CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The 2024 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Indoor Track & Field Championships will take place Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24 in Dubuque with the University of Dubuque serving as host.
 
Women’s Preview
In 2023, the Loras College Duhawks claimed their second-straight indoor championship title with a final point total of 211.5 team points. The Duhawks finished ahead of Wartburg who scored 207 team points. Central finished third with 79.5 team points, Nebraska Wesleyan finished fourth with 57 points, and Dubuque in fifth with 48 points. Simpson, Buena Vista, Luther, and Coe finished sixth through ninth, respectively.
 
In the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national rankings released on Tuesday, February 20, four A-R-C squads were ranked inside the top-25. Loras leads the conference after being ranked No. 2 for their fifth consecutive week. Wartburg comes in at No. 3 and Central at No. 7, both the highest ranking of the season. Nebraska Wesleyan rounds out the top-25 A-R-C teams at No. 19.
 
In the USTFCCCA Midwest Region rankings, five teams are ranked inside the top-10. Wartburg leads the conference at No. 2, followed closely behind with Loras at No. 3. Central stays ranked at No. 5 for the second-straight week and Nebraska Wesleyan stayed in the No. 7 spot for the fourth week in a row. Dubuque rounds out the top-10 teams as they are ranked No. 10. The other four conference teams rank within the top 30 of the Midwest Region – Simpson at No. 12, Coe at No. 19, Buena Vista at No. 24, and Luther at No. 30.
 
This year’s women’s events will feature nine returning individual champions from the 2023 A-R-C Indoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Loras has four individual gold medal finishers returning in this year’s championships. Caitlyn Cox claimed the title in the weight throw as she looks to defend her 2023 title this weekend. Alyssa Pfadenhauer is also returning for the Duhawks after taking the title in the 400-meter dash. Emma Seipel won the long jump last season in a University of Dubuque uniform before transferring to Loras for this season. Grace Alley is returning to the 2024 conference championships as a three-time defending individual champion. Alley took home the gold medals in the triple jump, high jump, and pentathlon a year ago. Additionally, she was named the 2023 A-R-C Field Most Valuable Performer.
 
Wartburg’s Shaelyn Hostager, JoJo Tyynismaa, and Aubrie Fisher are all looking to defend their individual titles. Hostager took home the 5,000-meter run title, Tyynismaa finished first in the 60-meter hurdles, and Fisher won the 3,000-meter run.
 
Dubuque will have two returning individual champions in Meghan Prohaska and Kaitlyn Wilder. Prohaska won the title in the pole vault while Wilder took home the shot put crown.
 
There will be a lot of action as just four individual events will see new champions in 2024.

Men’s Preview
On the men’s side, 2023 saw the Duhawks win their fifth conference title in school history, and second-straight. Loras collected 186 points at last year’s championships, besting second place Wartburg by 21 points. Dubuque finished third with 122.5 points, Nebraska Wesleyan in fourth with 76 points, and with 65.5 points was the Dutch of Central who finished fifth. Simpson, Luther, Buena Vista, and Coe finished sixth through ninth, respectively.
 
In the most recent USTFCCCA national polls, five men’s teams are ranked inside the top-25. Simpson enters ranked No. 7 in the nation to lead the A-R-C. This is their highest ranking this season after not being in the top-25 the week prior. Central checks in at No. 11, Loras at No. 16, Wartburg at No. 20, and Nebraska Wesleyan at No. 21.
 
Six of the nine conference schools find themselves in the top-10 of the USTFCCCA Midwest Region rankings entering this weekend. Wartburg sits on top at No. 1, Loras at No. 2, Dubuque at No. 3, Central at No. 4, Nebraska Wesleyan at No. 5, and Simpson at No. 8. The other A-R-C teams are ranked at No. 18 Buena Vista, No. 25 Coe, and No. 34 Luther.
 
This year’s men’s events will feature nine returning individual champions from the 2023 A-R-C Indoor Championships. Dubuque leads the way with three, followed by Loras and Wartburg with two, and Simpson and Nebraska Wesleyan with one each.
 
For the Spartans, Jaidyn Williams, Jatavion Hawkins, and Cade Collier return as individual title winners from a year ago. Williams and Collier were named Field Co-MVPs at last year’s conference championship. Williams took home titles in the long jump and triple jump while Collier took home the titles in shot put and weight throw. Hawkins was named the high jump champion a year ago and will look to defend his title this year.
 
Loras’ Raymond Venditti will return in the pole vault after earning the crown in 2023 and Matt Kruse will look to defend his 400-meter dash title.
 
Wartburg’s Christopher Collet was the individual title winner in the mile wile Derrick Smith took the crown in the 200-meter dash.
 
Simpson’s Spencer Moon, the defending Track MVP, will return in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs.
 
Eli Etherton of Nebraska Wesleyan is looking to defend his title in the 60-meter hurdles.
 
Tune in this weekend as there will be new champions crowned in just three events.