MARIETTA, Ohio. - The Indiana University Kokomo women's indoor track and field team secured a third place finish over the weekend at the River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, highlighted by junior thrower Sydney Duncan earning River States Conference Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honors.

FAST FACTS - 2026 River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships

• LOCATION: Dyson Baudo Recreation Center | Marietta, Ohio
• NAIA TOP 25 RANKINGS: IU Kokomo: N/A

THE RUNDOWN

• The Cougars finished the weekend with 126 points, 48 points back of first-place IU East and 40 points back of second-place Rio Grande. Athletes score points for the team by finishing Top-8 in their events, while the top three finishers from each event are named All-Conference.  
• Upperclassmen Leslie Sprankles and Sydney Duncan did what they had done all season over the weekend: lead by example. Both earned All Conference honors in multiple events, while Sprankles was named Indiana University Kokomo's Champions of Character representative. Duncan captured a pair of individual titles at the River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships to earn River States Conference Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honors.
• Sydney, a product of Frankton High School, claimed conference titles in both the weight throw and shot put over the weekend with "A" standard marks, including a new school record toss of 18.55 meters in the weight throw on Friday.
• Sprankles, a senior from Bluffton, Indiana, earned All Conference honors in the 600 meters, 800 meters, and 1000 meters as an individual. She also teamed up with Kaniah Davis-Muff, Erica Grubbs, and Courtney Adams to place second and earn All River States Conference honors in the 4000 meter distance medley relay. Her time of 1:41.54 in the 600 meters set a new school record as well.
• Freshman Mia Bustos followed Sydney Duncan's lead in both the weight throw and shot put, placing second in the weight throw and third in the shot put to earn All Conference honors in two events at her first collegiate appearance at the River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
• The Indiana University Kokomo women's track and field team swept the podium in the shot put, finishing 1-2-3-4 in an event where the Cougars are ranked No. 1 nationally in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Faith Rock placed second with a throw of 12.40 meters, while Olivia Newcom finished just behind Mia Bustos in fourth with a mark of 12.13 meters.
• Junior Paige Brooks placed third in the long jump on Friday at the River States Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, contributing six team points and earning All River States Conference honors while finishing just 0.05 meters shy of the event title.
• Like Brooks, Lily Greene earned All Conference honors with a third-place finish in her event. Greene cleared 1.50 meters in the high jump on Friday, while teammate Rebekah Ankrum followed closely in fourth place.
• Finally, the 4x400 meter relay team consisting of Paige Brooks, Kaniah Davis-Muff, Mia Castillo, and Jaydi Jones finished third on Saturday to earn All Conference honors, crossing the line with a time of 4:18.06.
• For full results from the River States Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, click HERE.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• "From a team perspective we finished in 3^rd which is where I thought we would finish. We need more depth on our women's side if we want to push for a conference title. We are addressing that with recruiting this year to hopefully get us over the hump for next year. Our shot put squad, rated the #1 shot put squad in the country, showed why they earned that title.  This may be the first time a school has went 1-4 in a singular event in conference history. Sydney Duncan, Faith Rock, Mia Bustos, and Olivia Newcom swept the event. Sydney continued her phenomenal season with a conference record and NAIA A Standard toss in the weight throw. Her Shot Put and Weight Throw efforts allowed her to win the RSC Women's Field Athlete of the Year. Leslie Sprankles had a great last indoor conference meet being all-conference in the 600m, 800m, and 1k while leading off the all-conference DMR team." - Head Coach Josh Colvin

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.