Temple University's women's indoor track and field team will compete at the Sykes and Sabock Challenge hosted by Penn State on February 7. The Owls bring 20 athletes across 14 events, highlighted by national rankings in triple jump and conference-leading pole vault. UConn's men's and women's squads also join the meet following recent school records at other invitationals.
The Sykes and Sabock Challenge, hosted by Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania, draws teams including Temple University and the University of Connecticut for an indoor track and field meet on Saturday, February 7, 2026. Track events begin at 10:30 a.m., with field events starting at 11:00 a.m.
Temple's women's team features 20 athletes in 14 events. The Owls rank ninth nationally in the triple jump, led by Inara Shell's mark of 12.87 meters, which stands as the second-best in Temple indoor history. Emelie Beckman tops the American Athletic Conference in pole vault after clearing 4.02 meters to win the Penn Invitational, tying for 70th among over 500 NCAA Division I athletes.
Competitors include Beckman, Aly Doyle, Kamryn Ohm, Smilla Ranebro, Shalisha Robertson, Reagan Schwartz, Shell, and Reece Sullivan in jumps events. In sprints, Janae Pettaway and Lila Ziegler run the 60-meter dash, while Zayniah Ali and Doyle tackle the 60-meter hurdles. The 200 meters feature Ali, Pettaway, and Ziegler; the 400 meters include Kei-Mahri Hanna, Grace Hickman, Mariah Jameson, and Chloe Smith. Jayla Green and Dicia Watkins enter the 600 meters, Laila Cottom the 800 meters, Rose Tuomisto the 1,000 meters and mile—where she recently set a freshman 5,000-meter record of 17:19.78—and Rian Johnson the 3,000 meters with a personal mile best of 4:56.22. Hanna, Hickman, Jameson, and Smith close with the 4x400-meter relay.
UConn arrives after strong showings at the Terrier Classic and Harvard Invitational, where they broke two school records and set five program top-10 marks. Dar Jankovic earned BIG EAST Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors for his heptathlon win (5,061 points), including high jump (2.05 meters) and pole vault (4.30 meters). Medwin Odammten set a 60-meter school record of 6.61 seconds. The 4x400-meter relay team of Peyton Butler, TJ Jaravaza, Del Lindsay, and OJ Singletary clocked 3:10.07 for a record. On the women's side, Rachel Mason vaulted 3.91 meters in pole vault, tying the second-best in program history, while Brooke Strauss ran a fourth-fastest mile of 4:40.74 and a top-10 1,000 meters of 2:50.27.
