Having reclaimed the conference title after a one-year hiatus, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges are widely expected to retain the championship as they come in atop the 2026 SCIAC Women’s Track & Field Preseason Poll, as voted by the league’s head coaches.
The Athenas reclaimed their crown in 2025 after the University of Redlands took home the silverware for the second time in four seasons. A new challenger has emerged amid this rivalry, however, as Chapman University has finished runner-up in each of the last two seasons by a total of just seven points and picked up two first-place votes in the poll.
CMS once again returns a bevy of All-Conference performances including tri-champion
Josephine Jett who completed the 100-200-meter double and took gold in the 100m hurdles. A fourth podium finish with third place in the 4x100 Relay tied the sophomore for most medals at the championship and all four members of that relay are back with
Luna Young,
Mallory Venezia and
Sydney Behrens.
Madeleine Seifert is a two-time pole vault champion in addition to earning silver in 2023 and placing third in the long jump last year. Rookie
Sophia Laudi burst onto the scene with a gold medal in the javelin and bronze in the shot put, while newly crowned cross country champion
Elle Marsyla is another returning title-winner from the 10k back in 2024l when the then-sophomore also placed second in the 5k. 2023 Newcomer of the Year
Riley Capuano rounds out the deep stable of champions back for the Athenas, having won the 1500m in 2023 before runner-up appearances in both the 800m and 1500m last year. Other returning podium finishers over the past three years include
Georgia Arnold (third, javelin),
Olivia Backholm (second, 400h),
Hope Dragseth (third, 5k),
Georgia Rogers (third, 100h),
Reverse Schmidt (second, steeplechase)
Quinn Smith (third, javelin),
Shriya Velichala (second, 400h and third, 4x400 relay) and
Sara Wexler (second, 10k).
Relays in particular have been a strong suit of Chapman’s, with all eight scoring over the past four years including double champions last season, with the 4x100 securing back-to-back titles.
Makenna Lizarde has played a part on both 2025 champion squads as well as both 2023 teams in addition to a runner-up individual finish in the 100m last spring. 10k champion
Brenda Daza took another step forward this fall in cross country with NCAA Championship qualification. Discus winner
Chloe Mitchell headlines a group of field athletes who made their mark as rookies in
Regina O’Leary and
Eva Ndoye, who placed third in the triple jump and second in shot put, respectively. Pole vault runner-up
Samantha Daniels and heptathlon bronze medalist
Kayla Kim round out the Panthers’ All-SCIAC returners.
Elisabeth Eichinger and two-sport star
Sabrina Semmere were part of the Bulldogs’ 2024 champion team and have racked up eight All-SCIAC performances between them. The pair will continue to benefit from the experience of nine-time All-SCIAC honoree
Ella Bachmeier who returns to the program as an assistant coach. Eichinger has claimed back-to-back heptathlon titles in addition to a runner-up finish and long jump silver medal as well as a relay appearance with Semmere, who helped three relays medal between 2023 and 2024. Fellow seniors
Madison Eaton and
Eve Mavy each have an All-Conference medal from the 2024 season, with Eaton’s silver coming in the high jump while Mavy’s bronze was in the steeplechase after qualifying for the NCAA Championship in cross country that fall. qualifying for the NCAA Championship in cross country that fall.
Faith Kasper joined Semmere on a 2024 relay and
Mari Evonuk was runner-up in the high jump as a rookie.
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges welcomes back a pair of three-time All-SCIAC honorees in
Kensi Binstadt and
Ella Bowers. The former has played a role on the silver medalist 4x100 and two bronze medal 4x400 squads, while Bowers has picked up two silver medals and a bronze in the triple jump.
Anna Marston joined Binstadt on the bronze medal 4x400 and
Felicia Akinde made the long jump podium as a rookie in 2024.
Joya Terdiman took a big step forward this fall in leading the Sagehens cross country team with a 67
th place individual run at the NCAA Championship.
Occidental College record-holder
Jenna LeNay is looking to return to the podium with a bronze medal in hand from 2023 and top-five cross country finishes in 2023 and 2024. Three members of last year’s runner-up 4x400 relay have two more years together between
Skylar Cottell,
Phoebe Ogden and
Delphine Way. California Lutheran University rookie star
Taylor Dominguez picked up third-place finishes in both the high jump and pole vault.
Caltech’s two-sport standout
Kyra Phaychanpheng took silver in the discus after being named the SCIAC women’s basketball Newcomer of the Year and will now benefit from the expertise of last year’s shot put gold medalist from Oxy,
Chelsea Groves, who has joined the Beavers as an assistant coach.
Peyton Carrera made the University of La Verne’s lone podium appearance with third place in the 800m last year, while Whittier College will look to its first top 10 cross country finisher in eight years, rookie
Samantha Avila.
A mix of indoor ramp-up and outdoor preparation define the early months of the season until late February, which will include the Pomona-Pitzer David Salo & Nancy Crenna College Invitational on Feb. 21 before the CMS Rossi Relays on Feb. 28, with the SCIAC Quad Cup Qualifiers set for Mar. 7.The final will be contested on Mar. 28.
2026 SCIAC Women’s Track & Field Preseason Poll
1. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 79 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Chapman, 69 pts (2)
3. Redlands, 62 pts
4. Pomona-Pitzer, 59 pts
5. Occidental, 45 pts
6. California Lutheran, 35 pts
7. Caltech, 27 pts
8. La Verne, 19 pts
9. Whittier, 10 pts
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