By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
EMPORIA, Kan. – The Western Washington University Track & Field program closed out a historic 2026 season with several All-America performances during the final day of competition at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Zola Witten Track at Francis G. Welch Stadium.
Western's large contingent of student-athletes at nationals combined for 14 All-America awards during the three-day competition at the national meet on the campus of Emporia State University.
The Viking men tied for 24th in the team standings with nine points, recording the best finish since placing 23rd in 2015. Western's women tallied 11 points to tie for 27th place in the team standings, matching the best performance since 2017.
Saturday's competition was filled with All-America performances, with the top eight finishers in each men's and women's event earning First Team All-America honors. Second Team All-Americans were awarded for individuals finishing 9-16.
"An amazing year for the Vikings, capped by a great team performance in Kansas at nationals. I am really proud of this team for the way they competed at the highest level during the final days of the season," said head coach Ben Stensland. "From the initial practice on campus in October until the last race in May, they put in a great amount of hard work and accomplished a lot of great marks. The student-athletes and coaches - both present and past - make this a special program, and we will build off this great performance at nationals."
Junior Maurice Woodring made a run at the national title in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking a personal-best time of 50.50 while finishing in 3rd place. Woodring was neck-in-neck with Rinaldo Moore of Minnesota State (1st, 50.25) and Joshua Widdows of Biola (2nd, 50.31) down the stretch, crossing the line in third place breaking his own WWU and GNAC record. The finish tied for the best by a GNAC runner in the event and became the first Viking to earn All-America honors in the 400m hurdles. Woodring's junior season also included winning his third GNAC title in the 400m hurdles while recording the men's performance of the meet.
Senior Bec Bennett completed her two-year career as a Viking earning a pair of All-America honors with podium finishes in the 400m (4th place) and running a stellar anchor leg of the 4x400 relay (3rd place). Bennett clocked 53.12 in the 400m to place 4th after earning first-team honors during the indoor season placing 8th. During her two years running for the Vikings, Bennett was a nine-time All-GNAC performer and seven-time All-American.
The women's 4x400 relay closed out the championship with a banner third-place finish clocking a WWU and GNAC record time of 3:35.65. The Vikings were guaranteed a top eight spot if they finished the race, but the Western foursome of freshman Casie Kleine, sophomore Jayda Darroch, junior Kennedy Cook and Bennett had higher goals. WWU was in 5th and 6th place through the first three legs of the race prior to Bennett taking the baton for the final lap around the track. After placing 4th in the 400 just a few hours earlier, Bennett moved up to the third-place position overtaking Pittsburg State near the finish line to secure the best finish by a GNAC women's relay team at outdoor nationals.
The men's 4x400 relay team consisting of freshman Jackson Moffitt, sophomore Sam Foust, sophomore Evin Ford and senior Lucas Brenekplaced 7th with a time of 3:07.94 with all four earning First Team All-America honors. The relay broke their own school and GNAC record Friday during the prelims running 3:07.32 for the 5th-fastest qualifying time. WWU becomes the second GNAC relay team to earn First Team All-America honors at the outdoor championships joining the Alaska Anchorage 4th-place performance in the 4x400 in 2017.
Making his second trip to nationals, senior Jakob Braunstein earned First Team All-America honors with his 8th-place podium finish in the men's javelin. Braunstein qualified for the final round of throws with a throw of 68.34m/224-2 for the second-best throw if his collegiate career. Braunstein becomes the fifth Viking to earn NCAA All-America honors in the javelin. The senior capped his collegiate career ranking No. 2 in WWU history with his PR of 68.54m/224-10 set at the Emilie Mondor Invite on May 9.
Senior Emmy Kroontje earned Second Team All-America honors placing 12th in the women's 1500m final with a time of 4:33.98. Kroontje scratched into the event after running a school-record time of 4:26.27 during the regular season and earned one of the 12 spots in the final recording a prelim time of 4:28.54 on Thursday. Kroontje had a busy senior season competing at nationals during the outdoor (1500m), indoor (5th place in 800m) and cross country seasons.
Sophomore Jessica Polkinghorn had a busy Saturday competing in the javelin and shot put. Polkinghorn placed 11th in the javelin competition narrowly missing a spot in the finals with a top mark of 45.37m/148-10 to finish 11th earning Second Team All-America honors. After a short rest, she jumped into the shot put competition placing 18th with a top throw of 14.05m/46-1.25. Polkinghorn is the first Viking during the NCAA era to compete in multiple throwing events at nationals.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Here are the official results for the Vikings that competed at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Emporia, Kansas. WWU sent 15 athletes to compete at nationals, the most by the program since joining the NCAA level in 1998-99.
- Women's 4x400 Relay – Kleine, Darroch, Cook, Bennett (3:35.65) First Team All-American
- Maurice Woodring – Men's 400m Hurdles (50.50) First Team All-American
- Bec Bennett – Women's 400m: 4th place (53.12) First Team All-American
- Men's 4x400 Relay – Moffitt, Foust, Ford, Brenek (3:07.94) First Team All-American
- Jakob Braunstein – Men's Javelin: 8th place (68.34m/224-2) First Team All-American
- Jessica Polkinghorn – Women's Javelin: 11th place (45.37m/148-10) Second Team All-American
- Emmy Kroontje – Women's 1500m: 12th place (4:33.98) Second Team All-American
- Kathryn Chapin – Women's Hammer Throw: 13th place (54.35m/178-3) Second Team All-American
- Jessica Polkinghorn – Women's Shot Put: 18th place (14.05m/46-1.25) Honorable Mention
- Calvin Gutierrez – Men's Hammer Throw: 18th place (59.29m/194-6) Honorable Mention
- Lucas Brenek – Men's 400m: 18th place (47.63) Honorable Mention
- Liam Wall – Men's Discus: 19th place (49.93m/163-9) Honorable Mention
The 2026 season feature many historic achievements for the WWU Track & Field program during the outdoor season. The Vikings swept the GNAC team titles, extending a string of 20 consecutive conference trophies stretched across the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons dating back to the spring of 2023. The 2026 season featured 36 All-GNAC performances, 39 All-West Region awards, 14 All-America honors, 14 school records and 67 entries into the program all-time top 10.
