MARION, Ind. [RESULTS] – The first day of the 2025 NAIA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship saw four individual champions crowned.

Twelve preliminary events took place on day one, including: 4x100m relay, 1500m, 400m hurdles, 200m, 4x800m relay and 3000m steeplechase. 

HEPTATHLON

The outdoor track and field heptathlon event concluded on day one with Mya Hines from Cumberlands emerging as the leader. Hines, a sophomore, accumulated a total of 3084 points, demonstrating consistent performance across all events. Her standout performances included a 14.89-second finish in the 100m hurdles, earning her 856 points, and a strong 25.71-second run in the 200m, which added 823 points to her tally.

Kerrigan Myers, a senior from Midland, closely followed Hines with a total of 3067 points, securing second place. Myers excelled in the 100m hurdles, clocking the fastest time of 13.88 seconds, which was the highest-scoring individual event of the competition with 995 points. Despite a lower performance in the shot put, Myers’ speed in the 200m (25.43 seconds) helped her maintain a competitive edge.

TRACK 

The only track event that crowned a champion on day one was the 10,000m, where Jaynie Halterman won her first outdoor title with a time of 34:10.10. Heather Murphy followed closely behind, finishing off Halterman by just 25.39 seconds. The last time the 10k was run in 34 minutes was when Emily Kearney of Milligan (Tenn.) won in 2021 with a time of 34:07.91.

HAMMER THROW

The women’s hammer throw competition was one of three field competitions that took place on the first day of competition. Victoria Lotz from MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) emerged victorious with a remarkable throw of 57.97 meters (190-2.00), securing her first-place finish. Lotz’s fourth attempt was enough to clinch the win.

Madison Sutton from Doane claimed the second spot with a best throw of 57.71 meters (189-4.00). Sutton’s final attempt was where she achieved her best mark of the day.

LONG JUMP

The top four finishers in the long jump finished within .02 of each other. Rosjai Curtis from Park (Mo.) emerged victorious in the long jump with a winning leap of 5.84 meters (19-2.00) in her second attempt. 

Linnearia Richards from Siena Heights (Mich.) closely followed in second place with a jump of 5.83 meters (19-1.50), achieved in her first attempt. 

Kiana Siefert from Taylor (Ind.) followed with 5.82 meters (19-1.25) and Erica Xayarath from Huntington (Ind.) finished in fourth place with a jump of 5.80 meters (19-0.25).

JAVELIN

In a competitive javelin event, Maddy Wolf from Kansas Wesleyan emerged victorious with a top throw of 44.65 meters (146-6.00), securing first place. Wolf hit her highest mark on her first throw. Kendra Odegard from Valley City State (N.D.) closely followed in second place with a best throw of 44.55 meters (146-2.00). Odegard’s consistent performance across her attempts kept her in contention throughout the event. Mary Lorang from Benedictine (Kan.) followed closely behind, taking third place with a throw of 44.07 meters (144-7.00).

The top eight finishers in each event are NAIA All-Americans. 

The second day of the championship will open with the remainder of the heptathlon events at 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET and starting with the long jump. 

A listed “time capsule” building which offers an insight into Tyneside life more than a century ago has been placed on a national endangered Top Ten list.

The Gibson Street baths in Newcastle was opened in 1907. It included a swimming pool and, at a time when many homes lacked the provisions taken for granted today, it also provided individual slipper baths and laundry facilities.

Men and women entered through separate doors. The men’s entrance hall features four remarkable panels – two signed by the celebrated Dorset tile-makers Carter & Co depicting mermaids, and two others showing a water polo match and a diver in striped swimwear.

These have been praised by architectural historian Lynn Pearson as without parallel, even in Britain’s grandest historic baths. A fifth panel lists the 15 members of the Baths & Wash Houses Committee, as well as the architect and builders, beneath Newcastle’s coat of arms.

But the building has been disused and deteriorating for the last nine years.

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This has prompted the Victorian Society to include the baths in its 2025 Top Ten league of endangered buildings.

Society president Griff Rhys Jones said: “I have lost count of the number of public bath houses that we see in decline, but people truly love these local amenities.”

The Victorian Society is urging Newcastle City Council to seek a sensitive new use for the building. Given the absence of a buyer, the Society recommends renewed collaboration with the community – offering support and extended time to develop a viable reuse proposal that preserves this valuable part of the city’s social and architectural heritage.

They issued a fundraising appeal to “find a good new integrated use for what was once a prime example of public concern and welfare and an illustration of Victorian-Edwardian values at their best.”

The rapid growth of towns and cities in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries left little provision for public hygiene. With disease widespread, the 1846 Public Baths and Wash-houses Act empowered local authorities to build public bathing facilities, funded via the Poor Rate.

In Newcastle, an 1845 report highlighted how working-class people were left without suitable or private places to bathe.

Costing £28,000 the baths were lavishly fitted out, with stained glass windows and green glazed brick walls. There were 23 slipper baths, and a pool measuring 75ft x 28ft.

Designed by city surveyor F H Halford, it was the first baths in Newcastle to incorporate electricity and water filtration, allowing the water to be cleaned and circulated rather than the pool being filled at the start of the week and emptied at the end.

The city’s Alderman Holmes described it as “the most complete set of baths for their size in England”. The opening ceremony was marked by a performance from Olympic swimmer Arthur ‘Jack’ Jarvis.

The interior pool-hall featured an arched and plastered ceiling, plus amphitheatre seating on both sides, while inside the former men’s entrance, the original turnstile and ticket windows survive.

The building has been marketed by the city council but without success. The baths were closed in 1965 and the swimming pool was boarded over, with the main hall being used for badminton courts until 2016, when the council put the building up for sale.

Campaigners Save Gibson Street Baths for People not Developers succeeded in having the building listed as an Asset of Community Value, and explored the possibility of a business and funding plan for uses such as a social enterprise hotel, cafe, bar and community space.

But the project did not come to fruition and the group posted on its Facebook page: “There is no doubt that it is an amazing building worthy or regeneration and development and that as a long serving public building it would be wonderful to see it kept in the public domain.

“However renovation costs look likely to be in the region of £2.7-3 million and this was not an achievable sum.”

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “Gibson Street Baths became vacant in 2016 after it ceased as a badminton club. As we lacked the significant funding required and the expertise to refurbish it, we put it on the market a year later.

“We received several bids, and a preferred bidder was chosen but unfortunately was unable to access the funds needed to bring it back into use. It is currently wind and watertight albeit in poor condition.

“We have had numerous discussions over the years to bring the property back into use particularly with the Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust however due to funding issues none of these have come to fruition yet.

“We recognise this is an historically important building and want to see it saved and brought back into use and so will look to market it again in the near future.”

Elise Cooper’s involvement began when her daughter, Sophia, joined the Sydney Northern Beaches Breakers at age 12. Her dedication and support towards her daughter’s water polo career inspired Elise to shift from the stands to the club rooms, volunteering her time behind the scenes.

Now in her third season as team manager, she continues to support the team out of her deep appreciation for the club and the sport.

“The ladies prior to me being manager had done such a great job, that I thought it was my turn to step up and be manager. This is my third season of being team manager and I really love it,” Elise said.

“There’s so many great people that I’ve met through the club that I’ve really become friends with,” she said.

The growth of the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships since its inception is a testament to the popularity and participation at a grassroots level. 

“The first year we were at nationals, it was a much smaller pool of teams and clubs playing,” Elise said.

“Now there’s a team from Pilbara, how amazing is that? Such a small community and they’ve got a water polo club here representing. And I think that is a testament to how amazing the sport is,” she said.

Stressing the importance of volunteers, Elise acknowledged the vital roles they play within the water polo community. She urged greater involvement to ensure the sport continues to grow, particularly in youth pathways.

“Clubs don’t exist without volunteers from the committee level, all the way through to tour managers and booking accommodation. The kids don’t get to play if it doesn’t exist, so I think it’s really important,” Elise said.

“You can do as much, or as little as your life and time allows. If you love water polo as much as I do, step in and give it a go,” she said.