Rauwerda, Kunstmann and Women's DMR Team Earn All-American Honors at NAIA Indoor National Championships
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) was well represented at the 2025 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships held at Alachua County Sports & Events Center in North Central Florida on February 27-March.
Three All-American honors highlighted the National Championship meet for the Cougars.
Graduate student Joey Rauwerda achieved All-American status by finishing as the National Runner-Up in the men's pole vault, clearing a height of 5.20m (17' 0.75"). With his mark in the pole vault on Saturday, the Grand Rapids, Michigan native not only secured his place but also broke the Saint Francis school record of 4.96 meters, which was previously held by Rauwerda.
Freshman Lea Kunstmann qualified for the finals in the women's mile after completing the prelims with a time of 5:02.13 on Friday. She placed sixth overall in the finals, finishing with a time of 4:56.10. This performance earned her first All-American honors at the national meet and broke the USF school record, previously held by Kunstmann, by nearly three seconds.
The women's distance medley relay team, consisting of Rileigh Baumer, Mariah Maley, Kiara Bahena, and Kunstmann, also earned All-American honors by finishing in sixth place with a new school record time of 11:57.99. The DMR team had qualified for Saturday's finals after placing eighth in the prelims with a time of 12:05.06 on Thursday.
Bahena also competed in the 800m, finishing tenth in the nation with a time of 2:17.26.
Hugo Humbert competed in the men's 3,000m run, finishing with a time of 8:40.23, placing 17th.
The USF track and field programs will now look forward to the outdoor season.
Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.
