University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Friday Knight Lights
Lillie, Hill set new 5,000 meter school records at Meyo Classic
1/30/2026 9:16:00 PM | Track and Field
Panthers also clinch two event titles at Wartburg’s Friday Knight Lights
WAVERLY, Iowa --- Two UNI track and field program records fell for the Panthers on Friday night as Northern Iowa saw athletes in action at both Notre Dame's Meyo Classic, as well as Wartburg's Friday Knight Lights.
Colin Lillie and Amelia Hill both set the men's and women's school records in the 5,000-meter runs in South Bend, while UNI captured two titles in Waverly, with a combined 15 career-best and season-best marks also set.
HOW IT HAPPENED
At Notre Dame, Lillie finished in third place in a 24-man field with a school record time of 14:20.39, breaking Velibor Radojevic's 2004 program record by five seconds. A former walk-on distance runner from Council Bluffs, Lillie's time ranks second-best among Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) runners in the event this indoor season.
In the women's 5,000 meters, Hill shattered Kelsey Kirchoff's 2016 school record by 14 seconds, taking home eighth place in a crowded 47-woman field alongside three other Panther runners, with a time of 16:38.92, the fastest time in the MVC this year. Melody Ochana placed 22nd with a career-best time of 17:15.36, while Meghan Wheatley took 24th (17:18.46).
Just up the road at Wartburg, Brylie Lorence led a trio of Panthers in the women's shot put, winning the event with a 45' 9 ¾ toss, with Lexy Foster following in second with a career-best 44' 11 ¾ throw and Lauren Kounkel tossing for 43' 4 ¼. The trio also rounded out the top-five in the women's weight throw with Kounkel taking second (55' 1), Lorence in third (55' ¾) and Foster in fifth (53' ¼).
Josey Dunbar (7.75) and Maleah Walker (7.83) both ran career-best times to finish first and second respectively in the women's 60-meter dash, as Daniel Adams (8.34) and Colin Buch (8.65) did the same in the men's 60-meter hurdles, taking home second and sixth places respectively. In the women's high jump, Katy Hand set a new career-best mark with a 5' 3 ¼ leap to take home third place.
Elsewhere in the field events, Ryan Stiglic tied for second (15' 3) with Carter Pheifer (14' 9) taking fourth in the men's pole vault, with T.Y. Pour placing third in the men's triple jump (42' 7 ½) and Brody Lovell taking fifth in the men's long jump (20' 1) for a new season-best performance.
UP NEXT
UNI returns to action next Friday and Saturday at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska, as well as next Friday at the Iowa State Classic in Ames.
UNI track and field action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field), X (@UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
