MANKATO, MN – For the second consecutive year, the 20^th ranked University of Mary women's track and field team placed 2^nd at the NSIC Championships. On the second day, two meet records (that were already held by UMary) were broken.

The day got off to a unique start with Alyssa Becker participating in the mile. At the very beginning of the race, the back of Becker's right foot was stepped on and her shoe came off. Running with just one shoe the rest of the way, Becker managed to place 3^rd in the race with a time of 4:58.60.

Both shoes stayed on for Becker in the 3000m run, which she won with a two second cushion. It was Becker's second win of the weekend and secured her status as the leading point getter in the entire NSIC women's track and field championships. Andrijana Fundak set a personal record in the event with a 10:06.77, placing 5^th.

Jerrica Pachl looked excellent in the high jump, setting a PR with a 1.68m height and no faults. She finished in a tie for 3^rd in the finals.

Also in a field event was Taylor Weidner in the triple jump. She dramatically improved her personal best in the event with a 12.00m jump. The senior's previous best was 11.45m. Weidner placed 5^th in the event.

Tia Horning was the only non-Minnesota State competitor in the 60m hurdles finals. She placed 7^th with a time of 7.60.

Sakena Massiah placed 4^th in the 400m with a time of 55.67, but her biggest contribution to the team would come later in the day. Freshman Tayen Werner followed in 6^th place at 56.50.

A trio of Marauders placed in the 600m dash with Morgan Hertz leading the way at 1:36.34 in 3^rd place. Kelescia Downes was two spots behind her at 1:37.07. In 7^th place was Bernadette Belzer with a 1:39.39.

The first win of the day came from Laila Cleare in the 60m dash. Her excellent season continued with a victorious 7.41 time in the finals, a year after placing 8^th in the event.

Cleare also participated in the 200m dash, placing 2^nd by just 0.9 seconds at 24.39, narrowly missing her second title of the day. Tionce Walrond was 4^th in the event at 24.52

Elizabeth Acheson followed Cleare with a win of her own in the 800m run. The NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year finished with a time of 2:09.77, breaking her own meet record. Across indoor and outdoor competition, it is Acheson's 6^th conference title.

The 4x400m relay concluded competition in a fascinating way, with the team of Tayen Werner, Morgan Hertz, Tionce Walrond and Sakena Massiah taking home the victory. Heading into the final leg trailing the nationally 5^th-ranked relay squad of Minnesota State by two seconds, Massiah found another gear and closed the gap to complete an incredible comeback.

The win is UMary's first NSIC title in the event since 2019. The time of 3:47.29 also set a new record for the meet, which was previously held by UMary's 2017 relay team.

The full results from the NSIC Championships can be found here with the final team standings below:

Minnesota State University – 272
University of Mary – 133
Augustana University – 77
University of Sioux Falls – 73
Northern State University – 53
Winona State University – 37
University of Minnesota Duluth – 30
Southwest Minnesota State University – 21
MSU Moorhead – 20
Concordia University, St. Paul – 12
Bemidji State University – 7
Wayne State College – 4

Up next for the Marauders will be a trip to Indianapolis, IN, for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The indoor season will conclude at the Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds from March 13-15.

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