Taylor Track and Field Ready to Compete at the NAIA National Championships

Women's Championships Central | Men's Championships Central

MARION, Ind. – The Taylor men's and women's outdoor track and field teams are set to begin competition in the NAIA National Championships beginning Wednesday, May 21.

For the women's team, ten athletes are ready to compete, with Jaynie Halterman highlighting the group in a pair of long-distance events.

The freshman phenom is looking to cap an incredible debut collegiate season in her final athletic competition. Halterman is seeded first in the 5,000-meters and third in the 10,000-meters as the Thompson's Station, Tennessee native takes the track, holding the program record in both events.

Another trio of athletes will compete in multiple events, as Noel VanderWall, Abby Mays, and Addie Draper are joined by Emersyn Funk and Kaitlin Burden on the 4x800-meter relay team. VanderWall will race at the NAIA National Championships in the 1,500-meters for a second-consecutive season after being an All-American in the event with a sixth-place finish a year ago. Mays also competed at the NAIA National Championships in 2024, finishing 17th in the 800-meters, as she will look to improve this time around. Draper will join Mays in the 800-meters in her debut at the NAIA National Championships.

Kiana Siefert is the lone Trojan to qualify in the field, competing in the long jump in back-to-back seasons after narrowly missing the finals in the event a year ago, placing tenth.

Audrey Brinkruff is back at the NAIA National Championships in her senior season. After competing in the 5,000-meters a season ago, Brinkruff will take the track in the steeplechase in 2025.

Claire Bailey and Sam Patterson round out the competitors for the women, with Bailey competing in the 400-meter hurdles and Patterson joining Halterman in the 10,000-meters, after the sophomore finished 24th in the 5,000-meters in 2024.

On the men's side, six athletes are set to complete, headlined by the distance duo of Luke Harber and Ryan Hanak.

Harber and Hanak finished first and third, respectively, at the Crossroads League Championships in the 5,000 meters. Seeded 10th and 15th headed into the event at Nationals, the juniors look to build off their National Championship experience from the indoor season. Prelims for the 5,000 meters are set for 7:35 p.m. Thursday.

Meanwhile, three Trojans are slated to compete on Wednesday afternoon, beginning with Joel Mumaw in the 1,500 meters at 4:10 p.m. Mumaw snuck into the Championship field after hitting the B Standard at the Saint Francis Fighting Chance Meet with a personal-best 3:51.51.

Senior Braden Bixler earned his spot in the 400-meter hurdles outdoor championship, also coming off a personal-best, B-Standard showing at the CL Championships.

Returning NAIA Outdoor Championship participant Jared Stayte closes the Trojans' events on Wednesday in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Seeded 11th, Stayte has improved his top time in the race by nearly 11 seconds since 2024.

NAIA Nationals-regular Josh Forbes hopes to cap the 2025 season with a bang on Friday in the pole vault. Though the junior is seeded 12th, Forbes has two total top-five finishes at previous NAIA Nationals, and he is making his sixth overall appearance as a pole vaulter between the Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

Fans can access the NAIA's free webcast, live results, full events schedule and more by visiting the Taylor Outdoor Track and Field National Championships Central at the links provided above.