With the 2026 year starting, the track and field season is underway, with three meets already taking place, and 10 to go before the National tournament. Looking at the change in season from cross-country to track and field, Coach Johnathon Nowacki comments on the team, "Even just three meets, it's their ability to compete and stay engaged in races. We've already seen Multiple PRs and a school record." Sophomore Kaleb Kilgore participated in a Grand Valley meet on January 20th, where he came out with a new school record in the 800m at 1:53.53 and moved up in the NJCAA rankings at #15.

    The group that Coach Nowacki has accumulated is a team that is willing to improve and compete. When asked about the highlights of his athletes, Nowacki comments, "We've had meetings about what we want out of this season both as a team and individually, and you can tell how invested they are in chasing their goals. Their buy-in has been outstanding."

    The first meet set the tone, as the Hawks travelled not far from home to Wesleyan University for the Coach Shoe Invitational. Below are the different races and outcomes for the day.  

Men's 1 Mile
7. Logan Siegrist 4:47.47
12. Ryan Kuhn 5:04.03

Women's 800m
8. Rebekah Fisher 2:52.51

Men's 800m
2. Sawyer Filliman 2:00.99
5. Fernando Daily 2:06.17
10. Cam Fenton 2:17.47

    Coach Johnathon Nowacki comments on his first year of competition in his inaugural spring season and what the priorities of the Hawks will be moving forward.
"Compete. I strongly believe that when athletes compete to the best of their ability, the times take care of themselves, and we're already seeing that. The competition comes not just from other teams, but from within our own group as well."

    As the rest of the season continues, the hope for the Hawks remains the same: "Execution, competing, and development." Different competitions, meets, and facilities will lead to different results, but the definition of what a successful meet is never changed. Coach Nowacki is determined to stay consistent in expectations, as well as competition effectiveness, as he tends to ask, "Did we execute the race plan? If so, that's a win regardless of time and place. Did we compete and put ourselves in the race? That matters just as much. Finally, did we develop, whether through PRs, wins, or better execution and competitiveness than the week before? If we do those three things: execute, compete, and develop, it's a successful meet."

    The next meet for the Hawks is in Normal, IL where they will travel to Wesleyan to compete in the Keck Select in preparation for the NJCAA Indoor Championship that is coming up in a month's time.