Call it a Dynasty! Women's Indoor Track & Field Three-Peats as National Champions
TOPEKA, Kan. - For the fifth time in six years, Iowa Western Women's Track & Field brought home the NJCAA DI Women's Indoor Track & Field National Championship.
The Reivers were once again led by Sophomore sensation Juliana Sakat, whose 42.5 points were good for 8th place by herself in the team standings. On day one, the Ghanaian anchored the distance medley relay with a winning time of 11:52.62, the fastest time in the NJCAA this season, and an hour later, won the 5000m run with a meet record time of 16:42.47.
Iowa Western kept hammering on the gas on day two, starting with the 4x800m relay. Elizabeth Ewusie, Alyssa Kulesa, Mya Curtis, and Antonella Lanuza Alfaro combined for a facility record time of 9:14.87, topping South Plains by nearly five seconds.
Following a trio of scorers in the 60m Hurdles for the team, Sakat willed her way to a third national title of the meet, edging out Yididiya Bifa of New Mexico JC by just three-tenths of a second in the 1000m run. Her time of 2:48.85 set a new NJCAA, meet, and facility record. Just 20 minutes later, Sakat finished on top of the 3000m run, defeating Hutchinson's Mildred Rono, who had earlier defeated Sakat in the NJCAA National Cross Country meet, by 1.3 seconds for her fourth national title.
The Reivers added 16 more points with high jumpers Yman Ossie Tchiengue and Kahdijah Bailey finishing first and third; Ossie Tchiengue took home the title.
Over the last two seasons, Juliana Sakat has won 13 individual national championships, shattering the previous record of nine, set by Faith Linga Chepengat from 2019-21.
On the men's side, Iowa Western finished in 6th place behind three individual national titles. Sophomore Lebon Attaungbre won the triple jump with a mark of 16.02m, the best in the NJCAA this season. Freshman Rajay Hemmings defeated Iowa Central's Akram Mouaki in shot put with a mark of 17.78m, while teammate Arthur Leandro de Sousa finished 4th in the event. Finally, Sophomore Pierre Collier outkicked Odessa College's Mehdi Melaouah in the 1000m run by .45 seconds to win his first national title.
For the Iowa Western Women's Track & Field program, since 2021, the Reivers have won seven team titles (5 indoor, 2 outdoor) and an incredible 58 individual titles.
The Reivers will begin the outdoor season starting on March 26th at the Emporia Relays from Emporia, KS.
2026 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field USTFCCCA All-Americans
Juliana Sakat - Women's Mile, 1000m, 3000m, 5000m
Mary Laha - Women's 60mH
Shantay Augustine - Women's 60mH
Maya Bergstrom Weekes - Women's 60mH
Antonella Lanuza Alfaro - Women's 800m
Mya Curtis - Women's 1000m
Hafssa Boutrich - Women's Mile
Elizabeth Ewusie - Women's 3000m, 5000m
Yman Ossie Tchiengue - Women's High Jump
Kahdijah Bailey - Women's High Jump
Taeja Bartee - Women's Long Jump
Lovely Hibbert - Women's Shot Put
Natasha Lynch - Women's - Weight Throw
Women's Distance Medley Relay
Women's 4x800m Relay
Ali Benzem - Men's 800m
Pierre Carlier - Men's 1000m, Mile
Miguel Angel Lopez Carranza - 3000m
Rajay Hemmings - Shot Put
Arthur Leandro de Sousa - Shot Put
Lebon Attoungbre - Triple Jump
Men's Distance Medley Relay