Grove City Tapped as Favorite to Win Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship

PAC to hold Championships at Youngstown State University Thursday

2026 PAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Pre-Championships Poll
2026 PAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Pre-Championships Poll

Women's Indoor Track and Field | 2/25/2026 11:00:00 AM

TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - The 2026 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships will be once again hosted at Youngstown State University’s Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS) on Thursday, Feb. 26th, and the conference posted its women's indoor track and field pre-championships coaches' polls and athletes to watch Wednesday.

Field events will begin at 10:30 a.m. Track events will get underway at approximately 3 p.m.

Admission to Thursday's PAC Championship is $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID/children ages 5-12 (current college, high school, grade school IDs must be valid and shown upon request. Children under 5 are free. There will also be a $5 parking fee for spectators. Youngstown State Campus Map/Parking Areas

Spectators must remain outside of the track and the infield to observe the meet. At no time are spectators allowed on the track lanes or infield. Please use the bleachers. All non-competing student-athletes are asked to remain in the designated roped off area.

Defending champion Grove City College was selected as the favorite in the pre-championships coaches poll, collecting nine first-place votes and 119 points. Geneva College earned the other three first-place votes and totaled 112 points, followed by Washington & Jefferson College in third place (100), Allegheny College in fourth (81) and Westminster College in fifth (77). Full poll results can be seen below.

Grove City won six events and amassed 148 points to earn the 2025 PAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship, the program's third conference crown in the 10 years the PAC has held indoor track and field championships. The Wolverines finished 28 points ahead of Westminster, who had 120, while Allegheny posted 112 points to place third. Following in fourth was Chatham University with 54 points, while Geneva had 45 to take fifth and sixth place was a tie between Franciscan University and Saint Vincent College with 38 points.


After leading the Wolverines to the league crown, Grove City head coach Jessica (Cooper) Ray was voted as the PAC Coach of the Year. 

The only major award winner returning from last year is also the only returning individual event champion. Grove City sophomore Kiara White was recognized as last year's PAC Newcomer of the Year after winning a pair of sprints. She was the top seed following the prelims in the 60 with a time of 7.88 seconds, then bettered that by racing to a finals time of 7.86 seconds to take first. Later in the meet, White added a first place in the 200 to her day by breaking the tape in the 25.64 seconds.


Every other individual event winner from 2025 is not competing this year, so there will be many new faces at the top of the podium Thursday. Entering into this year's PAC Championships, White also highlights the list of three athletes who enter Thursday seeded first in multiple events on the current PAC Performance List. White is the top seed in the 60 (7.91 seconds) and 200 (25.74) and also runs on Grove City's top-ranked 4x400 relay (4:03.89).

In the distance events, Geneva senior Hailey Carroll has the top times in the 800 (2:18.38) and Mile (4:53.87) and W&J senior Claire Anderson has the PAC's fastest finishes in the 3,000 (9:41.89) and 5,000 (16:48.20).

Competing at the PAC Indoor Championships for the first time ever after rejoining the PAC from the North Coast Athletic Conference, Hiram College has four athletes ranked first in their respective events. That includes junior Trezure Bates in the 60 hurdles (9.29); senior Karalyn Rutkowski in the high jump (1.63m/5-4.25); junior Samantha Volpe in the shot put (12.92m/42-4.75); and freshman Angelina Weems in the weight throw (15.37m/50-5.25). 

At the conclusion of Thursday’s championships, the PAC will recognize its team champions, as well the event's Most Outstanding Performers (overall, track, field), Newcomers of the Year, Coaches of the Year and Sportsmanship Team honorees.

The NCAA Division III Championships are scheduled for Friday-Saturday, March 13-14 and will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.

Division III National Qualifiers
For each woman’s individual event contested (including the pentathlon), the top 20 declared student-athletes will be accepted into the competition. For each relay event contested, the top 12 declared teams will be accepted into the competition.

(Current Division III Qualifying Lists)
 
2025-26 PAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Pre-Championships Coaches' Poll
School (first-place votes) Points
1. Grove City (9) 119
2. Geneva (3) 112
3. W&J 100
4. Allegheny 81
5. Westminster 77
6. Saint Vincent 70
7. Hiram 68
8. Waynesburg 52
9. Franciscan 45
10. Bethany 35
11. Chatham 20
12. Thiel 13


2026 PAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Athletes to Watch
Allegheny
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Angie Bawek Jr. Throws Goodyear, Ariz./Estrella Foothills
Evie Ellenberger So. Jumps/Sprints Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
Corrine Inkley Jr. Pole Vault Randolph, N.Y./Randolph Central
Aubryanna Snyder Jr. Jumps/Sprints Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell
 
Bethany
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Madison Donelson Jr. Sprints Lanham, Md./Annapolis
Makenna Philson Sr. Throws Greenville, Pa./Greenville
 
Chatham
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Eliana Borne Fr. Mid-Distance Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills
Najiyah Smith So. Jumps Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area
Sarah Yannayon Jr. Throws Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth
 
Franciscan
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Lauren Dosch Jr. Mid-Distance Grand Forks, N.D./Red River
Emily Maag So. Distance Cleona, Pa./Annville Cleona
Maria McInnis So. Sprints/Jumps Bloomingdale, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson
Teresa Meli Jr. Distance Tallahassee, Fla./Homeschooled
   
Geneva
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Daphne Alexander Jr. Jumps/Hurdles Millersburg, Ohio/West Holmes
Hailey Carroll Sr. Distance Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap
Carmen Medvit Sr. Distance New Castle, Pa./Shenango
Sara Vos So. Sprints Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian
 
Grove City
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Lucy Gyergyo So. Hurdles/Jumps Wexford, Pa./Eden Christian
Nadine Lauffer So. Sprints New Castle, Pa.
Julianna Lindberg So. Mid-Distance Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central
Kiara White So. Sprints Perkiomenville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley
 
Hiram
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Trezure Bates Jr. Sprints/Hurdler Alamogordo, N.M./Alamogordo
Karalyn Rutkowski Sr. Jumps Middlefield, Ohio/Cardinal
Samantha Volpe Jr. Throws Concord, Ohio/Riverside
Angelina Weems Fr. Throws Warren, Ohio/Howland
 
Saint Vincent
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Gabby Dove So. Sprints Swarthmore, Pa./Archmere Academy
Grace Neubert So. Distance Saint Marys, Pa./Elk County Catholic
 
Thiel
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Cydney Wierzbowski Jr. Throws Derry, Pa./Derry
 
W&J
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Claire Anderson Sr. Distance Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown
Maria Gilles Sr. Distance North Ridgeville, Ohio/Lake Ridge Academy
Chloe LoCastro Sr. Distance  Venetia, Pa./Peters Township
Sarah Schneider Sr. Hurdles/Sprints/Jumps Warren, Ohio/Lordstown
 
Waynesburg
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Daniella Holley Fr. Jumps/Hurdles Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat
Ella Rishell Jr. Jumps/Sprints Montgomery County, Md./Watkins Mill
Adaire Settles Fr. Sprints/Jumps Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan
Grace Tanksley Sr. Distance Bedford, Ind./Bedford North Lawrence
 
Westminster
Name Yr. Events Hometown/High School
Grace Iwig So. Pole Vault/Jumps Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield
Shelby Rambo Sr. Throws/Hurdles East Palestine, Ohio/Crestview
Aubrey Rock Fr. Pole Vault Butler, Pa./Butler
Jenna Zendron Jr. Sprints West Sunbury, Pa./Moniteau