MARION, Ind. - Grace's track and field team enjoyed a memorable performance at the 2026 Little State Championships on Friday and Saturday.
The Lancers won two events, hit multiple NAIA standards and set two school records in a series of strong efforts.
Grace Pettit won the Little State title in the steeplechase. She broke the tape in 11:16.62, smashing the school record by 13 seconds (Amy Misak, 2009). She also reached the NAIA "B" standard with the 10th-fastest time in the NAIA to date.
Morgan Welch won a second event for Grace, claiming the 1,500 title with a time of 4:53.30.
Grace's women's 4x800 relay teams performed well on Friday. The squad of Welch, Addi Dewey, Cherish Ray and Cece Mitchell earned second place at 9:17.76. Their mark reached the NAIA "B" standard.
Michael Muiruri also was a runner-up. He cleared 47-feet-3.75 in the triple jump to place second in the field. He bettered his own school record, furthering the mark by more than four inches.
Mick Wright claimed another runner-up performance. He sprinted to a time of 10.62 in the 100 dash to grab second place.
In the 800, Ray battled to a third-place finish at 2:19.14, and Caleb Nichols was seventh (1:57.03).
The women's 4x100 relay team of Olivia Davis, Lila Foster, Addie Gustus and Paula Fernandez placed sixth (51.71), while the men's unit finished ninth in 42.49 (Muiruri, Mick Wright, Ethan Cummins, Paul Semple).
Tame Sigler narrowly missed placing with a ninth-place showing in the 5,000 (19:22.72). Luke Mansfield finished 10th in the 400 (51.00).
Molly Hofmann was 10th in the javelin (94-feet-4), and Clayton Martin was 11th in the men's javelin (140-7).
The meet ended with the men's 4x400 relay, and Grace's men delivered. Logan Clark, Mansfield, Cummins and Kyle Robinson placed fourth to grab five points with a race of 3:26.25.
The Lancers will now shift fully into postseason mode. Grace's first postseason challenge is the Crossroads League Outdoor Championships, returning to IWU on April 30-May 1.
Grace will also compete at the NCCAA Outdoor National Championships (May 6-8) and the NAIA Outdoor National Championships (May 20-22).
MEET RESULTS
