Viking track reloads, eyes NSIC outdoor success

After the close of the indoor season, the Augustana men’s and women’s track and field teams are hard at work preparing for another outdoor season in the NSIC. In the wake of a triumphant graduating class, many athletes have stepped up, placing higher than ever before. 

Last spring, Augustana saw 15 athletes receive All-Conference honors; in addition, three students earned NSIC champion titles. Among the champions was former graduate student athlete and clear standout Ryan Hartman, who won the title in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:49.24. His absence, among others in his strong graduating class, initially left the team uneasy about the next season. 

However, head coach Scott Tanis is excited for his teams’ potential this year as many young athletes took the opportunity to train hard and improve during the offseason.

“There’s certainly an undercurrent of pretty good athletes on the younger side of things,” Tanis said.

His strategy is focusing on the individual success of each athlete. Tanis believes that “being around other people that are pursuing excellence” is what drives a collective advancement in performance.

The women’s team was selected to finish the season third in the NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll behind first-place Minnesota State and second-place University of Mary. Sophomores Ellen Merkley and Ashton Massey were both named a Preseason Athlete to Watch.

During the 2025 NSIC outdoor championship, Massey earned sixth place in the women’s heptathlon; the team placed third overall. 

During the indoor season, she earned her first All-NSIC honors with a runner-up finish in the pentathlon. This resulted in her first qualification for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships, held March 14 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where she placed 14th in the pentathlon and earned All-American Second Team honors. 

“She’s worked really hard and deservedly had a lot of success,” Tanis said. 

The men’s team was selected to finish fourth in the preseason poll with sophomore Bryant Keller named a Preseason Athlete to Watch.

Keller won two events during the indoor championships, the 3000m and 5000m, which were his first wins. He finished with times 8:27.62 and 14:41.09 respectively.  

“He’s been emerging for a while,” Tanis said. 

One of the challenges of the outdoor season is that some of its events differ from the indoor season. 

Senior Lindsay Young will compete in the steeplechase as a returning All-Conference athlete. The steeplechase is a 3000m obstacle race with barriers to bypass and water jumps. She has historically been the competitor in the event, but since she’s an upcoming graduate, the team must find new athletes to make an attempt. 

This season, juniors Ramsey Karim and Tenley Nelson will compete in the event for the first time.

“A lot of new people are trying that event, which is exciting,” Karim said.

In addition to strong improvement during the offseason, Augustana’s track teams welcomed a promising group of freshmen.

“They all really adapted well to college training,” sophomore Bridger Steiner-Smith said.

The teams are also anticipating the return of many athletes who have been healing from injury during the indoor season, such as sophomores Payton Brown, Peyton Willbanks, Alex Schumacher and senior Will Sugrue on the men’s team.

“Hopefully going into outdoor, they’ll be back,” Steiner-Smith said. “We’ll be ready.”

Because of the teams’ lack of athletes who compete in field events like throwing and pole vaulting, the strength of the team relies on track athletes to get the most points possible. This is why, according to Steiner-Smith, it’s important for the teams to have a large number of athletes competing across multiple events to optimize point accumulation and make up for the shortage of field competitors.

At the end of the day, the success of the team rides on the determination of each individual athlete. 

“The best way to position yourself is just to be the best version of yourself, and I think that’s kind of the journey that we’re on each day,” Tanis said.

The outdoor season begins with both teams competing at the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 26–27.