2025 Region 11 Preview | Outdoor Track & Field
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The ICCAC Region 11 Championships return this weekend to the campus of Iowa Western Community College. Athletes from eight schools will converge to compete for a regional title and, for many, a qualifying mark for the NJCAA National Championships.
The multi-events begin Friday at 2:00 p.m., with full competition starting at 9:00 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
For the schedule and meet information, visit the Region 11 Championship website.
Men's Preview
Iowa Western has won the last three outdoor titles. Before that, Iowa Central had claimed 12 straight championships. As of April 29, the Reivers are the highest-ranked team in the ICCAC, sitting at No. 3 on Athletic.net.
The Reivers are led on the track by distance runners Barnabas Ndiwa and Geofrey Ronoh. Ronoh has the third-best time in the country in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 10,000 meters. Ndiwa owns the top national time in the 10,000 and the fourth-best in the 5,000 meters.
Sprinter Michael Francois is ranked third nationally in the 400 meters and is a strong contender for a national title in the event.
In the field events, Lebon Attoungbre is currently ranked second in the triple jump and in the top 10 in the long jump. In throws, Yekini Bowen holds the second-best discus throw in the NJCAA and ranks in the top 10 in the hammer.
Indian Hills, ranked No. 4, boasts four of the top five athletes in the 800 meters: Raynier Galvez, Nichalas Power, and Kemarrio Bygrave. Power leads the trio with a season-best time of 1:48.41. Unsurprisingly, Indian Hills also has the NJCAA's top 4x800-meter relay time this season.
Thrower Tate Joens is once again near the top in both the shot put and hammer, holding the No. 2 mark in each. He'll look to surpass his PRs at Nationals.
Other top-five performers include Iowa Central's Mohamed Dahmouch in the 1,500 meters and Alan Lefevre in the decathlon. Iowa Western's Gabriel Ortiz is ranked third in the javelin.
Women's Preview
Iowa Western has dominated the women's side of the regional meet, winning every Region 11 Championship since 2019 and claiming the NJCAA national title in 2022.
This season, the Reivers are ranked No. 3 nationally, behind New Mexico and Barton (Kan.). They are the top ICCAC team by a wide margin, with Iowa Central ranked No. 12 in the April 29 Athletic.net poll.
Leading Iowa Western is standout distance runner Juliana Sakat. She has the nation's best time in the 10,000 meters and ranks No. 2 in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. Sakat claimed four national titles during the indoor season and looks to repeat that success outdoors.
In the jumps, Sakina Umar ranks third in the long jump, while Mercy Honesty continues to lead in the triple jump. In the throws, Sarai Simpson (3rd) and Chin-Loy Raymond (4th) are top contenders in the shot put. Hafssa Boutrich adds to the Reivers' distance dominance with a top-five time in the 5,000 meters.
For Iowa Central, Eden Brouwers is a strong heptathlon competitor, currently ranked fifth. The Tritons also field a top-five 4x800-meter relay team, though Iowa Western holds the edge in that event.
Maeva Goune Tibbolo ranks third in the long jump and will go head-to-head with Umar in that event.
The only other top-five ranked athlete not from Iowa Western or Iowa Central is Indian Hills' hurdler Dyamonde Nave, who is ranked third nationally. She's coming off a strong performance at last weekend's John McDonnell Invite.