Sakat, Honesty Double Up Athlete of the Year Honors for Outdoor Season
The 2025 Women's Outdoor Track & Field All-Region teams were announced on Monday, following an impressive showing at the Region 11 Championships. Iowa Western Community College swept the Region 11 awards and delivered a dominant team performance, winning the championship by a margin of 92 points with a total of 286, securing their fifth consecutive regional title and winning 15 of the 22 events. Head Coach David Burnett was named Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, guiding the Reivers to an extraordinary campaign that included three new meet records.
Juliana Sakat was named Track Athlete of the Year after a standout season. She currently holds the No. 1 time in the NJCAA in the 10,000 Meters (33:23.71), set at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 16, finishing a full 29 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Sakat also ranks second nationally in the 1,500 Meters (4:29.90)—the eighth-best time in NJCAA history—and 12th in the 800 Meters, a particularly competitive event. At the Region 11 Championships, Sakat broke meet records in both the 1,500 and 800 Meter events with a time of 2:11.15 in the latter.
Sakat set school records in the 1500, 10,000 and was on the Distance Medley Relay team that supplanted the record books.
Mercy Honesty earned Field Athlete of the Year honors after dominating the Triple Jump throughout the season, setting the NJCAA's best mark of the year with a 13.35-meter jump at the Bobcat Invitational on March 27. No athlete has come close to matching that distance. Honesty also delivered a first-place finish in the Long Jump at the regional meet with a leap of 5.87 meters, placing her in the NJCAA top 10.
She now has the No. 6 mark in NJCAA history in the Triple, and is undefeated in the event this season.
Both Sakat and Honesty took home the same honors during the Indoor season.
Iowa Western also showcased strength in the relay and throwing events. The 4x800 Meter Relay team—comprised of Wijdane Inzaline, Angeline Estrada, Sakat, and Alyssa Kulesa—set a new meet record with a time of 9:28.99, breaking a mark that had stood since 2014. The 4x400 Relay team of Tanique Taylor, Serena Grace, Judith Koumedzina, and Taeja Bartee also earned a victory. In field events, Sarai Simpson took first in the Shot Put, Chin-Loy Raymond won the Hammer Throw, and Monifa Edwards claimed the Discus title.
Additional event winners for the Reivers included Taylor in the 100 Meter Hurdles, Estrada in the 400 Meters, Elizabeth Ewusie in both the Steeplechase and 10,000 Meters, and Rasheda Samuels in the High Jump. Sakina Umar tied with Honesty in the Long Jump for first place.
From Iowa Central, Zariah Greaves tied the regional meet record in the 100 Meters. Eden Brouwers stood out by winning both the Pole Vault and Heptathlon. Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula (400 Meter Hurdles) and Abbigail Hutchinson (5000 Meters, Pole Vault (tied)) also claimed individual titles. Rounding out the top performers was the Indian Hills 4x100 Relay team of Ida Smith, Destiny Mitchell, Nyla Norman, and Zekira Snow, who secured first place in their event.
The Coach of the Year went to David Burnett of Iowa Western for the second year in a row. The Reivers are ranked No. 3 in the country heading into the national championships, according to Athletic.net and dominated the Region 11 Championship. As mentioned, the Reivers won 15 of the 22 events at the Region 11 meet.
100 Meters:
1. Zariah Greaves, Iowa Central
2. Serena Grace, Iowa Western
HM. Zekira Snow - Indian Hills
100 Meter Hurdles:
1. Tanique Taylor, Iowa Western
2. Taja Conley, NIACC
HM. Arriana Johnson, Indian Hills
200 Meters:
1. Serena Grace, Iowa Western
2. Zariah Greaves, Iowa Central
HM. Nyla Blackmon, Indian Hills
400 Meters:
1. Angeline Estrada, Iowa Western
2. Laurie Louis, Indian Hills
HM. Alexa Zanders, Indian Hills
400 Meter Hurdles:
1. Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula, Iowa Central
2. Taja Conley, NIACC
HM. Arriana Johnson, Indian Hills
800 Meters:
1. Juliana Sakat, Iowa Western
2. Angeline Estrada, Iowa Western
HM. Alyssa Kulesa, Iowa Western
1500 Meters:
1. Juliana Sakat, Iowa Western
2. Hafssa Boutrich, Iowa Western
HM. Tiffani Koonce, Indian Hills
3000 Meter Steeplechase:
1. Elizabeth Ewusie, Iowa Western
2. Abbigail Hutchinson, Iowa Central
HM. Olivia Spurling, NIACC
5000 Meters:
1. Abbigail Hutchinson, Iowa Central
2. Paetyn Wiegand, Southeastern
HM. Olivia Spurling, NIACC
10,000 Meters:
1. Elizabeth Ewusie, Iowa Western
2. Abbigail Hutchinson, Iowa Central
HM. Ayianna Olivas, Iowa Western
4x100 Meter Relay:
1. Indian Hills
(Ida Smith, Destiny Mitchell, Nyla Norman, Zekira Snow)
2. Iowa Western
(Judith Koumedzina, Serena Grace, Taeja Bartee, Tanique Taylor)
HM. Iowa Central
(Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula, Mechak Linda Bula Bula, Zariah Greaves, Maeva Goune Tibbolo)
4x400 Meter Relay:
1. Iowa Western
(Tanique Taylor, Serena Grace, Judith Koumedzina, Taeja Bartee)
2. Iowa Central
(Natalie Bogdanova Kirilova, Alivia Edens, Mechak Linda Bula Bula, Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula)
HM. Hawkeye
(Halima Biggs, Mallori Jones, Melody Kremer, Alyssa Wondercheck)
4x800 Meter Relay:
1. Iowa Western
(Wijdane Inzaline, Angeline Estrada, Juliana Sakat, Alyssa Kulesa)
2. Iowa Central
(Fanny den Uyl, Natalie Bogdanova Kirilova, Juliette Gavois, Alivia Edens)
HM. Southeastern
(Paetyn Wiegand, Rylee Olsen, Arianna Pedrin, Aubrey Kuntz)
Discus:
1. Monifa Edwards, Iowa Western
2. Chin-Loy Raymond, Iowa Western
HM. Lovely Hibbert, Iowa Western
Hammer:
1. Chin-Loy Raymond, Iowa Western
2. Sarai Simpson, Iowa Western
HM. Cynthia Albert, Indian Hills
High Jump:
1. Rasheda Samuels, Iowa Western
2. Arriana Johnson, Indian Hills
2. Halima Biggs, Hawkeye
Javelin:
1. Eden Brouwers, Iowa Central
2. Zariah Greaves, Iowa Central
HM. Monifa Edwards, Iowa Western
Long Jump:
1. Mercy Honesty, Iowa Western
1. Sakina Umar, Iowa Western
HM. Maeve Goune Tibbolo, Iowa Central
Pole Vault:
1. Eden Brouwers, Iowa Central
1. Abbigail Hutchinson, Iowa Central
HM. Kira Messerly, Iowa Central
Shot Put:
1. Sarai Simpson, Iowa Western
2. Chin-Loy Raymond, Iowa Western
HM. Lovely Hibbert, Iowa Western
Triple Jump:
1. Mercy Honesty, Iowa Western
2. Elfie Sanogo, Iowa Western
HM. Maeve Goune Tibbolo, Iowa Central
Heptathlon:
1. Eden Brouwers, Iowa Central
2. Ella Homawoo, Iowa Central
HM. Kira Messerly, Iowa Central