Carroll University heads into the 2026 CCIW Indoor Track & Field Championships with meaningful momentum on both the men's and women's sides, fueled by a winter of event wins, PR waves, and lineup balance that has shown up at every stop on the schedule. The Pioneers were picked sixth in the men's preseason poll and tied for seventh on the women's side, but the results Carroll has posted throughout the 2025-26 indoor season suggest a team capable of outperforming those projections when championship scoring begins.

A major theme of the season has been Carroll's ability to score across disciplines. The year opened with both squads placing second at the Ripon Winter Open, powered by big points in the sprints, distance events, jumps, vault, and throws. Carroll backed that up with another strong team performance at Beloit coming out of break, highlighted by multiple event wins and continued growth in the field events and hurdles. At UW-Whitewater, Carroll stacked another PR-heavy meet with event victories and podium finishes on both sides, reinforcing the sense that the roster is trending upward at the right time of year.

Men's Storylines: speed, jumps, and throws that can swing the team score

On the men's side, freshman Brian Smith has been one of the league's most consistent impact performers this season, delivering wins and fast times across multiple meets. He opened his year with a win in the 200 and anchored Carroll's winning 4x400 at Ripon, setting the tone early. Smith followed with more top-end sprint production at UW-Whitewater, winning both the 200 and 400, a championship-style double that demonstrates the kind of versatility that can generate big points over a two-day meet. 

Carroll's field event upside has been headlined by Carlos Cadet, who has repeatedly delivered point-scoring performances in the jumps. Cadet won the triple jump at the season-opening Ripon meet, then continued to elevate his marks as the season progressed, including a major triple jump win at the Tadd Metzger Invitational. He also produced a runner-up PR in the long jump at UW-Whitewater, adding another event where Carroll can realistically score in the finals. 

In the throws, Brady Reusser has anchored Carroll all season with high-level production in both the shot put and weight throw. Reusser opened the year with a runner-up shot put finish and a strong weight throw showing at Ripon, then continued to post meet-winning marks and PRs as the calendar moved into January and February. That kind of consistency in the throws can be crucial at conference, where every placement point matters and field events often stabilize the team score late in the meet. 

Carroll also has scoring potential in the hurdles and relays. At the Tadd Metzger Invitational, Jared Kniola delivered a points-producing hurdles performance, while Carroll's 4x400 group has repeatedly shown it can compete at the top of a meet field. The men's roster has additionally featured solid contributions in the middle-distance and distance events through the season, including notable performances from Charlie Quast in the 3000 and other key distance efforts that have helped Carroll maintain balance across the full event slate. 

Women's Storylines: sprint depth, a vault/jumps punch, and a relay group peaking late

The women's team has showcased depth from the very first meet, beginning the year with a second-place finish at Ripon behind scoring in nearly every discipline. Cadence Carlson has been a consistent presence in the sprints and long sprints all year, scoring in the 60 and 200 at Ripon and continuing to produce high-end results throughout the season, including a 200 runner-up finish at the February Ripon meet and strong showings in the 200 and 400 at UW-Oshkosh. Alongside her, Carroll has built real sprint depth with athletes like Aimee Koranteng, Margaret Carter, Addison Weber, and Avery Wolf all contributing scoring performances in sprint events at various points this winter.

In the hurdles, Tirzah Losos has been a championship-level difference maker, winning hurdles events during the season and continuing to score in strong fields, including a win at Beloit and a standout victory at the Tadd Metzger Invitational. That event is often a points-swinger at conference, and Carroll's hurdles group has shown the ability to get athletes into finals and score across multiple lanes.

Carroll's field event scoring potential is equally important, especially in events that can produce multiple finalists. Jenna Weis has been a season-long headline in the pole vault, placing second in the vault at Ripon to open the year and continuing to win or contend for wins as the season progressed, including a first-place vault at UW-Oshkosh. In the horizontal jumps, Katelyn Duber has been one of Carroll's top point threats, placing second in the triple jump at the opening meet, winning the triple jump at Beloit, and later capturing another triple jump win at UW-Oshkosh to carry momentum into the championship weekend. 

The Pioneers have also built critical scoring opportunities in the middle-distance and distance events through athletes like Kyla Laabs, who won the mile at both Ripon and Beloit earlier in the season, and Paola Orozco and Abby Burie, who have contributed in the longer races as Carroll continues to stack points in distance events. 

Finally, relays may be one of the biggest "x-factors" for Carroll. The women's 4x400 relay has already produced a major season highlight—including a school record lineup at the February Ripon meet—and Carroll's relay groups have consistently closed meets with strong, competitive performances. In a championship format, those relay points can be pivotal, especially late on day two when the standings tighten. 

Big Picture

Carroll's season has reflected a program pushing forward with a youthful roster, rising talent, and a clear emphasis on building toward peak performances when it matters most. With proven point scorers in the sprints, hurdles, jumps, vault, throws, and relays—and the kind of depth that can turn prelim qualifiers into finals points—Carroll will enter the CCIW Indoor Championships with the pieces to make a move up the standings.

DAY 1 PROGRAM
DAY 2 PROGRAM