GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the fifth straight season, the Lady Crusaders claimed the SSAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship, while the men finished as runner-up for the second consecutive year.
 
Day one began with a strong start for the women as Kerrishma Williams won the long jump with a mark of 5.92m. Tyeese Smith followed closely in second at 5.82m, and Zaniyah Wilson placed sixth. Wilson then shifted her attention to the high jump, securing first place with a clearance of 1.62m, while Williams finished second at 1.57m.
 
On the track, Maria Schroeder and Jennifer Ezeoha posted times of 57.66 and 58.04 to take third and fourth in the 400m. The Crusaders dominated the 5000m, placing four runners in the top five. Kristina Stojanovic led the way with a winning time of 19:14, followed by Virginia Tirado in third at 19:56, and Hannah Mitchell and Sydney Moudy in fourth and fifth with times of 20:11.05 and 20:11.09.
 
In the 800m, Stojanovic finished second in 2:13, while Maria Tirado took third. Smith and Ja'Niya McDonald added third- and fourth-place finishes in the 200m. The distance medley relay team of Mitchell, V. Tirado, Auroura Latimer, and C'Shanti Pierce closed out day one with a first-place time of 13:39.
 
Day two opened with Williams making the podium again, finishing second in the triple jump with a mark of 11.35m. Natalee Dillon added a sixth-place finish. Smith continued her standout weekend by winning the 60m dash in 7.42, while McDonald placed just off the podium in 7.68.
 
Schroeder turned in a 1:38 performance in the 600m to finish second, with M. Tirado placing fourth in 1:39. Stojanovic landed on the podium again with a second-place finish in the 1000m, while Macy Robertson finished sixth.
 
The Lady Crusaders swept the podium in the one-mile run, placing four in the top five. Stojanovic earned another gold in 5:31, followed by Mitchell in second and V. Tirado in third, while Moudy secured fifth. In the 3000m, WCU nearly swept the podium again, with Mitchell winning in 11:12, Moudy taking second in 11:15, and V. Tirado placing fourth in 11:17.
 
In the relays, Ezeoha, Pierce, McDonald, and Schroeder earned second in the 4x400m with a time of 3:52, and the squad of Robertson, Moudy, Latimer, and Kyja Williams capped the women's championship with another second-place finish in the 4x800m.
 
On the men's side, day one opened with a dominant performance in the long jump as WCU claimed three of the top four spots. Romaine Lewis won with a mark of 7.14m, Avery Abram took second at 6.92m, and Charles Wilson finished fourth with a 6.86m jump.
 
In the 400m, Jovel Madourie claimed first place in 48.07, with Jaylyn Session placing fifth. Matthew McGuire won the 5000m in 15:14, while in the 800m, Santiago Vazquez and Luke Skinner finished fourth and fifth. The Crusaders also placed three in the top five of the 200m, led by Session's winning time of 21.25, followed by Barnabas Aggerh in second at 21.49, and Madourie in fifth at 21.71. Day one concluded with Richard Moudy, Niklas Moilanen, Jor'Dyn Payne, and Vazquez earning third in the distance medley relay with a time of 10:39.
 
Day two began with Carey sweeping the podium in the triple jump. Lewis secured another title with a mark of 15.40m, Wilson finished second at 14.57m, and Abram placed third at 14.35m. The Crusaders then went one-two in the 60m dash, as Aggerh won in 6.65, Session took second in 6.72, and DeJean Francees finished fifth.
 
In the 60m hurdles, Payne finished third, with Jaiden Hill taking fifth. Skinner won the 1000m in 2:30, with Vazquez finishing fifth. McGuire made the podium again with a third-place finish in the 3000m, and the 4x400m team of Madourie, Quinjerus Miles, Session, and Francees took fourth. The men wrapped up the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 4x800m relay behind the team of Moudy, Moilanen, McGuire, and Julius Giller.
 
Next up for both squads is the NAIA National Championships, set for March 5–7 at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center at Celebration Pointe in Gainesville, Fla.