MEQUON, Wis. – The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) announced its Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year for the 2026 season, and the league's head coaches selected Ainara Sainz de Rozas as the Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
A senior distance runner from Madrid, Spain, Sainz de Rozas earns the honor for the second consecutive year.
Sainz de Rozas delivered one of the most remarkable seasons in Concordia Wisconsin and NACC history in 2026. She capped her career with two USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors, winning the national title in the 5,000 meters and finishing as the runner-up in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
She opened her outdoor campaign in record-breaking fashion, winning the 5,000 meters at the UW-Platteville Invitational in 16:17.01, surpassing her own NACC all-time mark of 16:32.74 set at the 2025 NCAA Championships. She followed with a fourth-place finish in the 1,500 meters at the Augustana (Ill.) Meet of Champions (4:48.59).
Sainz de Rozas reached another milestone at one of the sport's most historic venues, capturing the invitational 10,000 meters at the 116th Drake Relays with a NACC all-time record of 34:02.86. The mark shattered the previous record of 34:45.80 set by Aurora's Deyanneira Colon Maldonado at last year's NCAA Championships.
At the NACC Outdoor Championships, Sainz de Rozas completed the distance sweep to earn Women's Track Athlete of the Meet honors. She won the 1,500 meters (4:34.94) and 5,000 meters (16:57.94) in meet-record times, breaking marks previously held by Colon Maldonado, and added a victory in the 10,000 meters, finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of teammate Emma Ahrens, the 2025 NACC Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
She closed the regular season with a win in the 1,500 meters at the UW-La Crosse NCAA Final Qualifier, recording a personal-best time of 4:27.56.
Competing in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Championships, Sainz de Rozas delivered standout performances in each event. She led the majority of the 10,000-meter race before finishing second in a close finish. In the 5,000 meters, she dominated her final collegiate race, winning by 15 seconds.
Both NCAA performances established NACC all-time records, surpassing her previous marks from earlier in the season, and rank among the top 10 times in NCAA Division III history. Her 10,000-meter time of 33:39.31 ranks seventh all-time, while her 5,000-meter time of 16:08.15 ranks ninth.
A three-time NACC Women's Track Student-Athlete of the Week this season, Sainz de Rozas also earned USTFCCCA All-North Region honors in the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters and was named the USTFCCCA North Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year.
