University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI student-athletes to compete at 2026 FISU America Games
7/23/2026 1:12:00 PM | General
Panthers set to run and swim at international competition in Peru, July 25 through August 1.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Two former and one current UNI student-athlete will take to the international stage over the next two weekends in Peru competing at the 2026 FISU America Games in Lima.
Track and field distance runners Colin Lillie and Amelia Hill, as well as former UNI swimmer and current Panther assistant coach Faith Larsen will take part in the continental multi-sport event for college athletes from the Americas.
Larsen, who graduated from UNI in 2025, will compete in the 50-meter freestyle on Saturday July 25, as well as the 50-meter butterfly on Sunday, July 26 as one of 44 swimmers from 17 different colleges and universities from across the United States.
Lillie, who enters his fourth year as a Panther, will run the 10,000 meters, while Hill, who just competed her senior season at Northern Iowa, will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Both events are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1.
Official competition schedules have yet to be announced.
Lillie, a Council Bluff, Iowa native, is among UNI's top returning distance runners for the 2026-27 school year having finished in the top-25 at last year's Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Cross Country Championships. On the track, he placed fourth in the 10,000 meters and eighth in the 5,000 meters at the 2026 MVC Outdoor Championships.
Hill, a native of Ankeny, Iowa, finished her collegiate career after a 19th place showing at last year's conference cross country meet, and was a First Team All-MVC selection in 2026 on the track, taking second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and fourth in the 5,000 meters at the outdoor conference championships. She is currently UNI's indoor school record holder in the 5,000 meters.
Larsen, an Eden Prairie, Minnesota native, became the first three-time MVC champion in any event in program history, winning the conference title in the 50-yard freestyle in 2023, 2024 and 2025. She also holds MVC titles in the 100-yard freestyle (2025) and was twice named the MVC Elite 18 Award winner for academic excellence (2024, 2025). She currently holds program records in the 50-yard freestyle, as well as the 200 and 400-yard freestyle relays.
UNI track and field and swimming and diving action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field / UNI Swimming and Diving), X (@UNITrackFieldXC / @uniswimdive) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc / @uniswimdive). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
