Winner Finishes Second In Hammer For Sixth Career All-American Honor

The first day of the 2026 NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kan., saw a familiar podium climber become an All-American once again.
 
Thursday (May 21) started with the sixth career D-II All-American honor earned by junior Molly Winner. Winner was the runner-up in the women's hammer throw at 60.88 meters/199-feet-9 – that top throw coming on her third attempt.
 
Winner has three national runner-up placements, to go with a third, a sixth and a seventh, in her Eagle career.
 
Ashland's women are tied for third place with eight team points through the first two completed events at nationals. 
 
The women's 4x100-meter relay preliminaries saw the Eagle team move on to the finals after a third-place overall finish in 45.14 seconds. That group included sophomores Medgine Wojton and Brianna Chenevey, freshman Alexis Wims and junior Hailey Rios.
 
Also on Thursday:

• Rios placed 16^th in the finals of the women's long jump (5.69 meters/18-feet-8).
• In the men's 4x100 relay prelims, the quartet of senior Joe Wahl, sophomores Roosevelt Zeigler and Trinity Keith, and junior Dominick Brister took 14^th in 41.33 seconds.
• Sophomore Wes Taylor was 22^nd in the prelims of the men's 3,000 steeplechase (9:22.42).
• Junior Leslie Pollock fouled on all three attempts in the women's hammer throw finals.

Day 2 of the Championships will be Friday (May 22). The rest of the weekend schedule for Eagle athletes follows:
  5:30 p.m. – women's discus finals (Pollock, Stone)
7:15 p.m. – women's 800 run prelims (Avance)
7:35 p.m. – men's 110 hurdles prelims (Allen, Lutz) 1:30 p.m. – women's shot put finals (Winner)
3 p.m. – men's pole vault finals (Jackson, Smith)
4:40 p.m. – women's 4x100 relay finals
5:15 p.m. – men's 110 hurdles finals (if qualify)
6:25 p.m. – women's 800 run finals (if qualify)