KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced its first Track and Field Athletes of the Week from the 2025-26 women’s indoor season, presented by
Beynon – the official track surface of the MIAA. All 11 MIAA track and field programs were in action over the weekend with multiple athletes posting top NCAA Division II marks. Northwest Missouri’s Melanie Roland was named the league’s first Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, and Pittsburg State’s Rachel Wilson was named the first Indoor Field Athlete of the Week.
INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Melanie Roland, Northwest Missouri
Melanie Roland became the first athlete to break 55 seconds in the women’s 400 meters this season, posting the No. 1 time in the nation at the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic this past Saturday (Dec. 6). Roland, a senior from Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe, clocked a time of 54.45 to capture first-place honors in her first meet of the season.
INDOOR FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Rachel Wilson, Pittsburg State
Rachel Wilson registered a personal best performance in the high jump last Saturday (Dec. 6), while claiming the No. 1 ranking in NCAA Division II in the discipline at the Crimson & Gold Invitational at the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg. Wilson tied the Pitt State school record with her clearance of 5 feet, 10.5 inches (1.79 meters). She bested her previous PR mark of 5-9.25 (1.76 meters) in claiming victory in the field of 23 competitors on Saturday.
NOTABLE TRACK PERFORMANCES:
Kayvon Nubine, Pittsburg State
Kayvon Nubine posted the fastest 60-meter hurdles time in NCAA Division II in her season debut at the Crimson & Gold Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 6). The sophomore from Edmond, Okla., was clocked in 8.38 seconds, just .04 off her personal best time in the discipline.
Grizell Scarlett, Central Missouri
Grizell Scarlett shattered Central Missouri’s 18-year-old school record in the women's 60-meter dash while winning the event at the Washburn Alumni Invitational last Saturday (Dec. 6), with a time of 7.40 seconds. The previous school record was 7.59, set by Elise Johnson in 2007. Scarlett's time is second-fastest in NCAA Division II this season. She also placed third in the women's 200-meter dash with a time of 24.44, which is the second-fastest indoor 200-meter time in school history and currently ranks seventh in Division II this season.
Stella Agbokpah, Emporia State
Stella Agbokpah turned in a pair of top two performances for the Hornets, both of them provisional qualifiers, at the Washburn Alumni Invitational. She set a school record with a time of 24.43 seconds to finish second in the 200 meters. She broke Shannon Butler's school record of 24.81 in the 200 meters that was set at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Agbokpah is currently ranked fifth in the nation and second in the MIAA in the 200 meters this year. Her time of 7.63 seconds in the prelims of the 60 meters is the second-best mark in ESU history in the event, as she finished in 7.65 seconds to place sixth in the finals. With that time, she also ranks 22nd in Division II and seventh in the MIAA in the 60-meter dash.
NOTABLE FIELD PERFORMANCES:
Dailynn VanDeren, Missouri Southern
Dailynn VanDeren earned two event wins and a pair of top 10 NCAA Division II marks at the Crimson & Gold Invitational, taking first in both the weight throw and shot put. She posted a mark of 19.12 meters in the weight throw, securing an NCAA qualifying performance. VanDeren also recorded 16.42 meters in the shot put, a personal best, NCAA qualifying mark, and new Missouri Southern school record. Her shot put distance currently ranks No. 2 on the NCAA Division II performance list while her weight throw currently ranks seventh in the nation.
Katie Linenberger, Fort Hays State
In her first-ever collegiate competition, Katie Linenberger won the high jump competition at the Washburn Alumni Invite with a top clearance of 5 feet, 8.5 inches (1.74 meters). That mark is good for fourth on the NCAA Division II national performance list this season and is third-best on Fort Hays State’s Division II era performance chart. The freshman cleared five bars on her way to the title, making only one miss during that run.
ALSO NOMINATED:
Track Nominations: Taylor Hoskinson [Fort Hays State], Alaina Norman [Missouri Southern]
Field Nominations: Makenzie Garr [Missouri Western], Mele Taula [Emporia State]
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Beynon Sports, a Tarkett Sports company, is a leading North American company specializing in designing, manufacturing and installing high-performance synthetic athletic surfaces, particularly track and field, but also for tennis, pickleball and other indoor courts, known for their speed, durability, and focus on sustainability. They provide surfaces for elite venues and community facilities, and meet strict International Association of Athletics Federations standards.
INDOOR WEEK ONE TRACK: Melanie Roland, Northwest Missouri
INDOOR WEEK ONE FIELD: Rachel Wilson, Pittsburg State