The Wayne State College women's outdoor track and field team was picked eighth in the 2026 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll released Thursday morning by the league office in Burnsville, Minnesota. The Wildcats collected 117 points in voting conducted by league coaches. Senior thrower
Olivia Schwarzrock and sophomore hurdler
Reagan Murphy were listed as Wildcats to Watch in the NSIC this season.
Four-time defending champion Minnesota State was a unanimous selection in this year's poll with 196 points and 14 first-place votes followed by UMary in second at 183 points and one first-place ballot (coaches can not vote for their own team). Augustana (155), Winona State (152) and Minnesota Duluth (145) rounded out the top five teams.
Northern State was sixth with 131 points followed by Sioux Falls (121), Wayne State eighth at 117 with Concordia-St. Paul (89) and MSU Moorhead (81) closing out the top 10 teams. Rounding out the coaches' poll were Bemidji State (57), St. Cloud State 46), Jamestown (45), Minot State (32) and Southwest Minnesota State (25).
Schwarzrock, a senior thrower from Gibbon, Minnesota (Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop HS), was listed as the Wildcat Field Athlete to Watch. Last season she earned a fourth-place medal in the shot put at 45' 10" and is coming off a strong indoor season where she collected two All-NSIC honors thanks to a second-place finish in the weight throw (57' ¾") and a third-place medal in the shot put at 44' 2 ¾".
Murphy, a sophomore hurdler from Algona, Iowa (Bishop Garrigan HS), is listed as Wayne State's Track Athlete to Watch this spring. Last year as a freshman she finished 11
th in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:04.79 and during this year's indoor championships just missed the finals in the 60-meter hurdles taking ninth in 8.87 seconds.
Wayne State College is scheduled to open the 2026 outdoor season next weekend – March 27 and 28
th – hosting the annual Wildcat Classic on LeRoy Simpson Track at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne Friday and Saturday.
