COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Women's Track and Field team competed Friday night at the CSB/SJU Invitational, facing a strong field that included four other NCAA programs. The Eagles continued to find their footing in the 2026 season as several athletes collected new personal and season records, along with another new UNW program record.
Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing), coming off an impressive week that included earning UMAC Track Athlete of the Week honors and setting the program record in the 1000 meters, doubled in the 400 meters and 600 meters with just 45 minutes between races. Amazingly, Maki delivered yet another University of Northwestern program record, breaking the 600-meter mark with a time of 1:41.64. Her performance eclipsed Amy Woytcke's previous record of 1:41.93 set in 2004, giving Maki her fifth indoor program record. Earlier in the evening, Maki led the Eagles in the 400 meters with a ninth-place finish in 1:02.85. Kimberlyn Case (Sleepy Eye, Minn./Litchfield) also competed in the 600 meters alongside Maki, placing sixth with a time of 1:52.50.
In the sprints, freshman Alaina Wojtowski (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian) turned in a strong showing in the 60 meters, qualifying for the finals with a personal-record time of 8.20 seconds and a sixth-place preliminary finish. She followed that up with an 8.45-second effort in the finals, again placing sixth overall. Wojtowski's PR ties Crown standout Camille Ring for the fastest mark in the UMAC this season. Wojtowski also raced in the 400 meters, finishing 14th with a time of 1:11.93.
Emily Neumann (St. Agusta, Minn./Sauk Rapids) and Lidia Castro (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) made their collegiate debuts for the Eagles in the 60 meters, finishing 13th and 17th with times of 8.64 and 8.88 seconds, respectively. The pair also doubled back in the 200 meters, swapping places as Castro recorded a personal record of 29.49 seconds for a 12th-place finish, while Neumann finished 13th in 29.61 seconds in her first collegiate 200. Caroline Stokes (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) also tested her speed, racing the 200 meters for the first time in her career after previously competing no shorter than the 400. She placed 16th with a time of 30.98 seconds.
In the middle distances, Jessica Redman (Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam), Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville), Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public), and Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool) raced closely together in the 1000 meters, placing fourth through eighth. Redman led the group with a fourth-place finish in 3:26.99, followed by Van De Riet in fifth at 3:30.77. Scalese placed seventh in 3:34.27, while Arredondo rounded out the Eagles with an eighth-place finish in 3:41.93. The same group, joined by Stokes, returned for the mile. Van De Riet led the Eagles with a personal record of 5:50.91, good for ninth place. Stokes followed closely behind, also setting a PR with a time of 5:53.33. Scalese and Arredondo finished 11th and 13th with times of 5:59.43 and 6:01.77, respectively. Mariah Klippenes (South Haven, Minn./Annandale) also competed in the mile, finishing 14th in 6:06.11.
Later in the meet, Klippenes returned for the 800 meters, placing fifth with a time of 2:44.38. Samary Acuna (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) joined her in the event and delivered a standout performance, shaving nearly 1.5 seconds off her personal best to finish fourth in 2:41.82. Acuna also competed in the pole vault, placing sixth with a clearance of 2.18 meters (7'1.75").
The Eagles' jumpers also took on the 400 meters. Katie Shilts (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) finished 13th with a time of 1:07.96, while Lily Hubbard (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) placed 15th in 1:18.08. Shilts later competed in both the long jump and triple jump, finishing fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 9.74 meters (31'11.5") in just her third meet in the event, and seventh in the long jump with a distance of 4.70 meters (15'5"). Hubbard turned in a season-best performance in the high jump, clearing 1.50 meters (4'11") on her final attempt at the height.
The lone Eagle in the longest race of the night was Torah Barrett (Belle Plaine, Minn./Jordan), who competed in the 3000 meters and finished 14th with a time of 12:52.22. The evening concluded with the 4x400-meter relay. Despite full days of competition, Redman, Case, Acuna, and Stokes closed strong, finishing fifth with a time of 4:39.42.
UNW returns to action next Saturday, February 7, when they compete at the Gopher Classic inside the Minnesota Fieldhouse, with the first event scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM.
