Wayne State College head track and field coach Marlon Brink has announced that three student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to attend Wayne State and compete in track and field for the Wildcats in the 2026-27 academic year.  The trio includes Caleigh Brownfield from Liberty, Missouri, Karlene Kepler of Mills and Karlie Villwok from Elkhorn.
            "I am excited with the start of our recruiting class for 2026-27," commented Brink.  "We are adding some athletes that we feel like should be able to step in right away and contribute to our team.  These athletes are not only good at their event but also good in the classroom which is something we take a lot of pride in for our teams.  We will continue to add more to our recruiting class but feel like this is a good start."
            Caleigh Brownfield is a long sprinter/mid distance runner from Liberty High School in Missouri where she is a three-year starter in track and field and two years in cross country.  Last spring she earned All-Conference First Team honors in the 400-meter dash and 4 x 400 relay, running a leg on the 4 x 400 relay team that placed third in the Class 5 Missouri State Meet.  This fall, Brownfield was named All-Conference Second Team in cross country.  Her personal best times are 58.51 in the 400-meter dash and 2.24 in the 800.  Brownfield has been voted team captain in track and field, was Most Valuable Athlete in 2024 and a STAR Scholarship nominee.
            "Caleigh is a very good long sprinter that has a lot of potential in the 400 and 800-meter events," said Brink.  "She has ran well on their 4 x 400 relay team that has placed third the last two years at state and we believe she can contribute to our sprint squad success right away.  I am excited to see what she can do at the college level."
            Kepler is a thrower from Mills (North Central HS) where she is a four-year starter and letter winner in track and field and three-year starter and four-year letter winner in basketball for the Knights.  Last spring, she was the Class D State Runner-up in the shot put (43' 0") and discus (131' 3") and as a sophomore in 2024 placed third in the discus (120' 3") and 10^th in the shot put ("36' 3 ¼").
            She helped the Knights win the Class D-4 District team title last spring and the basketball team to a district runner up finish.  Kepler excels in the classroom, earning NCPA Academic All-State honors in track and field as a sophomore and junior.  She was named All-Niobrara Valley Conference Second Team in basketball last season as a junior.
            "Karlene is an athlete that we feel has a lot of potential to continue building on at the college level," remarked Coach Brink.  "She knows how to compete well in high level meets earning three state medals so far.  And Karlene fits the mold of a lot of our successful throwers we've had here at Wayne State – small school athlete, great work ethic and a very good student.  We are very pleased to have her competing for WSC next season." 
            Karlie Villwok is a sprinter from Elkhorn (Elkhorn HS) where she is a four-year starter/letter winner in track and field and three years in softball.  She set the school record in the 200-meter dash last spring, placing seventh at the Class B State Track Meet in 25.87 seconds to go with a sixth-place medal in the 400-meter dash (57.80).  Villwok also ran the second leg on the school-record 4 x 100 meter relay team that took third at state in 49.45 seconds.  She also medaled at Class B state as a freshman in the 400-meter dash in 58.22 seconds.  Villwok also excels in softball, earning All-State Second Team honors as a junior with a .462 batting average.  She is an Academic All-Conference selection in softball, basketball and track and field.
            "Karlie is an explosive sprinter that will make an immediate impact on our team next year," stated Brink.  "She has some great high school marks already through her junior season and we believe will be even better her senior year and into her college career.  Karlie will be a valuable asset to our young sprint squad."
            Wayne State College is an NCAA Division II school located in Wayne, Nebraska and competes in the 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.