FARGO, ND – University of Mary men's and women's track and field will be sending a smaller fleet of 21 athletes to compete at the Bison Open on Feb. 6 and 7 in Fargo, ND. The meet is hosted by North Dakota State University.

UMary is one of five Northern Sun teams competing at the meet, with Bemidji State, Jamestown, MSU Moorhead, and Minot State joining the Marauders.

Live results can be found here.

LAST TIME OUT
UMary had an impressive showing at the UND Open last weekend in the team's first road meet. Kenny Moxey Jr. won the Heptathlon with a school record of 5,079, winning the 60m Hurdles, Long Jump, and Shot Put legs of the event. Jack Koppelsloen earned his second consecutive victory in the 600m, clocking in at 1:23.00.

The women's team collected wins from Tayen Werner in the 400m with a school record of 54.49, and Faith Jepchumba in the 5000m at 17:58.56.

SCHOOL RECORDS
In his first-ever race with the Marauders at the Mike Thorson Alumni Classic, Nathan Andrews won the 600m Dash and set a school record in the process. His time of 1:19.94 beat the previous mark by over a second. The prior record was set by Osvaldo Cano last year at 1:21.02.

Gideon Hammah broke a long-standing school record in the 1000m in his season debut at the Marauders 2026 Indoor Opener. The sophomore's time of 2:27.81 broke Mario Czarnomski's record of 2:30.21 that had stood since 2005.

Non-NCAA event records were also set at the meet in the 150m by Mark DeArmond (16.78) and Kendall Berg (19.17). The men's 4x300m Relay team of Preston Lemar, Emanuel Latawiec, Dawson Hawkinson, and Ryan Koberoski finished with a time of 2:28.22. The women's 4x300m Relay team of Mya Nishimura, Grace Brandt, Bernadette Belzer, and Tayen Werner cross the finish line at 2:48.85.

Several records fell for the Marauders at the UND Open at the end of January. Gideon Hammah broke his own record in the Mile by four seconds, cutting his time to 4:08.95. Tayen Werner earned her first individual school record with a 54.49 in the 400m, breaking Sakena Massiah's record that was set last season. Kenny Moxey Jr. was sensational in the Heptathlon, becoming the first Marauder in program history to surpass 5,000 points with a total of 5,079.

Non-NCAA event records were set in the Indoor Discus by Sean Erickson (50.82m) and Siena Lambert (40.78m).

NATIONAL STANDINGS
Here is where the Marauders' NCAA qualifying athletes currently stand in Division II:

Tionce Walrond (200m) – 5th (24.15)
Tayen Werner (400m) – 6th (54.49)
Kenny Moxey Jr. (Heptathlon) – 9th (5,079)
Laila Cleare (60m) – 12th (7.48)
Kate Van Erp, Tionce Walrond, Kelescia Downes, Tayen Werner (4x400m) – 15th (3:48.06)
Anna Bruno (Long Jump) – 23rd (5.90m)
Tayen Werner (200m) – 26th (24.54)
Kelescia Downes (400m) – 27th (55.92)
Gabriella Apelian, Kelescia Downes, Kate Van Erp, Tayen Werner (4x400m) – 29th (3:50.66)
Lucas Kupfer (High Jump) – 34th (2.04m)
Colby Fleck, Xavier Ifill, Ryan Koberoski, Nathan Andrews (4x400m) – 39th (3:15.48)

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Tionce Walrond was named the NSIC Track Athlete of the Week in the conference's first release of the weekly honors. Her time of 24.15 in the 200m at the Mike Thorson Alumni Classic ranks as the 2nd in the nation currently. Walrond also set a PR in the 400m with a 58.52, placing 3^rd. It is the third time the junior has been named the conference's athlete of the week.

Prior to Christmas break, UMary had three athletes named NSIC Athlete of the Week. Tayen Werner (track) and Anna Bruno (field) swept the women's awards for the first time since 2021. Werner had wins in the 400m and 4x400m and scored the 5^th best time in the nation in the 400m. Bruno won the long jump with a top-10 national distance of 5.90m. On the men's side, freshman Colby Fleck was named the conference's Track Athlete of the Week following a 60m PR of 6.87 that ranks 3^rd in the conference. He also was victorious as part of the 4x400m that is 13^th in the nation.

Tayen Werner was named the NSIC Athlete of the Week for the third time in her career after a victory in the 400m at the UND Open. She currently ranks 6^th in the nation in the event and has the best time in the NSIC. Werner was also a member of the 4x400m Relay that placed 3^rd and is now 15^th in the nation.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
The UMary women's track and field team is currently 24^th in the USTFCCCA TFRI rankings after appearing in 23^rd in the first poll.

PRESEASON POLLS
Both the men's and women's track and field teams were picked to finish 2^nd in the Northern Sun Preseason Coaches' Poll. For the women, this is their second consecutive year in the spot. On the men's side, it is the first time since 2019 that they have been picked 2^nd.

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