NEW ORLEANS, La. - For the first time in program history, the Marian women's track and field and cross country programs have been named as the 2026 Fred Beile Women's NAIA Program of the Year, earning the top program in the NAIA as named by the USTFCCCA. The honor comes in just the second year Marian had been eligible in the program of the year standings.
Marian had a banner year in 2025-26, earning the program's highest ranking in the NAIA Program of the Year in the school's history. 2025-26 is the second season Marian was eligible for the honor, having scored in each of the NAIA's three championships: cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field.
The Knights turned in a record-setting finish in the fall at the NAIA Cross Country Championship, finishing sixth in the NAIA. Led by All-American
Katie Woods, the Knights' sixth-place finish was five positions higher than the 2024 mark of 11th place. The two finishes in 2024 and 2025 are the first two seasons that Marian has qualified the team to compete at the NAIA Championship.
Marian followed the cross country efforts with the program's first-ever NAIA National Championship at the Indoor Track and Field Championship, winning the 2026 National Championship. The Knights sealed a national championship with the team's win in the distance medley relay, coming moments after Woods won the mile race.
Hanna Reuter and
Holli Reuter helped anchor an All-American 4x400m relay effort that culminated the team's championship, with Marian ending the championship with 51 points, giving the team a 10-point victory over Dickinson State.
The Knights ended the year with a sixth-place finish at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earning another top-10 finish in the program's recent run of success. Marian earned 15 NAIA All-American honors in the 2026 championship, highlighted by two All-America efforts from
Katie Woods and
Gracynn Hinkley.
Marian scored six points for its cross country finish, and followed with one point for the national championship. Ending the year with a sixth-place finish at the NAIA Championship, Marian added another six to its ledger, bringing the yearly total to 13.5, good enough to beat out Indiana Wesleyan by a commanding 24 points. The University of the Cumberlands finished third with 39 points.
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