Looking Back at the 2025-26 Track and Field Season

CARLINVILLE, IL – Blackburn College Athletics continues their look back at the 2025-26 indoor and outdoor track and field season.

The team saw large improvements as they set 23 new indoor records, with 12 new record holders, while outdoor season saw 31 new records held by 14 athletes. Blackburn also saw their first St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champion as freshman Leland Branstner captured an indoor shot put champion and followed with an outdoor championship in discus. He finished the outdoor season second in shot put.

During indoor season, the team re-wrote the record book as 12 athletes set new record, led by freshman Sophia Palmier who set a total of eight new records. Palmier set four records on the track, posting new marks in the 60m Hurdles, 13.09, the 400 meter dash, 1:09.74, 500 meter run, 1:37.01, 800 meter run, 2:52.46. Her field event records include the long jump, 14'4.75, high jump, 4'7, and pole vault, 7'10.5. She also set a record with 1774 points in the pentathalon, become the first woman to compete in the event for Blackburn.

The women also saw freshman Mya Bennet set records in the 60m dash in 8.60, and the 200 meter dash at 29.54. Freshman Hunter Kirk threw the shot put 29'5 for a new record as well.

On the men's side, Branstner set new records with a 44'8.25 shot put and 40'9.75 weight throw. Freshman Tristan Toss created new marks in the 60 meter dash in 7.29, and the 200 meter dash in 23.36. He also set a new one in the 800 run in 2:07.47. Toss also posted a new long jump record of 20'10.

Junior Sam Burrows put a new mile time of 4:46.41 and the 3000m meter run in 10:00.02. Freshman Sam Schoenweis posted a new time of 20:16.97 in the 5000 meter run while sophomore Byron McNeil jumped 44'3.75 in the triple jump.

The men also saw their distance medley relay team of junior Collyn Oberkfell, senior Landon Tribble, freshman Kendrik Troutt and Burrows set a record time of 11:21.26.

At the Indoor Championships, the men's team finished sixth overall with 31 points while the women took eighth with six points.

After the indoor season, the team went outdoors and set even more records.

On the women's side, Bennett and Palmier both set four new records. Bennett took the sprints with a time of 100 meter dash, 13.64, and 200 meter dash, 29.29. She also set a new long jump mark of 14'2.25 and threw the javelin 105'05.25. Palmier set new mark in the 400 meter hurdles in 1:26.55, and the 800 meter run at 2:48.35. She also captured new records of 4'09 in high jump and 9'04 in pole vault.

Freshman Isabella Bradley made the new 400 meter run record with a time of 1:09.95. Freshman Bree Hammond re-set the throwing records with new distances of 28-03.25in shot put, 94'07.75. in discus, and 72'01.50 in the hammer throw. The women also set a new record time of 4:55.72 in the 4x400 meter relay with Bennett, Bradley, Palmier and freshman Mary Ahrens.

The men saw Toss set five new records while Burrows, Branstner, and freshman Tyler Tarallo all set three.

In the 100 meter dash, Toss set a new time 11.35, and also had a new wind-aided time of 11.21. He did the same in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.24 plus a wind aided time of 22.84. He also made a new mark of 19'07.75 in the long jump.

Branstner's new marks of 48'11 in the shot put, 137.11 in the discus and 139'00 in the hammer completely changed the throw section of the record book.

Tarallo set new marks in both the 110 and 400 meter hurdlers. In the 110 high hurdles, he has a new record of 18.61 while his 400 hurdle time is now 1:06.38.

Burrows created a new time of 4:16.22 in the 1500 meter run and 16:51.91 in the 5000 meter run. He also set a new record in the steeple chase at 11:15.03.

Troutt joined the record book with an 800 meter run time of 2:04.07 while junior Christian Miller had a new time of 39:50 in the 10,000 meter run.

In relay action, the 4x100 relay team or Tarallo, McNeil, Tribble and Toss set a new time of 44.99, while the 4x400 relay saw Troutt, Oberkfell, Tribble and McNeil post a new mark of 3:36.58.  

Both teams saw big improvements at the SLIAC Outdoor championships as the med scored 49 points while the women improved to capture 16 points.

The men's team also received the SLIAC Sportsmanship Award.