NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The Concordia Wisconsin women's track and field team opened the 2026 indoor season Saturday at the Pat Heenan Invitational, hosted by North Central College. The Falcons were one of 11 teams in the field, which also included NACC opponents Benedictine and Concordia Chicago.
 
Sophomore Jacey Read (Carbondale, Colo.) turned in a standout performance, competing in three events. Her top finish came in the 60-meter dash, where she placed fifth in the preliminaries with a time of 7.96, the fastest mark in the NACC this season. Read improved to fourth in the finals, finishing in 8.05. She also competed in the high jump, clearing 1.50 meters to finish fifth. Junior Emma Eilertson (Mukwonago, Wis.) matched Read's height to also place fifth in the event.
 
The Falcons posted a strong showing in the 4x400-meter relay, as freshmen Adalin Nodolf (Ripon, Wis.), Callynn Strausser (Sheboygan, Wis.), and Lydia Boehlke (High Ridge, Mo.) teamed up with Read as the anchor. The quartet finished in 4:31.55, which currently ranks as the second-fastest time in the NACC.
 
Concordia Wisconsin found success in the 800-meter run, led by senior Danielle Van Grinsven (Appleton, Wis.), who finished second with a time of 2:24.89. Fellow senior Melanie Arvis (Berwyn, Ill.) followed closely behind, placing fourth in 2:26.83. The two marks rank first and second in the NACC, respectively.
 
Arvis also competed in the mile, alongside junior Emma Ahrens (Stephens City, Va.). Ahrens placed 10th with a time of 5:14.10, while Arvis finished 14th in 5:20.27. Those times currently stand as the top two marks in the NACC.
 
In the 60-meter hurdles, Eilertson and freshman Sophia Wunderlich (Greenville, Wis.) finished fifth and sixth in the finals with times of 9.91 and 9.93, respectively. Both athletes improved two positions from their preliminary heats.
 
Senior Kate Kotula (Wyomissing, Pa.) led the Falcons in the pole vault, placing sixth after clearing 3.07 meters. Sophomore Caitlyn Weitzel (Fallston, Md.) added an eighth-place finish with a mark of 2.77 meters.
 
Kotula also competed in the triple jump, earning a third-place finish with a leap of 10.39 meters on her fifth attempt. Wunderlich followed closely in fourth, recording a mark of 10.33 meters on her final jump.
 
In the throwing events, junior Paige Schreiber (Dousman, Wis.) placed ninth in the shot put with a throw of 10.22 meters. In the weight throw, junior Bryanna Mursch (Grafton, Wis.) finished seventh with a mark of 12.29 meters, while sophomore Makenna Herbrand (Fond du Lac, Wis.) placed ninth at 11.29 meters.
 
The Falcons return to action next weekend at the Aurora Grand Prix on Saturday, Jan. 24. The meet will be held at the Gately Indoor Track & Field Center in Chicago, Ill., with events beginning at 11 a.m.