Northern Arizona University's men's and women's track and field teams impressed at the NAU Tune Up on February 20, achieving numerous personal records and top placements in various events at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome. The Lumberjacks earned 21 podium finishes, including eight first-place results, showcasing depth across throwing, jumping, and sprinting disciplines. Standout performances highlighted individual breakthroughs amid team success.
The NAU Tune Up, held on February 20 at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona, saw the Lumberjacks dominate on home soil. In field events, senior Desmond Lott won the men's weight throw with 21.67 meters, outdistancing competitors by nearly four meters. Senior Ryan Edelman placed third at 17.45 meters, and sophomore Grant Wade fourth at 17.29 meters. On the women's side, sophomore Larissa Francois took second in the weight throw with 16.77 meters, while sophomore Alexys Salas set a personal record of 15.43 meters for fourth place.
Jumping events featured strong showings as well. Senior Christian Mutengela cleared 2.08 meters in the high jump, a personal record that ranks among the top-10 in NAU history. 'I was on the verge of not making the conference roster, and I wasn’t gonna let myself miss out on that opportunity, I just needed to turn up,' Mutengela said. 'That feels amazing man, I’ve gone through so much with track and seeing all the hard work pay off… It means a lot to me.' In the men's triple jump, junior Justin Cardoza finished second at 14.77 meters, with freshman Jaymis Brown third at 14.56 meters, also a personal best. Freshman Kylah Victum placed sixth in the women's long jump with a personal record of 4.77 meters.
Distance races highlighted senior Randy Espinoza's second-place finish in the men's mile at 4:18.14. For the women, freshman Makenzie McRae won at 5:01.61, edging out teammates like freshman Tess Hannigan, who took fourth at 5:09.81.
In hurdles, junior Erick Reyes-Aguilera claimed first in the men's 60-meter with a 7.98-second personal record, the sixth-best in school history. 'It feels amazing, I just didn’t see it coming,' he said. 'I wanted to run 8.0 this season, that was like the goal and now I ran 7.9 it’s just crazy, a great feeling.' Sophomore Sydnie Watkins, the current NAU hurdles record holder, placed second in the women's 60-meter hurdles despite clipping a hurdle, with sophomore Jadyn Montgomery third at 8.68 seconds—a personal record tying for fourth in school history—and junior Kaelyn Giarrusso fifth at 9.05 seconds. Watkins noted, 'Both races I have been working on less hurdling and more sprinting through the race… although I hit the hurdle, my time was good.'
The women's 400-meter saw freshman Bella Brauc lead with a first-place 57.69 seconds, followed by senior Alaynah Reed in third and junior Reanna Campbell in fourth; freshman Kenzie Blanchard finished seventh just over one minute. In the 200-meter, Watkins earned second at 24.26 seconds, a personal record, with sophomore Ariel Haygood fourth at 24.80 seconds.
Overall, the performances position NAU well for the upcoming Big Sky Conference Championships starting February 26 in Pocatello, Idaho.
