After a successful indoor campaign that saw the Taylor women’s track team compete in the NAIA National Indoor Championships, the Trojans look toward the outdoor season.
Indoor season ended March 7 in Gainesville, Florida at the NAIA National Championships. Jaynie Halterman electrified the Trojans, taking home the gold medal in the 5,000-meter race and breaking her previous NAIA record in the process with a time of 15:52.27. The sophomore didn’t stop there, anchoring Taylor’s distance-medley relay.
Junior Malarie Pinwar, junior Nicole Braz Domene and sophomore Addie Draper joined Halterman, clocking a time of 11:55.12 to place sixth and earn NAIA All-American honors.
Pinwar also represented the Trojans in the mile, finishing ninth with a time of 5:01.24.
Senior Kiana Siefert competed in the long jump and 60-meter hurdles, posting a distance of 18-0.25 to finish 17th before running 8.84.00 in the hurdles to finish 16th.
Taylor accumulated 13 points, finishing 26th as a team. Halterman added to her extensive championship resume, earning the Outstanding Performer award at the NAIA Women's Indoor Track and Field National Championships.
After the races, Halterman stayed humble, praising the Lord for her success.
“I just have this gift of running that I've been given from the Lord,” said Halterman. “I try to use it to my greatest advantage, to glorify Him.”
Even before the NAIA Championships, the Trojans enjoyed a season full of highlights. On Jan. 24, Domene collected two wins, finishing first in the 600-meter and the 4x400-meter relay alongside freshman Elizabeth Erwin, freshman Annabel Parker and sophomore Taylor Post.
“I really like the relays,” said assistant coach Mark Fairley. “It’s been fun to have some relays that were competitive at the national level.”
Fairley was hired as the head cross country coach and assistant track coach in December from Liberty University, where he served as an assistant for the Flames’ track and cross country teams. He said he was never involved with relays in his previous position and is relishing the opportunity at Taylor.
As a team, Taylor earned 11 All-Crossroads League awards this season, with nine athletes earning recognition.
Looking ahead to the outdoor season, the Trojans are met with a new set of challenges.
“Indoors is really consistent, because you're always on an indoor track and it's always 200 meters, and it's very minimal variation,” said Halterman. “But when you go outside, there are different things like weather, rain and wind.”
The outdoor season also brings a new set of opportunities. Halterman acknowledged that outdoor track is more widely followed than indoor, bringing more fan attention.
The outdoor season is also the last hurrah for the 2026 seniors. As Siefert prepares to lace up her track spikes for the final time, she hopes to leave an impact on her teammates.
“I would want them to remember me for my personality and for the aspects of that that I add to the team,” said Siefert. “Like the relationships and love and reflecting Jesus as best as I can, and not necessarily the achievements.”
With several national qualifiers returning, Taylor will look to build on the momentum from the indoor season as the schedule shifts outdoors. The distance team, led by Halterman, is expected to be a strength of the Trojans, while the relay groups aim to carry chemistry into the spring.
The Taylor women will be back in action March 20-21 at the Indiana Wesleyan Polar Bear Invite.
