University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Bryan Clay Invitational
UNI track and field set to visit La Crosse for Phil Esten Challenge
4/15/2026 10:18:00 AM | Track and Field
UNI track & field at Bryan Clay Invitational
- Apr. 16-17, 2026
- Azausa, Calif. | Cougar Athletic Stadium
- WATCH (FloTrack)
- LIVE RESULTS
UNI track & field at Phil Esten Challenge
- Apr. 17, 2026
- La Crosse, Wisc. | Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex
- 10:30 a.m. CT
- LIVE RESULTS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI track and field team is set to continue is outdoor competition season beginning Thursday as the Panthers head to western Wisconsin for the Phil Esten Challenge, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Competition is slated to begin at 10:30 CT at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse. Northern Iowa is also scheduled to send a pair of distance runners in Amelia Hill and Colin Lillie out west to California for the second week of the Bryan Clay Invitational. Race times in California have yet to be announced.
The Panthers return to action following a breakout weekend of competition at three meets a week ago. Katy Stephens and Carter Morton each placed fourth overall in the heptathlon and decathlon respectively at the Bryan Clay Invitational alongside teammates Joey Perry and Tye Hardin. Stephens and Perry both cracked the top-four in the event in program history with Stephens notching the second-highest score in school history with 5,728 points.
At the Jim Duncan Invitational in Des Moines, UNI captured 12 event titles and set 21 career-best marks in its first of two trips to Drake's historic Blue Oval this year. Erica Miner won the women's pole vault in Des Moines (11' 11 ¾") with Nolan Dempsey (178' 9") capturing the men's discus title. Emma Randecker swept both the women's 100 and 200-meter dashes, clocking a time of 11.85 seconds in the 100 meters and posting the second-fastest 200-meter time in program history in 23.73 seconds. Tinashe Chigudu also swept the men's 100 and 200 meters, while Darci Wiseman led the way in the women's 400-meter hurdles (1:01.50).
Northern Iowa also competed at Mount Mercy's Mustang Distance Carnival and Open in Cedar Rapids, where they captured five event titles and multiple career and season-bests. Among the notable performances, Breanna Hackman topped the podium after throwing a season-best in the discus with a toss of 43.47 meters, with David Russell winning the men's hammer throw.
Entering this week of competition, UNI leads the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in six events:
- Men's 200m - Tinashe Chigudu (20.94)
- Women's 4x400m Relay - Darci Wiseman, Maya Williams, Jersey Jones, Emma Randecker (3:42.71)
- Women's High Jump - Katy Stephens (5' 8 ½")
- Men's Long Jump - Carter Morton (25' 2 ½")
- Heptathlon - Katy Stephens (5,728 pts)
- Decathlon - Carter Morton (7,782 pts)
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
