Columbia, SC – Grace College holds the top spot on the women’s side of the 2025 NCCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships through six scored events, with newcomer Jessup University right on their heels.
 
The rain delay to open the day did not damper the Lancers or the Warriors, as Grace took first place in the 10,000-meter run and the high jump, while finishing second in the discus and third in the heptathlon. The Lancers have 44 points, just ahead of Jessup University who sits in second with 33 points. Jessup took home wins in the discus and heptathlon. Bethel University is in third place with 23 points.
 
Track Highlights

• The Crown College team of Mia Arroyo, Lindsey Morrison, Ella Dufault, and Ruth Brueckner picked up the victory in the 4x800 meter relay for the Polars with a time of 9:11.62. That mark was almost seven seconds faster than the second-place team.
• CeCe Mitchell from Grace College just edged out Paige Parker of Ohio Christian University in the 10,000-meter run, picking up the win with a time of 38:37.90. Katharina Goze of College of the Ozarks finished just behind Parker in third place at 38:46.31.
• All competitors from the first heat advanced to the finals of the 100-meter hurdles, with Makiyah Allen of Campbellsville running the fastest time at 14.58 seconds. She was the only runner to finish the race in under 15 seconds.
• Morgan Johnson from Columbia International University took the top spot in the prelims of the 100-meter run with a time of 12.29 seconds. Both Allen of Campbellsville and Allea Graves from Malone University finished behind Johnson with a time of 12.34 seconds. 
• Graves got the better of Johnson in the 200-meter prelims, as the Malone Pioneer finished first with a time of 24.85 seconds, the only runner to finish the race in under 25 seconds.

 
Field Highlights

• Jessup’s Julia Pisenti etched her name in the NCCAA record books, winning the event championship in the discus with a toss of 47.72 meters. That mark is the fourth-best in the history of the NCCAA. Pisenti won the gold medal by 5.51 meters.
• Emily McCreary of Grace took the gold medal in the high jump, clearing 1.65 meters, a mark that is tied for 20^th all-time in NCCAA history. Anna Beth Vancil from Greenville University finished second, clearing 1.62 meters, while Campbellsville University’s Kenniqua Grate also cleared 1.62 meters, but did so on her second attempt, earning third. 
• Jayde Ullenbruch captured gold for Concordia University Ann Arbor, winning the long jump with a distance of 5.33 meters. Ullenbruch just beat out Gabrielle Zeilenga of Bethel University, who jumped 5.32 meters, while Paine College's Gabriella Lawrence finished third with a distance of 5.29 meters.

 
Heptathlon Highlights

• Jessup University’s Jocelyn Pedretti continued to widen her lead from day one, taking the win in the long jump with a distance of 5.08 meters, beating out Makayla Neal of Grace College by 0.23 meters to earn 581 more points. Hannah Wernli of Faith Baptist Bible College finished third with a distance of 4.61 meters.
• Pedretti took home another event win to widen the gap, as her toss of 30.77 meters in the javelin was the best by 2.24 meters over Morgan Wood of College of the Ozarks. Neal finished third with a toss of 27.69 meters.
• Wood made a big move in the final event, winning the 800-meter run with a time of 2:32.52, a new personal best, winning the event by almost seven seconds over Abby Schopper of York University. That was enough for her to jump into the silver medal slot in the final standings. Pedretti finished third with a time of 2:46.11. 
• Pedretti took home the gold medal with 4285 points, passing Brooke Gasser of Malone University (2007) for the 19^th best mark in NCCAA history. Wood finished second with 3977 points, while Neal finished third with 3864 points.

 
The 2025 NCCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships conclude on Friday, May 9. The first event, the women’s 5,000-meter run, is set to begin at 8:30 AM ET, with the event concluding at 3:55 PM ET with the women’s 4x400 meter relay. Fans can follow along with live video at nccaanetwork.com and live stats at thenccaa.org, with full results available here.
 
About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 23 national championship events, along with two national invitationals for 92 member schools across 28 states and two Canadian provinces. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.