NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The Lawrence University men's and women's track and field teams opened the 2026 indoor season Friday night at the NCC Cardinal Opener, hosted by North Central College, with several strong performances across sprints, jumps, and throws.
Men's Highlights
In the field events, freshman Peyton Mueller delivered an impressive collegiate debut in the high jump, clearing 1.88 meters to finish second overall. Mueller also contributed in the long jump, placing fifth with a mark of 6.37 meters.
Junior Leo Hagberg turned in a solid day in the horizontal jumps, finishing sixth in the long jump (6.08m) and fourth in the triple jump with a best leap of 12.56 meters. Senior Tristan Zook added a seventh-place finish in the long jump (6.06m).
On the track, Lawrence sprinters competed in deep fields. Senior Tristan Zook posted a time of 7.30 seconds in the men's 60 meters, while juniors Marcus Jackson (7.47) and Brendan Cross (7.48) also represented the Vikings. Sophomore Parker Wittmayer recorded a time of 7.69 in prelims.
In the 200 meters, Cross led Lawrence with a time of 24.28 seconds, followed closely by freshman Benjamin Baldwin(24.31) and Jackson (24.74).
The throws group saw multiple Vikings score solid marks. Freshman Connor Skarsten placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 12.62 meters. Junior Jack McLaughlin added an 11.02-meter effort in the shot put and later finished seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 13.26 meters. Freshman Corbin Schneider and JC Arocho also gained valuable meet experience in the throwing events.
Women's Highlights
The Viking women were led by an outstanding performance from freshman Jacqui Malm, who claimed first place in the high jump, clearing 1.50 meters to open her collegiate career on the top step of the podium.
In the sprints, freshman Izzy Baumgardt advanced to the finals of the 60 meters, finishing fifth overall with a time of 8.49 seconds, and later added a ninth-place finish in the 200 meters (29.06). Junior Morgan Cross placed seventh in the 60-meter finals (8.65) and finished fourth in the long jump with a mark of 4.66 meters.
Freshman Jorja Miller competed in both the 60 and 200 meters, posting times of 8.83 and 29.34, respectively.
In the women's triple jump, senior Anna Vanden Acker earned a third-place finish, recording a mark of 9.20 meters.
The throws group was paced by freshman RyLeigh Truchon, who placed third in the shot put with a throw of 9.91 meters and later finished fifth in the weight throw (10.48). Fellow freshman Alease McLain added a fourth-place finish in the shot put (9.64m) and an eighth-place showing in the weight throw (8.71m). Sophomore Greta Viandenrecorded a 9.71-meter mark in the weight throw to place sixth.
