WICHITA, Kan. — Southwestern closed out the 2026 KCAC Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Wichita State's Heskett Center, capping two days of competition against the conference's top programs in one of the NAIA's most competitive indoor environments.

Competing on the flat 200-meter track at the Heskett Center, the Moundbuilders saw contributions across sprints, middle distance, and field events as both the men's and women's teams wrapped up the indoor championship season.

On the women's side, sophomore Abigail Eckert paced Southwestern with a busy meet that spanned three events. Eckert posted an 8.48 in the 60-meter preliminaries, finishing 17th in a field stacked with conference sprint depth. She returned in the 200-meter prelims to clock a 28.95, placing 20th, and later added a 16th-place finish in the long jump with a top mark of 4.46 meters (14 feet, 7.75 inches). Eckert's versatility across sprint and field events highlighted Southwestern's developing youth on the women's roster.

Senior Lauryn Peterson represented the Moundbuilders in the 800 meters, finishing 16th with a time of 2:55.92. Peterson's effort came in a tactical middle-distance field that required steady pacing on the tight indoor track.

In the throwing events, sophomore Malia Pearson led Southwestern's efforts. Pearson recorded a 10.20-meter (33-5.75) throw in the shot put to finish 21st. She followed with a ninth-place showing in the weight throw, reaching 13.28 meters (43-7) for the team's highest women's field-event placement of the meet. Senior Vanessa Mendoza added depth in the weight throw, placing 20th with a mark of 11.70 meters (38-4.75).

On the men's side, Southwestern's sprinters provided strong representation in the 60-meter preliminaries. Senior Christopher Collier-Surly led the quartet with a ninth-place finish in 7.04 seconds. Sophomore Dominique Orosco placed 13th in 7.09, freshman Ben Patowski finished 16th in 7.13, and sophomore Manuel Reyes rounded out the group in 7.44.

Orosco returned in the 200-meter preliminaries and posted a 23.15 to finish 16th. Patowski crossed in 23.86 for 25th, while Reyes ran 24.00 to place 27th. Orosco also doubled back in the 400 meters, finishing 27th in 56.54 as he competed in multiple sprint events over the two-day meet.

In middle-distance competition, junior Jack Titgemeyer clocked 1:35.88 in the 600 meters to place 22nd. Senior Jamell Sanchez ran 2:28.20 in the 800 meters, finishing 27th, and later posted a 5:31.49 in the mile to place 29th. Sophomore Derek Ponce-Gonzales recorded a 5:11.59 in the mile to finish 26th and added a 10:41.83 in the 3,000 meters, placing 23rd.

In the field events, freshman Luke Peffer turned in one of the team's top finishes, placing ninth in the long jump with a mark of 6.76 meters (22-2.25). Peffer also cleared 1.76 meters (5-9.25) in the high jump to finish 15th, contributing points across multiple jumping disciplines. Fellow freshman JJ Crawford placed 11th in the long jump at 6.56 meters (21-6.25) and finished 7th in the triple jump at 13.43 meters (44-0.75), marking one of the Moundbuilders' strongest field-event performances of the weekend. Reyes added a 22nd-place effort in the long jump at 5.58 meters (18-3.75).

In the throws, sophomore Emerson Williams led Southwestern's men with a 12.51-meter (41-0.5) shot put mark, finishing 17th. Williams also threw 12.93 meters (42-5.25) in the weight throw to place 16th. Sophomore Anthony Mendoza recorded an 11.49-meter (37-8.5) effort in the shot put for 27th and reached 9.91 meters (32-6.25) in the weight throw to finish 21st.

The Moundbuilders will be back in action in March to open up the 2026 outdoor track and field campaign.