Meet Recap: 2024 NAIA Indoor T&F Championships

Champions were crowned at the 2024 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships!

The meet was held at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, South Dakota, for the fifth time in the past six years.

From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: Meets & Results | USTFCCCA Scoreboard
Related: National Championships Central

Men’s Recap

Cumberlands (Ky.) made sure no other men’s team had a chance.

The top-ranked Patriots lived up to their billing as they put up 21 points on Day 1 and cruised the rest of the way to their first team title in program history. Cumberlands (Ky.) finished with 80 points, nearly twice as many as its closest pursuer in Brookings, South Dakota.

How did the Patriots score 21 points on the Day 1? Well, Cumberlands (Ky.) went 1-3-4 in the 3000-meter race walk thanks to the trio of champion Dillan Melchiore (12:56.89 PR), Cole Bennett (third place, 13:21.72) and Carson Johnson (fourth place, 13:22.62). Melchiore’s title-winning effort was the first of four event crowns for the Patriots, as they also saw Luca Santorum double up in the 1000 meters (2:22.70 PR) and mile (4:06.86), and Youssef Asslouj (8:18.60) take top individual honors in the 3000 meters.

Second-ranked Dordt (Iowa) overtook fourth-ranked Marian (Ind.) for national runner-up honors thanks to its victory in the climactic 4×400 relay. The Defenders, who matched their best finish in program history, got the baton around in 3:10.89, nearly one full second ahead of William Carey (Miss.). Speaking of the Crusaders, they came into the meet ranked 15th in the final National TFRI and finished fourth behind three top-4 programs.

Women’s Recap

Make it four in a row for Indiana Tech.

The Warriors pulled away late on Day 3 to win their fourth consecutive indoor title. It is also Indiana Tech’s fifth since 2017, which establishes the juggernaut as the third-winningest program in NAIA history behind Wayland Baptist (Texas) with eight and Oklahoma Baptist with seven.

Lisa Voyles was the catalyst for the Warriors on Day 3 as she won national titles in both the mile (4:51.58) and the 1000 meters (2:46.84 PR). Voyles wasn’t the only athlete to win an individual title in Brookings, South Dakota: Evelyn Dolce reigned in the pole vault; Jamaya Warthen ruled the 60.

William Carey (Miss.) earned runner-up honors for the fourth time in the past five years. The Crusaders, who finished with 79 points, were clearly the Best of the Rest, putting itself more than 37 points ahead of Concordia (Neb.) and Cumberland (Tenn.), which tied for third with 42 points. Machaeda Linton swept the horizontal jumps to provide WCU with 20 points, while Salieci Myles added ten more with her victory in the 60-meter hurdles.