University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Bryan Clay Invitational (Multi's)
UNI track and field: Multi’s shine in California while Panthers crown 12 champs at Drake
4/10/2026 11:04:00 PM | Track and Field
DES MOINES, Iowa --- Following a week away from competition due to wet weather, the UNI track and field team burst into action as the Panthers competed in the heptathlon and decathlon events at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azausa, California, as well as the Jim Duncan Invitational at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Panther athletes set 16 new individual career-best marks in California with three new career-best scores overall in the multi-events. Meanwhile in Des Moines, Northern Iowa captured 12 event titles and set 21 individual career-best marks.
HOW IT HAPPENED AT THE BRYAN CLAY INVITATIONAL
Katy Stephens led the way for the Panther women in the heptathlon with a fourth-place overall finish in a field of 66 total entries, scoring a career-best 5,728 points for the second-best mark in the event in program history. Stephens' strong outing was highlighted by new career-best marks in three events, including the 100-meter hurdles (14.00), the long jump (20' 1 ½") and the 800 meters (2:24.20).
Joey Perry also set a career-best score in the heptathlon of 5,617 points, the fourth-highest score in UNI history with an overall finish of seventh. The reigning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion in the event set career-best marks in five of the seven events, including the high jump (5' 7 ¼"), the 200-meter dash (24.09), the long jump (19' 1 ¼"), the javelin (107' 2") and the 800-meter run (2:14.83).
In the decathlon, Carter Morton, competing in his first multi-event competition since the NCAA Indoor Championships, placed fourth place overall in a 60-man field in the decathlon with 7,782 points. Morton set new career-bests in four events, including the 100-meter dash (10.98), the long jump (25' 2 ½"), the 110-meter hurdles (14.79) and the discus (126' 6").
Tye Hardin meanwhile finished in 17th place overall in the decathlon with 6,970 points. Competing in his first collegiate decathlon, Hardin set career-best marks in the long jump (24' ¾"), the 110-meter hurdles (15.51), the discus (88' 7") and the 1,500-meter run (5:01.66).
HOW IT HAPPENED AT THE JIM DUNCAN INVITATIONAL
UNI kicked off the afternoon at Drake led by Erica Miner and Sydnee Scott, who finished first and second respectively after both clearing 11 feet, 11 ¾ inches in the women's pole vault. Nolan Dempsey (178' 9"), Carson Lienau (167' 2") and David Russell (166' 6") locked down the top three positions in the men's discus with Dempsey setting a new career best for the event, as Josie Moreland (5' 5") and Katy Hand (5' 1") finished first and third respectively in the women's high jump. In the women's shot put, Breanna Hackman (45' 10 ½"), Brylie Lorence (44' 7") and Jorie Hanenburg (44' 2") placed second, third and fourth.
On the track, Northern Iowa excelled in the sprinting events as Emma Randecker swept both the women's 100 and 200-meter dashes, clocking a time of 11.85 second in the 100 meters and posting the second-fastest 200-meter time in program history in 23.73 seconds. Olivia Kramer followed Randecker in fifth in the 100 meters (12.16). On the men's side, Tinashe Chigudu claimed first-place in the 100-meter dash (10.47), as Luke Meyers (10.59) and Tyler Sickerson (10.69) placing third and fifth. Chigudu followed up his performance in the 100 meters by setting a new career-best time of 20.94 second to take first in the 200m with Luke Nevitt in fourth (21.20).
The women's 400m hurdles were dominated by the Panthers as Darci Wiseman (1:01.50), Carlie Jo Fusco (1:01.66) and Eden Moore (1:03.13) topped the podium in first, second and third places respectively. Derek Woods finished first in the men's 800-meter run in 1:49.41, as Megan Wheatley led the charge in winning the women's 5,000m in a time of 17:24.88.
UNI closed the night out with a pair of relay sweeps with Darci Wiseman, Maya Williams, Jersey Jones and Randecker clocking a winning time of 3:42.71. Parker Kiewiet, Zach Fall, Kaden Emanuel and Meyers locked down the men's 4x400-meter relay with a winning time of 3:12.2.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday at the Mustang Distance Carnival & Open, hosted by Mount Mercy University. Competition is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT in Cedar Rapids at the Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex.
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
