GAMBIER, Ohio – After a strong indoor season that included four top-10 finishes and a sixth place at the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Indoor Championship, the Kenyon College women's track and field team is poised to compete throughout the six-event outdoor slate and for a shot at the NCAC crown.
2025 and Indoor Season Review
The Owls scored 45 team points and finished sixth at the 2026 NCAC Indoor Championship. Last outdoor season, they scored 72 team points and finished fifth at the 2025 NCAC Outdoor Championship.
Coaching Staff
Head coach Julius Higginbotham enters his fifth season at the helm for Kenyon, coming off of a 2024-2025 campaign that featured an NCAA appearance, an All-American honoree, two USTFCCCA All-Region honorees and seven NCAC Championship event titles along with the conference's Indoor and Outdoor field athlete of the year. Taryn Sharp, who was hired in 2022, and Kirk Shellhouse, hired in 2023, are back as assistant coaches for the Owls.
NCAC Preseason Poll
The NCAC coaches do not vote on projected standings during the preseason. Instead, coaches are balloted a week before each of the conference championships. Looking back at this season's indoor poll, the Owls were picked to finish sixth and that's exactly where they landed. Prior to last season's NCAC Outdoor Championship, coaches predicted the Owls to place fifth, and again, that's where the Kenyon team finished.
Returning All-Conference Honorees
All-Conference honorees are awarded by placement in each event at the NCAC Championship. At the 2025 championship, Anna Brown earned first team honors in the 800 meters and second team in the 1,500 meters. Ari Sobel also made the first team in the 400 meters. In February's Indoor Championship, Brown ended up in the third team in the 1 mile and again took home first team in the 800. Sobel earned second team honors in the 400.
Returning Statistical Leaders
Noa Helmbrecht holds the team's best times in the 60 (7.89), 200 (25.72), and 300 (42.26) sprints. Sobel sits atop the 400 charts with a 57.61 time, and Brown leads in the 800 (2:15.05) and mile (4:59.10). Backing up to the longer distance events, Lucie Prior has the best 3000 time at 11:10.17 and Olivia Ide leads the 5000 (18:56.11). In the field events, Penelope Artemis had the best throwing scores, firing an 11.92 meter in the shot put and 13.78 meter in the weight throw. In the jumps, Sadie Olson holds the best leaps in triple jump (9.95 meters) and long jump (4.49 meters).
Schedule Overview
Outdoor season opener: Saturday, March 21 at Emory University.
Outdoor home meet: Saturday, April 18.
Outdoor NCAC Championship: Friday and Saturday, May 1-2 at Kenyon.
How to Follow
Fans can follow Kenyon women's track & field throughout the season via the following links:
Live coverage (stats and video) - https://athletics.kenyon.edu/live
Twitter and Instagram - @KenyonSports
YouTube - @KenyonAthletics
