Women's Track & Field Announced Award Winners for 2026 Outdoor Season
The ICCAC Women's Outdoor Track and Field All-Region and Special Awards were announced Thursday as Iowa Western claimed all three special awards this season after winning their eighth team title in the last decade. Iowa Central took home co-honors for Field Athlete of the Year.
Kicking off the honors for a second straight year is Juliana Sakat, who was voted Track Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season. Sakat was first in both the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters at the Region 11 Championship. She also leads the NJCAA in both events. Her 10,000-meter time set a meet record at 34:57.01. Her accolades this season also include the second-best 1,500-meter time in the NJCAA and a top-five spot in the 800 meters.
Natasha Lynch was voted co-Field Athlete of the Year after dominating the hammer throw throughout the season. At the Region 11 Championships, Lynch won with a throw of 55.42 meters, a margin of more than 11 meters. Within the NJCAA, Lynch's personal-best throw of 57.30 meters is the top mark this season by three meters.
The other Field Athlete of the Year in 2026 went to Iowa Central thrower U'nitee Brown. Brown won the shot put and the discus at the Region 11 Meet and was sixth in the hammer throw. In total, she accounted for 23 team points at the meet. Nationally, Brown ranks third in the shot put and eigthth in the discus heading into the national championships.
Coach of the Year, for the third consecutive season, was awarded to David Burnett after the Reivers claimed their seventh straight Region 11 Outdoor Championship. The Reivers won nine events at the 2026 Region 11 Championships.
Six more Reivers also excelled this season and earned First Team All-Region honors. In the sprints, Mary Laha and Shantay Augustine made their mark. Laha took first in the 100 meters and Augustine in the 100-meter hurdles. Both Laha and Augustine also won the 4x100 meter relay with teammates Lyric Butcher and Taeja Bartee.
In the distance event, the 5,000 meters, Elizabeth Ewusie finished at the top of the podium with her time of 18:08.85.
Yman Ossie Tchiengue and Bartee both won in the jumping category, with Tchiengue setting a meet record in the high jump with a 1.82-meter clearance. Bartee was first in the long jump with a 6.16-meter leap, with her personal best of 6.28 meters leading the NJCAA this season.
Eleven different Tritons won events at the regional championships across 11 different events.
Opening the list for Iowa Central are field event winners Eden Brouwers and Brown, both of whom won two individual events. Brouwers won the pole vault and javelin throw, while Brown stood atop the podium in the shot put and discus. She currently has the third-best shot put throw in the NJCAA this season.
Paola Behile also finished as a winner in her field event, the triple jump. She had a mark of 11.91 meters to win and earlier in the season hit 12.17 meters, a top-10 mark in the NJCAA.
In the track events, both Abbigail Hutchinson and Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula broke meet records. Hutchinson, with a time of 11:07.49 in the steeplechase, took first, while Bula Bula won the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.15. Currently, Hutchinson is top 10 in five events in the NJCAA, including the fourth-best time this season in the steeplechase.
Rounding out the individual event winners for the Tritons are Janae Dawes in the 800 meters and Brianna Wilson in the 200 meters. Wilson made First Team All-Region in dramatic fashion, winning her race by 0.01 seconds.
Iowa Central also won two of the three relay races at the championships. In the 4x400 meter relay, it was the group of Mechak Linda Bula Bula, Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula, Wilson and Dawes that took first. The 4x800 meter relay team was composed of Allecia Johnson, Alivia Edens, Juliette Gavois and Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula.
Rounding out the First Team All-Region honorees are competitors from Indian Hills and NIACC. For the Warriors, Alexa Zanders outpaced the rest with a time of 55.51. For the Trojans, Kiara Colton-Spearman won the heptathlon with a score of 3,520.
The designations follow the Region 11 Outdoor Championships, where the top three in each event determined first-team, second-team and honorable mention honors.
2026 Women's Outdoor Track & Field All-Region
100 Meters:
1. Mary Laha, Iowa Western
2. Brianna Wilson, Iowa Central
HM. Ida Smith, Indian Hills
100 Meter Hurdles:
1. Shantay Augustine, Iowa Western
2. Janae Dawes, Iowa Central
HM. Maya Bergstrooem Weekes, Iowa Western
200 Meters:
1. Brianna Wilson, Iowa Central
2. Mary Laha, Iowa Western
HM. Ja'Kayla Milton, Indian Hills
400 Meters:
1. Alexa Zanders, Indian Hills
2. Cindy Rose, Indian Hills
HM. Grace Nwaeme, Iowa Western
400 Meter Hurdles:
1. Janae Dawes, Iowa Central
2. Maya Bergstrooem Weekes, Iowa Western
HM. Shantay Augustine, Iowa Western
800 Meters:
1. Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula, Iowa Central
2. Elizabeth Ewusie, Iowa Western
HM. Antonella Lanuza, Iowa Western
1500 Meters:
1. Juliana Sakat, Iowa Western
2. Antonella Lanuza, Iowa Western
HM. Mya Curtis, Iowa Western
3000 Meter Steeplechase:
1. Abbigail Hutchinson, Iowa Central
2. Alyssa Kulesa, Iowa Western
HM. Kennedy Ritter, Southeastern
5000 Meters:
1. Elizabeth Ewusie, Iowa Western
2. Hafssa Boutrich, Iowa Western
HM. Mya Curtis, Iowa Western
10,000 Meters:
1. Juliana Sakat, Iowa Western
2. Hafssa Boutrich, Iowa Western
HM. Abbigail Hutchinson, Iowa Central
4x100 Meter Relay:
1. Iowa Western
Lyric Butcher, Mary Laha, Taeja Bartee, Shantay Augustine
2. Indian Hills
Ida Smith, Ja'Kayla Mmilton, Promise Zandy, Nathanaelle Bien-Aime
HM. NIACC
Addison Adam, Abby Chapman, Jayda Ramaker, Suzanne Guedeyi
4x400 Meter Relay:
1. Iowa Central
Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula, Mechak Linda Bula Bula, Janae Dawes, Brianna Wilson
2. Southwestern
Cloe Brown, Marli Hilton, Kamarin Simmons, Ivey Dostal
HM. Southeastern
Ja'Niya Crawford, Khalia Joseph, Layonna Stewart, Isabel Stout
4x800 Meter Relay:
1. Iowa Central
Allecia Johnson, Alivia Edens, Juliette Gavois, Chadrak Belinda Bula Bula
2. Iowa Western
Wijdane Inzaline, Norah Sjerven, Mya Curtis, Lizeth Esqueda
HM. Southeastern
Rylee Olsen, Aubrey Kuntz, Isabel Stout, Paetyn Wiegand
High Jump:
1. Yman Ossie Tchiengue, Iowa Western
2. Kahdijah Bailey, Iowa Western
HM. Unique Redmond, Indian Hills
Long Jump:
1. Taeja Bartee, Iowa Western
2. Maeva Goune Tibbolo, Iowa Central
HM. Janae Dawes, Iowa Central
Triple Jump:
1. Paola Behile, Iowa Central
2. Nickiya Shields, Iowa Western
HM. Maeva Goune Tibbolo, Iowa Central
Pole Vault:
1. Eden Brouwers, Iowa Central
2. Abbigain Hutchinson, Iowa Central
HM. Kira Messerly, Iowa Central
Shot Put:
1. Unitee Brown, Iowa Central
2. Lovely Hibbert, Iowa Western
HM. Kailan McEwen, Hawkeye
Hammer Throw:
1. Natasha Lynch, Iowa Western
2. Kailan McEwen, Hawkeye
HM. Cynthia Albert, Iowa Central
Javelin Throw:
1. Eden Brouwers, Iowa Central
2. Ella Homawoo, Iowa Central
HM. Kira Messerly, Iowa Central
Discus:
1. Unitee Brown, Iowa Central
2. Lovely Hibbert, Iowa Western
HM. Breanna Swaby, NIACC
Heptathlon:
1. Kiara Colton-Spearman, NIACC
2. Kira Messerly, Iowa Central
HM. Marrianna Moodie, Iowa Central