By: Chris Donsereaux: Sports Information Graduate Assistant
NEED TO KNOW:
Top 3 Teams:
Marian (Ind.) - 51
Dickinson St. - 41
Central Methodist - 33
GAINESVILLE, FL.- The Life University women's track and field team left it all out there at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend. The Running Eagles finished with multiple podium finishes, event victories and a plethora of All-Americans. Life U finished tied for sixth place with a total of 27 points. Emeline Delaville highlighted the meet for Life U, winning her third-straight 800m National Championship.
Day 1
The Life U women ran like the wind on day one of the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The day started with a bang after the team of Kyja Williams, Emeline Delaville, Sky Jones and Najah Gibson ran a season's best 9:09.36 in the 4x800 meter relay prelims for a seventh-place finish.
Just over 40 minutes later, Gibson and Delaville teamed up with teammates Kamarra Trisch and Shevaughn Thomas in the 4x400 meter relay prelims to defend its number one time in the nation. The Running Eagles did just that by running a blazing time of 3:44.79, which gets them seeded first going into finals and almost tied their seasons best.
Day 2
The second day of the NAIA Indoor Championships placed the Life U women into a very intriguing position to compete for the team title. In the first event of the day for the women, standout freshman Shevaughn Thomas placed herself in a good position to grab a medal after a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter prelims with a time of 55.53. Thomas later competed in her third event of the championships and posted a time of 24.71, good enough for a 12th place finish in the 200-meter run prelims.
In the longest individual event of the day for the Running Eagles, junior Emeline Delaville seemed to coast to a third-place finish in the 800-meter run prelims after running a time of 2:15.60. About 45 minutes earlier, Junior Najah Gibson ran the best race of her season so far after running a personal record time of 1:33.64, finishing in eighth place to get herself into the 600-meter finals on Day Three.
In the final event of the day for the Running Eagles the relay team of Maelle Spiegel, Sky Jones, Carmen Crawford and Kyja Williams were the next Life U athletes to be deemed All-American. The ladies ran 9:44.20 in the 4x800 relay, which landed them an eighth-place finish.
Day 3
The final day of competition for the Running Eagles started off hot as standout freshman Shevaughn Thomas ended her individual indoor season with a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash. Thomas received All-American honors after finishing with a time of 54.84. About 20 minutes later, junior Najah Gibson ran another personal best time of 1:32.37 in the 600-meter run for a fifth-place finish earning herself All-American honors as well.
In a longer race of the day, junior Emeline Delaville was crowned NAIA champion in the 800-meter run after finishing first with a time of 2:08.38, earning herself All-American honors. This win also marks her third straight indoor 800-meter championship victory, dating back to the 2024 Indoor National Championships.
In the final event of the day, the Running Eagles compiled a team of Kamarra Trisch, Delaville, Gibson and Thomas to compete in the 4x400 meter relay finals. Life U finished second overall with a time of 3:43.81 but adds another group of All-Americans to its total.
UP NEXT:
--The Running Eagles head into the 2026 Outdoor season.
