MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Rounding out the 2026 team competition season, NM State took to Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Complex for the 2026 Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Dominant performances by upperclassmen led the way, with senior Alesha Lane earning gold in the shot put, Nia Allison surprising the field to take gold in the 3000m Steeplechase and Marlee Cavitt taking first in both the 100m and 200m. Alongside the pair of event wins, Cavitt helped the 4x100m relay team score a trio of points en route to earning High Point Scorer of the Meet – a first for NM State since taking first place at the 2023 WAC Outdoor Championship (Jhana Downie). In all, five Aggies tallied seven medals on the weekend. Overall, NM State finished in fourth place after coming into the weekend projected to finish in seventh.
 
Top-Eight Finishes
 
Nia Allison – 3000m Steeplechase (1^st)
Marlee Cavitt – 100m (1^st)
Marlee Cavitt – 200m (1^st)
Alesha Lane – Shot Put (1^st)
Kamryn Cadle – Shot put (3^rd)
Amanda Radava – 1500m (3^rd)
Nia Allison – 5000m (4^th)
Eloïse Stuart – 800m (4^th)
Amanda Radava – 5000m (5^th)
Julia Nystrand – Hammer Throw (5^th)
Alyssa Crump, Marlee Cavitt, Jaylah McDonnell, Aja Johnson – 4x100m (6^th)
Kamryn Cadle – Hammer Throw (7^th)
Alesha Lane – Hammer Throw (8^th)
 
Thursday
 
Opening the weekend of action in Murfreesboro, the Aggies recorded an impressive showing in the hammer throw, led by freshman Julia Nystrand. After posting a personal best mark to secure her spot in the finals, Nystrand recorded a second personal best on her final throw of the event, posting a mark of 54.17 meters (177-08"). Kamryn Cadle (52.11m) recorded a seventh-place finish, while senior Alesha Lane finished eighth with a personal best of 51.57m to tally points in the event for the first time in her collegiate career. Camila Carrera closed her weekend with a result of 44.47m (145-10"), while Samonne Cauley made her championship debut – recording a best mark of 44.36m (145-6").
 
Aja Johnson made her outdoor championship debut with the Crimson & White, consistently improving throughout her attempts to close with a best mark of 5.60m (18-4.50").
 
Amanda Radava cruised through the 1500m prelims, posting the fastest time by more than five seconds to advance to Saturday's finals (4:21.67). Adéla Steinsová showed a championship mentality, finishing ahead of her projected finish and qualifying for the 1500m finals with a time of 4:29.71.  
 
The 100m dash saw Marlee Cavitt record the top time for the Crimson & White and the second fastest of preliminary competition, posting a time of 11.63 to advance to the finals for the first time in outdoor competition. Alyssa Crump made her outdoor championship debut, recording a time of 12.11.
 
Sara McKee completed her first full season of competition in the 100m hurdles, finishing in ninth and just missing out on finals with a time of 14.20.
 
Trista Cordova wrapped the opening day of competition in Murfreesboro in the 10,000m – celebrating her birthday with the 25-lap, 6.2-mile race. The Albuquerque, N.M., native posted a massive personal record, finishing with a time of 37:08.12 to outpace her projected finish.
 
Friday
 
An eventful Friday night got underway in the shot put, with Alesha Lane, Kamryn Cadle, and Julia Nystrand advancing to the finals. In the second round of competition, the drama prevailed until the last throw, with Kamryn Cadle moving up from fifth-place to a podium finish with a mark of 15.34m (50-4"). Coming into the last throw in second place, Alesha Lane powered home a massive personal best of 16.05m (52-8") to take first place and earn her first Conference USA Championship. This mark also ranks as the second farthest in NM State history (Rebecca Green, 16.59m).
 
Julia Nystrand finished with a mark of 13.13m, while Samonne Cauley closed her championship debut weekend in the event. 
 
In the 800m, Eloïse Stuart advances to Saturday's final with a near personal best time of 2:08.53, finishing second in her heat with the third fastest time overall. Adéla Steinsova finished just outside of finals with a time of 2:12.52.
 
El Paso native Aileen Alvarado wrapped her NM State career in the high jump, posting a best height of 1.60m (5-3").
 
After taking the 200m crown in the CUSA Indoor Championships this past February, Marlee Cavitt punched her ticket to the finals in outdoor competition with a time of 23.75, the third-fastest in prelims. Sophomore Jaylah McDonnell just missed out on finals with a time of 24.04. Alyssa Crump ran near her personal best in the event with a time of 24.52.
 
A thrilling end to Friday night came by way of the 3000m Steeplechase, where Nia Allison, Jordan Torres and Murrie Dodge competed. Running in the steeplechase for just the fourth time in her career, Allison tallied a significant personal best to run away with the championship crown and take first place with a time of 10:08.76. This mark secured the Katy, Texas, natives' spot in the NCAA West Regionals in Fayetteville, while also surpassing the previous school record by nearly 26 seconds.
 
Saturday
 
Despite inconsistent conditions, true freshman Presley Edwards recorded a solid showing in the javelin during her championship debut, finishing with a best mark of 41.13m (134-11").
 
Alesha Lane recorded her second podium finish of the weekend, in the discus, posting a best mark of 52.35m (171-9") to take third. Freshman Julia Nystrand advanced to finals for the third time on the weekend, recording a best throw of 44.55m (146-2"). Fellow freshman Avery Jordan closed her conference championship debut with a best toss of 41.25m (135-4").
 
NM State's 4x100 relay team of Alyssa Crump, Marlee Cavitt, Jaylah McDonnell and Aja Jonhson combined to tally a season best time of with a time of 45.51, taking sixth to record a trio of points.
 
Amanda Radava and Adéla Steinsová represented the Crimson & White in the 1500m finals, with Radava battling the field through the finish line to take bronze with a new personal best time of 4:21.01 – the third-fastest time in program history. Steinsová finished in ninth with a time of 4:29.96.
 
In the second of four events she competed in on the day, Marlee Cavitt blew by the competition in the 100m dash, crossing the line with a time of 11.38 to earn the gold medal. This time set a new school record, surpassing Jhana Downie (11.44).
 
Eloïse Stuart raced out to a strong start in the 800m, blazing down the track to post a time of 2:06.77 to take fourth in her NM State outdoor championship debut. This result bumped the Miami (FL) transfer into third-place all-time in the Aggie record book.
 
Less than an hour after securing her 100m victory, Marlee Cavitt returned to the track at the Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Complex for the 200m dash. A battle to the finish, Cavitt surged to the line and crossed in first place with a new personal best time of 23.40 – the third quickest time in NM State history.
 
A quintet of Aggies competed in the 5000m – Nia Allison, Amanda Radava, Jordan Torres, Murrie Dodge and Trista Cordova. Coming off an astounding victory in the 3000m steeplechase on Friday, the Katy, Texas, native crossed the line in fourth with a new personal best time of 16:34.42 in her season debut in the event. This time launched Allison up the all-time leaderboard, placing her second in program history.
 
Amanda Radava turned on the jets in the final lap, making a massive surge down the stretch to move from 15^th to fifth in her 5000m debut, posting a new personal best time of 16:44.56 – the sixth-fastest in program history. Jordan Torres posted a new season-best time of 17:30.77.
 
Wrapping the weekend in the 4x400m relay, a quartet of Eloïse Stuart, Marlee Cavitt, Jaylah McDonnell and Adéla Steinsová posted a season best time of 3:48.06.
 
Final Standings
 
1. Liberty (161 points)
2. Kennesaw State (121 points)
3. FIU (118.5 points)
4. NM State (82 points)
5. Middle Tennessee (61 points)
6. LA Tech (69 points)
7. Missouri State (57.5 points)
8. Delaware (50.5 points)
9. UTEP (32.5 points)
10. Sam Houston (30 points)
11. Western Kentucky (23 points)
12. Jax State (21 points)
 
UP NEXT
 
A select group of Aggies are slated to compete in the 2026 NCAA West Regional, hosted by the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Action is set to begin on Wednesday, May 27, and run through Saturday, May 30.
 
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