MARION, Ind. – For the second time in program history and the first time since 2019, the UBC Thunderbirds are men's and women's NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Champions.
Both teams held the lead going into the final day of competition at Indiana Wesleyan University only to expand their respective margins for a pair of decisive victories with the T-Birds women earning their fourth consecutive red banner with 105 total points, 28 clear of second place Life, while the men took home their third title with 74, a 21 point gap ahead of runners-up Madonna.
"It's crazy that some of these women have no idea what it's like to come second at a national championship and that's pretty remarkable," said UBC head coach,
Laurier Primeau, who oversaw his seventh and eighth track and field titles in his tenure with the blue and gold. "I think there are lessons for them in learning to be gracious in success but also, they've each contributed to the traditions and success of this program and set a standard for the next generation to follow."
"At the beginning of the year we always look at what talent we have and who we think might score at a national championship, I certainly look at those things and I really thought this was a rebuild year," said Primeau of the initial prospects for the men this season. "But when you look at how many points the underclassmen contributed, from Max (Filion) in the steeplechase to Lyle (Lo) in the triple jump to Lowell (Solmes) in the racewalk to James (Kerr) in the 400 hurdles, and I feel badly because I know I'm forgetting some in saying that; but then in supporting some of those senior points from Dylan (Uhrich) in the steeple and Tyler (Wilson) coming second and getting eight points in the racewalk. So, we had this great mixture that I never would have imagined us having in the beginning of the year."
Friday on the track started as good as it could possibly have for UBC with the blue and gold sweeping the 3000 metre steeplechase finals. Competing in her last NAIA championship meet, senior
Elysse Fleming took gold with a time of 10:37.21, keeping the title in UBC's hands after
Kiana Gibson won in 2024.
Dylan Uhrich successfully defended his NAIA steeplechase final while
Maximilien Filion took silver for a combined 18 team points. Uhrich's time of 8:59.39 ensured the UBC senior became the first repeat champion since T-Bird alumnus John Gay who last won in 2018. Filion clinched second with a 9:01.02 to complete the maximum overall T-Bird point potential.
Holly MacGillivray had a massive final day of her final NAIA Championship meet as a Thunderbird, winning the women's 1500 metres for a second straight year. Her final time of 4:21.30 was little under 11 seconds ahead of her sister,
Sarah MacGillivray who claimed sixth and another three points.
Two-and-a-half hours later, Holly was back on the track for one of the most gruelling events of the weekend, the 5000 metres, where she clinched silver with a final time of 16:53.00.
Amelia Pfohl made it two T-Birds on the All-American podium with her fourth place finish.
"It's a really cool feeling in the bigger picture to twice now in two years have the dual team sweep after Cross Country won U SPORTS in 2023," said UBC lead endurance coach,
Steve Weiler. " With large groups competing, there's always mixed results and ups and downs, but it means we got a lot of things right both this week and throughout the season overall. It's also been four years building up to this pinnacle moment."
Sophomore
Lyle Lo surpassed his 11
th place triple jump performance at the 2024 national meet, and then some, taking NAIA silver Friday. His best attempt of 15.34 metres came on his sixth and final attempt, nabbing eight points and his second All-American nod of the week.
James Kerr finished fifth in the men's 400 metre hurdles with a time of 52.21 for four points toward the team total while earning All-American status.
Freshman
Haley Martin had an outstanding finish to her first national meet, claiming sixth place in the women's 400 metre hurdles. Her time of 1:01.34 was a new personal best and allowed her to finish 18 places above her ranking heading into the week.
The women earned four points with a fifth place finish in the first relay of the day, the 4x100.
Debbie Suleman,
Sonya Urbanowicz,
Tanya Dhanoa and
Hanna Sobkowich combined for a 46.49.
Hanna Sobkowich took fourth place in the women's 400 metres, the first time in her four-year Thunderbird career she ran the event at nationals, adding to her extensive championship resume.
Mackenzie Campbell is the 2025 NAIA women's 800 metre champion, crossing the finish line with a personal best time of 2:07.55.
Rachel Mortimer took home sixth place for another three team points.
In addition to UBC's dual banners, the 'Birds were also honoured with individual accolades.
Olivia Lundman, who broke her own previous NAIA National Championship record Thursday in the women's 5000 metre racewalk, was named women's Most Outstanding Perfomer. Primeau was also named both the women's and men's Coach of the Year.
"These team awards go far beyond one coach, they are athletic performances that none of us can be responsible for except the athletes themselves who really dug deep to contribute to those team points," said Primeau. "But importantly, every one of our coaches had an All-American here and that speaks to their own talents and the fact they care so deeply for our athletes and their well-being; that being the focus, the performances just kind of roll off of that amount of empathy and caring."
Now with five banners for the women – one in each of their last five trips to the national championship – and three for the men, all in the last eight years, there is no doubt UBC continues to build one of the most impressive track and field legacies in the history of the NAIA. Concluding a most impressive week, the blue and gold not only stood up to the challenges presented to them but in many cases surpassed expectations, making themselves, their coaches, and their many supporters incredibly proud indeed.
FULL RESULTS
