The Truman State men's and women's track and field teams competed at the 2026 GLVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held April 30-May 2 at Southwest Baptist University. The men finished sixth as a team while the women placed ninth in the conference meet.

Individual Champions

Senior Hayden Long delivered a stellar performance to capture the decathlon title with 6,871 points. Long dominated multiple events throughout the two-day competition, including victories in the javelin (56.10m) and discus (44.41m) within the decathlon. He also posted strong marks in the high jump (1.87m), shot put (13.29m), and 100 meters (11.40 seconds).

Sophomore Aidan Hayes claimed the javelin championship with a winning throw of 61.43m, adding another individual conference title to the Bulldogs' resume.

Freshman Carl Aaron earned a bronze medal in the discus with a third-place finish of 43.92m, contributing valuable points to the men's team total.
 

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Sportsmanship Honorees

Senior throwers Tyler Davis and Destiny Zimdars were recognized as James R. Spaulding Sportsmanship Honorees, an award that celebrates student-athletes who exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship and competitive excellence throughout the season.

Sprint and Jump Performances

Freshman Brandon Howard advanced to the finals in the 100-meter dash, running 10.42 seconds in the preliminaries to earn the fifth-fastest qualifying time. Junior Vada Moore finished fifth in the women's long jump with a mark of 5.72m, while junior Maddy Hall placed 12th with 5.28m. On the men's side, sophomore Hunter Keene finished 19th with a jump of 6.61m, and sophomore Alex Marberry placed 28th in the 100 meters with a time of 10.96 seconds in the preliminaries.

Distance Performances

In the women's 1500 meters, sophomore Phoebe Canatsey qualified for the finals with a fifth-place preliminary time of 4:36.90. Sophomore Clare Stahr also advanced with a 12th-place prelim time of 4:46.07, while freshman Anna Ripley (4:47.05) and sophomore Sarah Williams (4:47.51) competed in the preliminaries. Sophomore Kendra Zeilstra rounded out the Bulldogs' 1500-meter contingent with a time of 4:51.41.

Senior Ryan Gustafson represented Truman in the men's 1500 meters, running 4:06.84 in the preliminaries to place 17th.

Senior Raina Baker qualified for the 800-meter finals with a sixth-place preliminary time of 2:15.02. Canatsey also competed in the 800 prelims, finishing 11th in 2:17.77, while sophomore Jocelyn Dorsey placed 13th (2:19.28) and sophomore Maddie Sims ran 2:20.98 for 17th.

In the men's 800 meters, freshman Wyatt Gustafson clocked 1:57.16 for 14th place, sophomore Willem Hummel ran 1:57.87 for 18th, and sophomore Michael Bottary finished 22nd in 2:00.58.

The Bulldogs fielded a strong contingent in the steeplechase events. Senior McKenna Ledgerwood led the women with an eighth-place finish in 11:51.76 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, while sophomore Sophia Kim placed 11th (11:58.15) and freshman Bridget Kemp finished 13th (12:12.01).

Junior Nolan Meara paced the men's steeplechase with a fifth-place finish in 9:21.80. The men also competed strongly in the 10,000 meters, with senior Breanna Mathes finishing ninth in the women's race (38:46.57), junior Ellie Webb placing 13th (40:33.16), and freshman Addison Barringhaus finishing 14th (40:52.64). In the men's 10K, senior Jake Gutzman placed 15th with a time of 31:51.38, while freshman Jacob Snyder finished 21st in 32:45.88.

Middle Distance and Relay Events

Freshman Tess Harper competed in the 400 meters, running 1:00.04 in the preliminaries for 16th place, while sophomore Julia Brown clocked 1:01.51 for 20th. Freshman Alex Marberry ran 49.64 in the men's 400-meter prelims to finish 15th.

Field Events

The Bulldogs' throwing squad delivered solid performances across multiple events. Senior Tyler Davis led the shot put contingent with a fourth-place finish at 15.65m, earning five team points. Sophomore Justin McKim placed eighth (14.82m), senior Alex Long finished ninth (14.79m), freshman Tucker Harvey placed 19th (13.34m), and freshman Ethan Morris threw 12.34m for 20th. 

In the women's shot put, freshman Addy Brown finished 16th with 10.88m and sophomore Laurie Leroy placed 17th with 10.54m.

Leroy had the Bulldogs' top hammer throw performance, finishing fifth with a mark of 48.79m to earn four team points. Senior Destiny Zimdars placed 12th (42.82m), sophomore Christina Stanley threw 38.71m for 18th, and Brown finished 22nd with 35.93m.

In the men's hammer throw, sophomore Chase Beebe placed 11th with 48.61m, sophomore Dom Novotny finished 15th (46.87m), and freshman Carl Aaron threw 43.92m for 22nd.

Freshman Addy Winder competed in the women's pole vault, clearing 2.92m for 15th place. On the men's side, freshman Gus Lawler cleared 4.02m to finish ninth.

Hurdle Events

Sophomore Kaela Perez competed in both hurdles events for the women. She placed ninth in the 100-meter hurdles preliminaries with a time of 15.25 seconds and advanced to the finals in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing sixth in 1:04.30 to score three team points.

Sophomore Trevor Norman represented the men in the hurdles. He finished 16th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.30.

Decathlon Performances

Beyond Hayden Long's victory, Truman placed two additional athletes in the decathlon. Freshman Gavin Pike finished fourth overall with 6,011 points, highlighted by strong performances in the high jump (1.84m) and 400 meters (51.99). Junior Nick Fuess placed sixth with 4,944 points, and the Bulldogs demonstrated their depth in the multi-event discipline.

The championships concluded a successful outdoor season for the Bulldogs, with the men's sixth-place and women's ninth-place team finishes reflecting the program's competitive depth across distance, sprint, jump, and throw events. The conference titles from Long and Hayes, combined with the sportsmanship recognition for Davis and Zimdars, highlighted both athletic achievement and the character of the Truman State program.

Up Next:

Some select athletes will compete in some last chance meets to solidify their spot at the NCAA Division II National Championships starting on May 21st, hosted by Emporia State.