WICHITA, Kan. — The 2025 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships were held Thursday, May 1 and Friday, May 2, hosted by Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kan. Evangel University took home the men's team title, with Ottawa University securing the women's team title. The following is a meet recap written by meet announcer and long-time contributor to the KCAC, Carol Swenson.
2025 KCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Recap
By Carol R. Swenson (Meet Announcer)
The conclusion of the 2025 KCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships found the Ottawa University women and Evangel University men taking home their first KCAC Outdoor Track & Field championship banners in conference and respective school history!
Pre-meet predictions for the team championship races called for both the women’s and men’s team races to have at least four teams battling for the championship banners! And, true to the form, the team title races ended in a pair of the closest team championship races in conference history as the Ottawa women edged the University of Saint Mary by a record low three points (165 to 162), while the men’s race was the second closest in the past 50+ years, as Evangel turned back Kansas Wesleyan by eight points (163 to 155). Only McPherson College’s seven-point win over the University of Saint Mary in 2018 has been closer on the men’s side.
The meet saw the women post eight new meet records in six events, while the men altered the record book twice. The first meet record came in the preliminaries of the women’s 100m Dash, as Tiyna Ridge (Friends) ran 11.76 in Heat 1, bettering the record of 11.80 by Gretchen Raney (Saint Mary) set in 2023. But, that record lasted only minutes, as Heat 2 saw Raney cross the finish in 11.69, bettering Ridge’s minutes-old record. Two meet records in back-to-back preliminary heats! What a way to start off the meet!
About an hour and a half later, the Kansas Wesleyan men’s 4x800m Relay held off the Spires of Saint Mary, 7:35.47 to 7:36.70, as both teams dipped under the previous meet record of 7:37.81 set by Friends in 2018.
Earlier in the day in the field event session, Vance Shewey (Tabor) became the first man to win the High Jump four consecutive years, while Abby Green (Friends), as a junior, became the first woman to win the Hammer Throw three straight years, and JayOnna Perry (Ottawa) won the 400m Hurdles for a third straight year.
Friday’s Day 2 field event session saw meet records bettered by three women. In the women’s Pole Vault, the competition came down to a back-and-forth battle between the defending outdoor champion Abby Beets (Evangel) and 2025 indoor KCAC champion Aaliyah Ramirez (Friends). Beets was the event leader after her first attempt clearance at 3.35m while Ramirez need three attempts to clear that her opening height. Ramirez immediately took the event lead at the next height though, as she bettered Gabrielle Moore (Saint Mary) and Beets’ old KCAC meet record of 3.40m by clearing 3.50m on her second attempt, while Beets needed three attempts to equal Ramirez’s just-set new meet record and continue the competition. With the bar moved up to the NAIA "B" qualifying standard height of 3.65m/11’11.75, Beets missed her first attempt before Ramirez cleared on her first try, but Beets cleared on her second attempt, again giving both ladies the new KCAC meet record. Both ladies then missed all three attempts at 3.75m. Shortly thereafter, Anya Walton (Friends) won a great Triple Jump competition, bounding to a final distance of 12.27m/40’3.25” on her sixth attempt to turn back national qualifying marks by Aba Sam (Ottawa; hit the NAIA "A" Qualifying Standard) and April Phillips (Evangel; hit the NAIA "B" Qualifying Standard), while besting the previous meet record of 12.22m by Emily Post (Tabor) set in 2013.
Action then turned to the oval and in the first event of Friday’s track session, the Ottawa women set the first of what would be two relay meet records, winning the 4x100m Relay in a time of 46.65 to break the previous record of 46.69 by Friends set in 2016, as the first four teams all ran national qualifying times. Then, in the final women’s track event of the meet, Ottawa took down another meet record, running 3:52.02 in the 4x400 meter relay to better the previous record of 3:52.36 also set by Friends in 2016.
Between the Ottawa women’s records, first Devyn Wright (Evangel) broke one of the oldest meet records, winning the 200m Dash in a time of 20.76 which wiped off the board the record of 21.00 by Clarence Anderson (Ottawa) set in 2012. The final individual meet record of the meet was set by Josie Tyrrell (Saint Mary), as she ran the 5,000m in 17:50.77 to replace the 17:52.72 by Alyssa Armendariz (Saint Mary) set in 2023.
JayOnna Perry (Ottawa) would finish the meet as the championship’s only three-event individual winner, as she won the Long Jump before sweeping the 100m Hurdle and 400m Hurdle events. Winning two individual events were Devyn Wright (Evangel), taking the 200m and 400m Dashes, Wyatt Johnson (Kansas Wesleyan) sweeping the 800m and 1,500m Runs, and Trenton Braswell (Evangel) winning the Shot Put and Hammer Throw.
At the conclusion of the meet, JayOnna Perry (Ottawa) was named the Women’s Overall Athlete of the Meet while Devyn Wright (Evangel) took home the Men’s Overall Athlete of the Meet award.
Complete meet results can be seen here.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
WOMEN
1. Ottawa University - 165
2. University of Saint Mary - 162
3. Evangel University - 122
4. Friends University - 119
5. Kansas Wesleyan University - 93
6. Tabor College - 47
7. York University - 31
8. McPherson College - 30
9. Bethel College - 27
10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University - 10
11. Sterling College - 5
T12. Bethany College - 3
T12. Southwestern College - 3
MEN
1. Evangel University -163
2. Kansas Wesleyan University - 155
3. Friends University - 135
4. University of Saint Mary - 127
5. McPherson College - 62
6. Ottawa University - 46
7. Sterling College - 36.5
8. Tabor College - 27
9. York University - 26
10. Bethany College - 23
11. Bethel College - 16.5
12. Southwestern College - 2
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
- KCAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Meet: JayOnna Perry (Ottawa) [3rd straight]
- KCAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet: Gretchen Raney (Saint Mary)
- KCAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet (TIE): Cara Shultz (McPherson) & April Phillips (Evangel)
- KCAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year: Jim Whittaker (Ottawa)
- KCAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year: Clayton Hardman (Kansas Wesleyan)
- KCAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Meet: Devyn Wright (Evangel)
- KCAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet: Devyn Wright (Evangel)
- KCAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Meet: Trenton Braswell (Evangel)
- KCAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year: Brandon Staley (Evangel)
- KCAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year: Garrett Young (Kansas Wesleyan)
MEET RECORDS SET
Women (Eight Records set in Six Events)
- 100m – Tiyna Ridge (Friends) 11.76p (In Prelims Heat 1)
- Old Record: 11.80, Gretchen Raney, Saint Mary, 2023
- 100m – Gretchen Raney (Saint Mary) 11.69p (In Prelims Heat 2)
- Old Record: 11.76p, Tiyna Ridge, Friends, 2025
- 100m – Tiyna Ridge (Friends) 11.55 (In Finals)
- Old Record: 11.69p, Gretchen Raney, Saint Mary, 2025
- 5,000m – Josie Tyrrell (Saint Mary) 17:50.77
- Old Record: 17:52.72, Alyssa Armendariz, Saint Mary, 2023
- 4x100m Relay – Ottawa (Aba Sam, Roy’Janae Brown, Jah-Nisha Campbell, Jordyn Weems) 46.65
- Old Record: 46.69, Friends, 2016
- 4x400m Relay – Ottawa (JayOnna Perry, Jah-Nisha Campbell, Tanzania Barnes, Jordyn Weems) 3:52.02
- Old Record: 3:52.36, Friends, 2016
- Pole Vault – Aaliyah Ramirez (Friends) & Abby Beets (Evangel) 3.65m/11’11.75”
- Old Record: 3.40m/11’1.75” Gabrielle Moore, Saint Mary, 2022 & Abby Beets, Evangel, 2024
- Triple Jump – Anya Walton (Friends) 12.27m/40’3”
- Old Record: 12.22m/40’1.25” Emily Post, Tabor, 2013]
Men (2 Records Set)
- 200m – Devyn Wright (Evangel) 20.76
- Old Record: 21.00 Clarence Anderson, Ottawa, 2012
- 4x800m Relay – Kansas Wesleyan (Ty Davidson, Triston Cottone, Julian Avila, Wyatt Johnson) 7:35.47
- Old Record: 7:37.81, Friends, 2018
INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS
Women:
- 3 – JayOnna Perry (Ottawa)
- 100m Hurdles
- 400m Hurdles [3rd straight]
- Long Jump
- Tiyna Ridge (Friends)
- Jordyn Weems (Ottawa)
- Gretchen Raney (Saint Mary)
- Sonya Zimmerman (Tabor)
- Carly Holadia (Saint Mary)
- Josie Tyrrell (Saint Mary)
- Kate Madsen (Saint Mary)
- Natalia Quiroz (Oklahoma Wesleyan)
- Delaney Miller (Evangel)
- Aaliyah Ramirez (Friends)
- Anya Walton (Friends)
- Kara Alexander (McPherson)
- Cara Shultz (McPherson)
- Abby Green (Friends)
- Hammer Throw [3rd straight]
- Maddy Wolf (Kansas Wesleyan)
- 2 Relays– Ottawa
- 4x100m Relay
- 4x400m Relay
- Evangel
Men:
- 2 – Devyn Wright (Evangel)
- 2 – Wyatt Johnson (Kansas Wesleyan)
- 2 – Trenton Braswell (Evangel)
- Domonic Atkinstall (Ottawa)
- Dominick Beine (Saint Mary)
- Ryan Heline (Saint Mary)
- Kenjuan Hampton (McPherson)
- Benjamin Ipock (Evangel)
- Daniel Pantoja (Saint Mary)
- Vance Shewey (Tabor)
- Dylan Brice (Bethany)
- Damon Scott (Friends)
- Carter Giittinger (Friends)
- Lamar Gordon (McPherson)
- Kort Sjogren (Bethany)
- Friends
- Evangel
- Kansas Wesleyan
- 4x800m Relay MR [2nd straight]
—KCAC—