(Lewiston, ID) Lewis-Clark State Track and Field will kick off the 2025 portion of it indoor season this weekend at the two-day Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open. The Warriors return a strong group of All-Americans from last season, including two-time NAIA National Champion Jennah Carpenter. In all, LC State returns a combined six All-Americans from 2024.
The Warrior Track and Field program improves every season and much of its continued growth is due to local talent.
“We work hard with the students we have to help them achieve their best and hit goals,” Head Coach Mike Collins said. “We have been fortunate to have had a great group of athletes over the years that are committed to getting better. They have great attitudes and with levels of priors years already in the books, they always have big goals and big expectations.”
THE TEAM
The 2023-24 season saw breakthrough performances on the national level from local products Sydnie Zywina and Madigan Kelly who both earned the first All-American honors of their careers. Zywina brought home national honors in the indoor and outdoor triple jump, while Kelly raced her way to a medal in the 100m hurdles at the outdoor championships. One athlete on the verge of her breakthrough is junior Emily Collins who had competed at nationals multiple times through her first two seasons.
“I think Emily Collins is on the verge of some neat stuff,” Mike Collins said. “She is very close to Madigan, Jennah and Sydnie and seeing some of her closest friends achieve All-American status has really driven her even more for that same goal she has set for herself. She has been working really hard and we will see how things go this weekend. Sydnie is ready to continue the breakout year as well and look forward to more awesome things from her.”
On the men’s side, Griffen Parsells had his best season in 2024 with All-American honors as an individual in the indoor 800m and as a member of both 4x800m relays. He enjoyed a solid cross country season, along with junior Alexander Fry who ran a personal-best at nationals.
“On the men’s side I think both Griffen and Alexander look good,” Mike Collins said. “Griffen is a senior and will be looking to help LC maintain a strong hold on the middle distances and I know he is working hard to earn another All-American honor at nationals. Alex had a breakout year in cross country and look to see that continue to track.”
A trio of juniors will be some to watch as the season progresses. Throwers Grace Osborne and Sam Weller each improved greatly throughout last season, and jumper Trenton Johnson competed at indoor nationals for the first time last season.
New faces dot each lineup with an emphasis on field events. Cameron Carrera will look to continue LC State’s recent success in multi-events, while six throwers more than double the size of last season’s group.
“Cameron might be a year or two a away, but a great athlete and as we teach him all that goes into the multis he may be a great one,” Mike Collins said. “Hope Zollman is a regional athlete from Council that I know is extremely competitive, so we will see how her development moves along.”
Anchoring the group are seniors Zywina, Kelly, Carpenter, Parsells and London Kirk. All five brought home All-American honors at indoor nationals last season. Carpenter earned three individually with honors in the indoor pentathlon and both high jumps, Kirk medaled in both the indoor and outdoor 400m races. Jedidiah Barnaby is back for his junior season after becoming the first Warrior to compete at nationals in the 60m dash and Karissa Lindner will return to the track looking to become the fastest Warrior woman in program history.
Last indoor season alone, 16 records were set with the group previously mentioned playing a role in 12 of those.
Warrior Track and Field will test the waters in a new event to the program that the NAIA does not yet sponsor at nationals. A group of four Warriors, Emily Collins, Zywina, Trent Johnson and Jordan Castillo, will race in a combined 4x400m relay on Saturday at the Spokane Invitational.
“Looking forward to the mixed 4×4 this weekend,” Mike Collins said. “We have never run in one before, so new school record coming, but an event now very popular at the international level. It will be fun to watch our athletes have fun in an event that mixes the genders.”
THE SCHEDULE
The Warriors opened the season in Spokane in December where Zywina hit a provisional mark in the triple jump. LC State will head to Moscow Jan. 24-25 for the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open before back-to-back weekends in Spokane at the Inland Northwest Invitational (Feb. 1) and Riverfront Invite and Multis (Feb. 6-8). The regular season will conclude in La Grande at the EOU Indoor Feb. 14-15.
The 2025 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships are set for Feb. 27-Mar. 1 in Brookings, S.D.
