Women’s Relays Open TU Showing at NAIA Nationals

Taylor Women's Indoor TF NAIA Championships Central

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Taylor women's indoor track and field team competed in the 4x800-meter relay and distance-medley relay prelims on Thursday at the first day of the 2026 NAIA Indoor National Championships.

The 4x800-meter relay lineup of Addie Draper, Marlina Howell, Catey Campbell and Noel Bass led things off by finishing with a time of 9:18.04. Despite turning in Taylor's best time of the season by five seconds and coming in just under three seconds shy of a new program record, the team placed 13th in the prelims and narrowly missed a spot in Saturday's finals.

Two hours later, the distance-medley relay lineup of Malarie Pinwar, Nicole Braz Domene, Emersyn Funk and Jaynie Halterman turned in the fastest time of prelims, winning the first heat by 15 seconds and leading the entire field of 19 with a time of 11:50.60. That mark was the second-best in TU history, just short of the record time of 11:50.58 set one year ago.

TU's DMR mark was just four seconds off pace of the fastest time in the NAIA this season and 12 seconds back of last year's NAIA Championship-winning time from The Masters.

The group will race in the DMR finals on Saturday at 4:40 pm in TU's final scheduled event of the National Championships.

Taylor will compete in three individual events on Friday, with Malarie Pinwar racing in the mile prelims at 11:45 pm, and Kiana Siefert competing in the long jump finals at noon and the prelims of the 60-meter hurdles at 12:30 pm.