Meet Preview: Faith Track & Field at Red Raider Open
Red Raider Open |
|
| Date: |
Friday, Apr. 17 |
| Time: |
Field Events - 11:00 a.m. CT | Track Events - 1:00 p.m. CT |
| Location: |
Korver Field at De Valois Stadium | Orange City, IA |
| Expected Forecast: |
50 degrees, scattered thunderstorms expected, 21 mph NW wind |
| Meet Information: | |
Ankeny, IA -- Faith Track & Field will compete at the Red Raider Open hosted by Northwestern College in Orange City. The Eagles will send 12 athletes to participate, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (Field events) and 1:00 p.m. (Track events). All events will have live results posted at the link above.
NATIONALS BOUND
Three athletes have qualified for the NCCAA National meet so far in 2026:
- Cade Cooper (Long Jump)
- Austin Jordan (Long Jump)
- Carlie Blevins (5000m run, 1500m run)
- Codie Wirges (Triple Jump)
- Annika Bauer (400m Hurdles
WEEKEND NOTES
The Red Raider Open boasts several teams the Eagles have not competed against yet this season including: Northwestern, Morningside, Mount Marty, Briar Cliff, and more at the NAIA and DIII levels.
WHO/WHAT/WHERE
Want to watch the Eagles this week? See what events to keep an eye on below:
Field (Events begin at 11 a.m. CT)
- Long Jump - Cade Cooper, Austin Jordan
- Triple Jump - Codie Wirges, Cade Cooper
- Shot Put - Katie Costello, Luke Akins
- Discus - Sadie Van Der Molen
Track (Events begin at 1 p.m. CT)
- 100m Hurdles - Sierra Pearson
- 100m Dash - Katie Costello
- 1500m Run - Carlie Blevins
- 400m Dash - Andrew Shepherd, Gabriella Widman, Annika Bauer
- 400m Hurdles - Annika Bauer, Sierra Pearson
- 200m Dash - Emily Franklin, Gabriella Widman
LAST TIME OUT - DICK YOUNG CLASSIC
- Two more Eagles reached NCCAA Nationals qualifying standards over the weekend
- Carlie Blevins placed second in the 1500, finishing with a season best 4:57.58, followed with an event win in the 5000, finishing nearly a minute faster than the next finisher
- Cade Cooper, Austin Jordan, and Codie Wirges all placed top five in their event
- Gabriella Widman set personal bests in both the 200 and 400, beating her previous 400 time by five seconds
FAITH NOTES
- The Eagles exceded expectations in 2025 with countless program and personal records, as well as seven event wins and an excellent showing at NCCAA Nationals.
- Faith will participate in five regular season meets in 2026, starting the season at the Central Invitational on March 28th, and ending with the opportunity to compete at the NCCAA National Championships taking place May 5-8 in Wilmore, Kentucky.
- Faith Track & Field boasts 11 returners, including seven athletes who competed at the NCCAA National Championship meet in 2025: Carlie Blevins (So. | Distance), Katie Costello (So. | Sprints/Throws), Sierra Pearson (So. | Hurdles), Sadie Van Der Molen (So. |Throws), Codie Wirges (Jr. | Jumps/Sprints), Eli Boatman (So. | Throws), Cade Cooper (So. | Jumps/Sprints)
