For Immediate Release
Monday, February 16, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
TFRRS Performance List

NSIC Women's Track Athlete of the Week
Tayen Werner (Sprints, So., Langham, Sask. / Walter W. Brown HS) – UMary
- Won the 400m dash at the SDSU Indoor Classic
- Broke her own school record with a 53.93
- Ranks fifth in the nation and first in the NSIC
- Ran on the 4x400 relay that placed third and finished as the top Division II team
- Time of 3:44.37 ranks 12th in the nation and best in the NSIC
- Named NSIC Track Athlete of the Week for the third time this season (12/16/25 & 2/3/26)

NSIC Women's Field Athlete of the Week
Aubri Brown (Throws, So., Marshfield, Wis. / Marshfield HS) - Minnesota State
- Won the weight throw at the Ted Nelson Classic with a personal best of 67-0.5 (20.43m)
- The throw ranks second in Division II this season
- Also won the shot put at the Ted Nelson Classic with a mark of 13.06m
- Named NSIC Field Athlete of the Week for the second week in a row

Other Top Track Performances
Ellen Merkley (Augustana)
- Set personal bests in both the 60m and 200m at the SDSU Indoor Classic
- Won the 200m in 24.57, the second-best time in program history
- Followed with a 7.56 in the 60m, also the second fastest time in program history
- Her 200m time ranks 11th in the Central Region and her 60m time ranks 10th
Sophie Rylance (Bemidji State)
- Won the women’s 800 at the Ted Nelson Classic in Mankato
- Set an indoor PR with a time of 2:15.94
- Has event wins in the 800 and 1000 while taking second last week at the Bison Open
Nyadio Chan (Concordia-St. Paul)
- Broke a 24-year-old school record in the 1,000-meter at the Ted Nelson Classic
- Clocked a time of 2:57.44 to finish second
- Beat the previous record by more than three seconds
Esaba Okwaramoi (Minnesota State)
- Won the 60 meter hurdles in both prelims and finals at the Ted Nelson Classic
- Ranks eighth in Division II with a finals time of 8.40, a personal best
Summer Krebsbach (Minot State)
- Broke her own school record in the 200 meters at the SDSU Indoor Classic
- Finished second in the invitational
- Clocked a 24.87, breaking her previous record of 25.03
- Now ranks fourth in the NSIC in the event
Renea Taylor (Northern State)
- Led the Wolves at the SDSU Classic
- Ran the 60m hurdles and 60m, posting times of 8.67 and 7.50
- Finished second in the hurdles and fourth in the 60
- Earned provisional marks in both events
Michelle Marquard (Southwest Minnesota State)
- Won the 60 meters with a school record time of 7.79
- Broke the previous record of 7.83 set in 2016
- Also won the pole vault with a mark of 3.57m
Zaria Stapleton (St. Cloud State)
- Finished first in the 60m prelims with a personal best of 7.82
- Time is tied for No. 24 among NSIC sprinters
- Finished third in the 60 finals
- Ran on the winning 4x200 relay
- Placed fifth in the long jump with a personal best of 5.19m

Other Top Field Performances
Trista Bilden (Bemidji State)
- Set a PR in the indoor shot put with a throw of 12.88m to finish second at the Ted Nelson Classic
- Improved by nearly a full meter from last week at the Bison Open and her previous PR set at the Cobber Open
Allysah Larson (Minnesota State Moorhead)
- Finished fourth in the triple jump at the SDSU Indoor Classic with a personal best of 11.78m
- Mark is an NCAA provisional and second-best indoor triple jump in MSUM history
- Also placed sixth in the long jump with a leap of 5.52m
Romane Maugest (Northern State)
- Cleared 3.90m in the pole vault at the SDSU Classic to place second behind a Division I com-petitor
- Set a personal record and earned a provisional mark
- Ranks first in the NSIC and 15th nationally in the pole vault
Elena Martinez-Rodriguez (St. Cloud State)
- Won the high jump at the CSB Invitational with a personal best of 1.69m
- Jump was an NCAA provisional and ranks first in the NSIC and tied for 30th in Division II
- Marked her third high jump win of the season
- Improved her personal best by 0.08m
- Was also on the winning 4x200 relay team
Olivia Schwarzrock (Wayne State)
-Won the shot put and placed second in the weight throw at the Concordia Invite
- Shot put mark of 45-7.25 (13.90) was an NCAA provisional and now leads the NSIC
- Took second in the weight throw with a throw of 54-6.75 
- Currently ranks first in shot put and second in weight throw in the NSIC

 
Women's Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
12/9/25
T: Tionce Walrond - University of Mary
F: Ghada Hamdani - Minnesota State
12/16/25
T: Tayen Werner - University of Mary
F: Anna Bruno  – University of Mary
1/20/26
T: Esaba Okwaramoi - Minnesota State
F: Ashanti Harvey - Minnesota State
1/27/26
T: Ashanti Harvey - Minnesota State 
F: Elvira Collvin - Minnesota State
2/3/26
T: Tayen Werner - University of Mary (2)
F: Miranda Lauvstad - Minnesota State
2/9/26
T: Ashanti Harvey - Minnesota State (2)
F: Aubri Brown - Minnesota State
2/16/26
T: Tayen Werner - University of Mary (3)
F: Aubri Brown - Minnesota State (2)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 122 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.