NAPERVILLE — National qualifying marks and early conference leaders have begun to take shape across the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) during the first month of the women’s indoor track & field season. 
 
Illinois Wesleyan’s Imani Ogunribido headlines the early results with the nation’s top triple jump, while sprinters, throwers and relay squads from across the conference have posted multiple nationally-ranked performances. 
 
This week’s notebook recaps the top marks, event leaders and upcoming competition as teams continue to build toward the heart of the indoor schedule.
 
Ogunribido and the Horizontal Jump Monopoly
Illinois Wesleyan junior Imani Ogunribido has set the early national standard in the horizontal jumps during the opening weeks of the indoor season. The reigning NCAA outdoor champion opened her year on Dec. 5 at the Titan First Chance Meet by resetting her own program record in the triple jump with a mark of 12.53 meters (41-1.5), currently the top performance in NCAA Division III. Ogunribido added another victory last Saturday at the Coach Shoe Invitational with a leap of 12.06 meters.
 
Elmhurst has placed two athletes among the national leaders in the event. Chloe Selmer recorded a season-best 11.66 meters (38-3.25) on Dec. 6 to rank fifth nationally, while teammate Paulina Tinajero posted 11.42 meters to stand ninth. Carroll’s Katelyn Duber reached 11.01 meters last Saturday at the Beloit Opener to move into the Division III top 20.
 
In the long jump, Tinajero owns the conference’s top mark after clearing 5.82 meters (19-1.25) at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird. The performance currently ranks third nationally.
 
Sprinting Towards National Qualifying Times
Several CCIW sprinters have opened the season with nationally-ranked performances. North Park’s Riana Hayes leads the conference in the 60 meters after running 7.71 on Dec. 12 at the Blue Demon Holiday Invite, ranking 14th in Division III. Hayes followed with a runner-up finish at the Pat Heenan Invite (7.83) and placed third in the 200 meters (26.37).
 
Elmhurst’s Tiana Grady holds the conference’s top 200-meter time at 25.34 from December competition, a mark that sits 16th nationally. Grady also won the 60 meters at the Coach Shoe Invitational last Saturday in 7.83.
 
Elmhurst’s Carmela Woods leads the league in the 400 meters after posting 57.12 on Dec. 5, ranking eighth in Division III. Carthage’s Syvonna Perry added a 7.88 effort in the 60 meters at the Forever Red Alumni Classic, while Augustana freshman Bridget Hecker won the 200 meters (26.53) at the Bumble Rumble last Saturday.
 
Carthage’s Heavy Artillery: The Throwing Unit
Carthage has produced multiple national contenders in the throwing events. Madison Payne opened her season with a 13.50-meter shot put on Dec. 6, ranking third nationally. Last Saturday at the Firebird First Invite, Payne moved into the conference lead in the weight throw at 15.58 meters, ranking 12th in Division III.
 
Teammate Lillian Townsend recorded 12.82 meters in the shot put on Saturday, ranking 16th nationally and second in the conference. Augustana’s Charlotte Frere added a 14.25-meter weight throw at the Bumble Rumble, while North Central freshman Yakyra Wilder swept the shot put (11.63 meters) and weight throw (14.57 meters) at the Cardinal Opener on Jan. 9.
 
Vertical Excellence: Raising the Bar
The pole vault and high jump have featured multiple nationally-ranked marks in January. North Park’s Julia Klein cleared a personal-best 3.67 meters (12-0.5) last Saturday at the Pat Heenan Invite to move into 10th place nationally. North Central’s Gwen Berenyi follows closely after clearing 3.65 meters (11-11.75) on Jan. 9, ranking 12th.
 
Carroll’s Jenna Weis remains among the national leaders after clearing 3.55 meters in December.
 
In the high jump, Illinois Wesleyan freshman Gwendolyn Boettinger cleared 1.65 meters (5-5) on Saturday, ranking eighth nationally and third on the Titans’ all-time list. Elmhurst’s Brooke Greaves and Angelina Camaci both cleared 1.55 meters earlier this season.
 
Mid-Distance and Distance Events Feature Youth Movement
Several freshmen and underclassmen have made early impacts in the middle and distance events. North Central freshman Dylan Moeller won the 800 meters at the Cardinal Opener (2:27.67) and the 3,000 meters at the Pat Heenan Invite (10:43.39).
 
Millikin sophomore Brooklynn Sweikar leads the conference in the mile after running 5:11.85 on Saturday at the John Craft Invitational.
 
Augustana’s Norah Wright placed second in the 800 meters (2:23.41) at St. Ambrose last Saturday. In December, Wheaton’s Meredith Eisses and Abby Lawson finished one-two in the 800 meters at the Forever Red Alumni Classic, separated by 0.01 seconds.
 
Hurdles and Multi-Events Produce Early Leaders
Elmhurst’s Brooke Greaves leads the conference in the 60-meter hurdles after running 8.82 on Dec. 5, ranking ninth nationally. Last Saturday, teammate Tiana Grady won the event at the Coach Shoe Invitational in 8.99, while Augustana’s Khaliah Knox placed second at the Bumble Rumble in 9.75.
 
In the pentathlon, Wheaton’s Hannah Tompkins leads the conference with 2,606 points from Dec. 12. North Central’s Hannah Galletti and Gabrielle Gangloff have also posted solid early marks across multiple events.
 
Relay Depth and Team Statements
Relay competition has intensified as teams settle into mid-season form. North Central’s 4x400 relay (Schmidthuber, Smith, Minkie, Uvakova) posted a conference-leading 4:04.59 on Saturday to win its home meet by 14 seconds.
 
Illinois Wesleyan won the 4x400 at the Coach Shoe Invitational in 4:10.23, edging Elmhurst by less than two seconds. Millikin leads the Distance Medley Relay with a 13:39.25 performance from Saturday. Carroll’s 4x400 relay opened December with a 4:08.19 effort, ranking 23rd nationally.
 
The Road Ahead: High-Stakes Chicago Showdown
The indoor schedule continues with a full slate of competition this weekend. Carthage will compete at the Red Hawk Opener at Ripon on Friday. On Saturday, Elmhurst, Illinois Wesleyan, North Park and North Central travel to Chicago for the Aurora Grand Prix.
 
Millikin heads to the IC Snow Bird Invite in Jacksonville, Carroll visits the Karl Schlender Invitational at Whitewater and Augustana competes at the Hilltop Invitational in Iowa.