MOUNT VERNON, Iowa -- The Ripon College track and field teams wrapped up competition at the 2026 Midwest Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, with the Red Hawk women placing fourth with 104 points and the men finishing eighth with 40 points. The two-day meet was hosted by Cornell College at Ash Park.
The Ripon women were led by a standout distance performance from sophomore Joley Berger (Dunbar, Wis., Pembine HS), who captured a pair of individual conference titles. Berger won the 10,000 meters in 37:01.25, adding 10 points to Ripon's total, and later came back to win the 5,000 meters in 17:10.39. Junior Mya Garcia (Chino Hills, Calif., Brea Olinda HS) also scored in the 10,000, placing seventh in 41:11.16, while junior Gabby Allard (Appleton, Wis., Kimberly HS) added a 10th-place finish in the 5,000.
Ripon also picked up key points in the middle-distance events. Senior Jenny Cortes (Round Lake, Ill., Round Lake HS) finished second in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:41.50 and later placed fourth in the 800 meters in 2:20.21. Junior Minnie Hoffman (Oostburg, Wis., Oostburg HS) added points in the 800, finishing seventh in 2:22.72, while freshman Leah Page (Ripon, Wis., Ripon HS) also competed well in the distance events for the Red Hawks.
On the track, sophomore Tatum Trudell (Albany, Ore., South Albany HS) put together a strong sprint showing, placing third in both the 100 meters and 200 meters. Trudell ran 12.57 in the 100 and 25.90 in the 200, while junior Sidney Hoffa (Coloma, Wis., Westfield Area HS) also scored in the 100 with a seventh-place finish in 12.87. Junior Madylyn Woyak (Wautoma, Wis., Wautoma HS) added a runner-up finish in the 400 meters, crossing the line in 59.87.
The Red Hawks also found success in the relays and field events. The 4x100-meter relay team of freshman Ren Fritz (Bozeman, Mont., Gallatin HS), Hoffa, Woyak and Trudell placed third in 49.75. Hoffa added a second-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 5.42 meters, while freshman Carlie Priesgen (Lomira, Wis., Lomira HS) placed fourth in the shot put at 11.85 meters and sophomore Hannah Michaels (Waukesha, Wis., Waukesha North HS) finished seventh at 11.32 meters.
In the steeplechase, Allard earned a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:32.30, while junior Ximena Juarez Martinez (Addison, Ill., Addison Trail HS) placed seventh in 12:14.62 to add more points for Ripon.
On the men's side, junior Braedy Picard (Neenah, Wis., Xavier HS) highlighted the meet for Ripon by winning the shot put with a throw of 15.60 meters, earning 10 points for the Red Hawks. Sophomore Brady Immel (Winneconne, Wis., Winneconne HS) added a fifth-place finish in the discus with a mark of 41.99 meters, and also competed in the hammer and javelin for Ripon.
Ripon also had a strong showing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with sophomore Jaxon Hornby (Marshall, Wis., Marshall HS) placing third in 9:59.13 and senior Jeremy Saloun (Portage, Wis., Portage HS) finishing fourth in 10:06.28. Freshman Kole Brock (Cypress, Tex., Cypress Ranch) also finished 10th in the event, giving the Red Hawks three runners in the top 10.
Additional points came from freshman Finn Lettau (Neenah, Wis., Neenah HS), who placed eighth in the 10,000 meters in 34:26.86, junior Zak Ladage (Chatham, Ill., Lutheran High School), who finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.58, and senior Dorian Phillips (Clinton, Wis., Clinton HS), who placed sixth in the pole vault at 3.20 meters. The 4x100-meter relay team of sophomore Kaden Taddey (Eden, Wis., Campbellsport HS), freshman Gus Josephson (Mellen, Wis., Mellen HS), senior Finley Manning (St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Holy Heart of Mary HS) and junior Elijah Barajas (Racine, Wis., Racine Horlick HS) added a sixth-place finish in 43.95.
Grinnell won the women's team title with 178 points, followed by Illinois College and Cornell College, while Ripon finished fourth ahead of Monmouth, Lawrence, Beloit, Knox and Lake Forest. Illinois College won the men's championship with 155 points, while Ripon finished eighth with 40 points.
