top-five time of 15:19.97.
• The Blue Streaks have also made an impact in the relays, posting the conference's quickest time in the 4x400 relay at 3:12.91 and the fourth-fastest performance in the distance medley relay at 10:49.80.
• Field event success is highlighted in the high jump, where sophomore Julius Kimbrough (Canton, OH/Canton South) helps John Carroll hold two of the NCAC's top three heights, clearing 1.95 meters. Kimbrough also ranks fourth in the long jump, giving the Blue Streaks another top-five conference mark with a leap of 6.81 meters.
• In the triple jump, JCU has two top-five marks, led by sophomore Jordan Rodman (Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius), who ranks second with a jump of 14.37 meters.
• First-year Cole Mayer (Amherst/Amherst, OH) leads the Blue Streaks in the shot put, recording the NCAC's fourth-best throw at 14.72 meters.
• John Carroll closes out its top-five field marks in the weight throw, where junior Moose Frombach (Avon, OH/Avon) ranks third in the conference with a toss of 16.28 meters.

In the women's poll, it was a tight race at the top as Ohio Wesleyan outpaced John Carroll, 60-59, for first, as the two teams evenly split the eight first-place votes. DePauw finished third with 49 points, followed by Wittenberg in fourth with 40. Denison (31) took fifth, while Kenyon (25), Oberlin (16) and Wooster (8) completed the eight-team field.

Ohio Wesleyan, showcasing strength across a wide range of disciplines, heads into the conference championship positioned to challenge for another league crown. Fueled by strong showings from experienced returners and emerging first- and second-year competitors, the Battling Bishops own at least one top-five NCAC mark in 14 events spanning the sprints, hurdles, middle- and long-distance events, relays, and field events.

• Ohio Wesleyan holds two top-three conference marks in the 60-meter dash, led by first-year Alaina Nathan (Houston, TX/Eisenhower), who ranks second in the NCAC with a time of 7.78.
• Sophomore Katherine Dortmund (Westerville, OH/Columbus St. Francis DeSales) paces the Bishops in the 200-meter dash with the conference's third-fastest time of 25.64, while Ohio Wesleyan also owns the No. 4 mark in the event. Dortmund also headlines OWU's efforts in the 60-meter hurdles, posting the NCAC's second-best time at 8.76.
• A top-five NCAC performance in the 400-meter dash belongs to first-year Kaylee Lusk (Canal Fulton, OH), who has clocked the conference's fifth-fastest time at 59.20.
• Junior Brianna Montgomery (Gibsonburg, OH/Gibsonburg) has delivered a top-five conference mark in the 800-meter run, recording a time of 2:17.77.
• Ohio Wesleyan has a top-five presence in the mile, as junior Zoe Ward (Columbus, OH/Worthington Christian) has the fifth-fastest time in the conference at 5:03.43. Ward also anchors OWU in the 3,000-meter run, as the team owns the No. 3 and 4 marks, highlighted by her 10:10.00.
• The Bishops' depth in the distance events continues the 5,000-meter run with junior Sophie Cotts (Granville, OH/Granville) owning the NCAC's third-best time at 17:50.54.
• Ohio Wesleyan has established itself as one of the NCAC's top relay programs, posting the conference's fastest time in the 4x200 relay (1:42.80), the second-best mark in the distance medley relay (12:05.51), and the third-fastest time in the 4x400 relay (4:00.90).
• Field event depth is evident in the high jump, where first-year Layla Bauknecht (Galena, OH) and sophomores Hailey Harris (Wadsworth, OH/Wadsworth (West Liberty)) and Niyah Shipman (North Robinson, OH/Colonel Crawford) are tied for the NCAC's third-best mark at 1.54 meters.
• The Bishops also hold multiple top-five conference marks in the pole vault, led by junior Adie Beck (Wadsworth, OH/Wadsworth), who ranks second with a clearance of 3.47 meters.
• Ohio Wesleyan's strongest field performance to date has come in the weight throw, where the Battling Bishops boast two top-five marks, highlighted by sophomore Jera Hoy (Radnor, OH/Buckeye Valley), who leads the NCAC with a conference-best throw of 14.27 meters.

 

2026 NCAC Indoor Track & Field Pre-Championship Coaches Polls
WOMEN				MEN
Rank	School (1st place votes)	Points		Rank	School (1st place votes)	Points
1	Ohio Wesleyan (4)	60		1	John Carroll (6)	77
2	John Carroll (4)	59		2	Wittenberg (3)	70
3	DePauw	49		3	Wabash	69
4	Wittenberg	40		4	Ohio Wesleyan	53
5	Denison	31		5	DePauw	46
6	Kenyon	25		6	Oberlin	31
7	Oberlin	16		7	Kenyon	30
8	Wooster	8		8	Denison	20
				9	Wooster	9