Saint John's competes at the 2026 MIAC Indoor Championships this Friday-Saturday, Feb. 27-28, at Carleton in Northfield. The meet begins with the first part of the heptathlon at 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, and resumes at 10 a.m. Friday, followed by the first day of full competition at 4 p.m. Saturday's action begins with field events at 11:45 a.m. and on the track at 1 p.m. – Championships Website

LIVE COVERAGE
-Results (Feb. 26-28)
-Video (Feb. 27-28): Track Events | Field Events

TICKET INFORMATION: All tickets will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at the venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device at any time, including while at the venue. - Purchase Tickets

*Please note, no ticket will be required for the afternoon multi-event competitions on Thursday, February 27. Tickets will be required for full competition days on Friday and Saturday.

One-Day Pass 
-Adults: $13 (HomeTown Ticketing fees plus 2.9% credit card fee will be added during checkout = $13.70 estimated total)
-Students*: $4 (HomeTown Ticketing fees plus 2.9% credit card fee will be added during checkout = $4.43 estimated total)
-5 & Under: Free
*Undergrad/HS/MS/Elementary (must show student ID)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, Feb. 26
Heptathlon
-2:20 p.m.: 55-meter dash
-3:00: long jump
-4:15: shot put
-5:30: high jump

Friday, Feb. 27
Heptathlon
-10:00 a.m.: 55-meter hurdles
-11:00: pole vault
-2:30 p.m.: 1,000 meters

Championships
Field Events
-4:00 p.m.: high jump, weight throw
-6:15: long jump

Track Events
-4:30 p.m.: 55-meter hurdles – prelims (W/M)
-5:00: 55-meter dash – prelims (W/M)
-5:20: mile run (W/M)
-6:05: 400-meter dash (W/M)
-6:25: 800 meters (W/M)
-6:55: 5,000 meters (W/M)
-7:45: 4x200-meter relay (W/M)
-8:15: distance medley relay (W/M)

Saturday, Feb. 28
Field Events
-11:45 a.m.: shot put
-11:45: triple jump
-12:30 p.m.: pole vault

Track Events
-1:00 p.m.: 55-meter hurdles – final (W/M)
-1:20: 55-meter dash – final (W/M)
-1:35: 600 meters (W/M)
-2:05: 1,000 meters (W/M)
-2:35: 200-meter dash (W/M)
-3:15: 3,000 meters (W/M)
-4:15: 4x400-meter relay (W/M)

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's junior Cole Stencel (Mapleton, Minn./Maple River) broke the Johnnies' program record in the 3,000 meters at Division I Minnesota's Snowshoe Open last Friday (Feb. 20). Stencel crossed the finish line in 8:19.52 to finish third overall, first among Division III competitors. He burned to a 31.27 in the final lap to shatter his personal-best time of 8:58.27 and break the previous record of 8:22.4 set by Jim Gathje '86 – a four-time All-American and two-time national champion in the steeplechase – in 1985. 

He was the fastest Division III finisher in the race, topping six runners from Division I St. Thomas and a pair of Division II athletes. He has now set a personal best in his last three races and a school record in two of the last three.

Stencel broke SJU's record in the mile run Feb. 7 on the same track at the Minnesota's Gopher Classic with a time of 4:10.42, which is logged as a 4:07.26 after a banked-track conversion. The converted time will serve as his qualifying mark for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships since the national meet will be held on a banked surface.

The other Johnnie at the Snowshoe Open, senior Nick St. Peter (Maple Grove, Minn.), finished ninth, first among Division III runners, with a season-best time of 4:22.02 in the mile run.

Division II MSU-Mankato's Maverick Open
The rest of the SJU track and field team recorded 19 top-10 marks/times last Friday at Division II MSU-Mankato's Maverick Open.

Sophomore Anthony Sletta (St. James, Minn.) led SJU, and the Division III participants in the long jump, with a third-place mark of 6.54 meters and classmate Bailey Evans (Breckenridge, Minn.) was fifth (6.43 meters).

Freshman Nolan Pfeilsticker (Plainview, Minn./Plainview-Elgin-Millville) claimed fourth in the 800 meters (2:01.69) and sophomore Zander Olmschenk (Sauk Centre, Minn.) was sixth (2:03.38).

Freshman Aiden Jones (Pierz, Minn.) took fifth in the 60-meter dash in 7.04 seconds, while sophomore Grady Minnerath (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) and junior Rylan Turqueza (Ewa Beach, Hawaii/Radford) were seventh (15.03 meters) and ninth (13.99 meters) in the weight throw. Minnerath was also seventh in the shot put (15.64 meters).

Senior Jacob Malecha (Lonsdale, Minn./New Prague) was seventh in the mile run (4:35.87) and junior Peyton Martinek (Coon Rapids, Minn.) was 10th (4:37.92).

Three Johnnies finished in the pole vault's top 10, led by freshman Alex Chirhart (St. Cloud, Minn./Rocori) in seventh (4.38 meters). Freshman Austin Mohr (Alexandria, Minn.) and senior Josh Johnston (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) followed in ninth and 10th, respectively, at 4.23 meters.

Senior Aiden Langheim (Jordan, Minn.) finished seventh in the 600 meters (1:28.00) and freshman Ryan Becker (Shakopee, Minn.) was just behind him in 10th (1:28.60).

A pair of juniors, Kieran Murnan (Lakeville, Minn./Holy Angels) and Cooper Smith (Alvarado, Minn./East Grand Forks), were eighth (22.62) and 10th (22.67) in the 200-meter dash.

Two others – junior Connor O'Brien (Belle Plaine, Minn.) and freshman Raegan Lopez (Lakeville, Minn./North) – were ninth in the ninth in the high jump (1.82 meters) and 3,000 meters (9:22.39), respectively.

LAST YEAR'S MEET: SJU finished third out of 11 teams at last year's MIAC Indoor Championships in Collegeville. In total, SJU won three individual championships and totaled 10 All-MIAC (top three individually) performances. 

Anthony Thurk '25 became the fourth Johnnie in program history to win the two-day MIAC heptathlon, joining Maguire Petersen '22 in 2022 (5,118), Michael Leither '08 in 2008 (4,753) and Jeff Doll '07 in 2007 (4,576), with 4,923 total points. Thurk also recorded personal bests in four of seven events in the heptathlon - 60-meter dash: third (7.29), long jump: first (6.68m), high jump: first (1.97m) and pole vault: fourth (4.10m). 

Jackson McDowell '25 won his second MIAC title in the high jump, and first indoors, setting a new school record with a height of 2.11 meters. Additionally, he cleared the mark on his third and final attempt to become the fourth Johnnie to win the indoor event. 

The Johnnies' distance medley relay (Allen, Conzemius, Molenkamp, Stencel) recorded SJU's third MIAC title of the meet – the program's second in the event over the past four seasons – with a time of 10:17:48. 

Sophomore Max Reis (West Fargo, N.D./Spectrum) earned his first All-MIAC distinction (top three) in second place, by just 0.04 of a second, to tie SJU's record of 6.78 seconds by Kevin Arthur '24 in the 60-meter dash. Reis also placed fourth in the long jump with a mark of 6.83 meters, five inches from third place and All-MIAC honors. 

Senior Owen Montreuil (Jordan, Minn.) led the Johnnies with a second-place finish in the 600 meters with a time of 1:21.88, 0:00.20 from Macalester's Kalid Ali and the title. The All-MIAC honor (top three) was the fourth of Montreuil's career and first of 2025.

Zach Schaffer '25 collected the sixth All-MIAC honor of his collegiate career – placing fourth indoors – with a second-place distance of 6.98 meters in the long jump. 

SJU collected 15 points in the 1,000 meters, led by St. Peter's third-place time of 2:29.48. The All-MIAC honor was the fourth of St. Peter's career and second indoors.

Stencel and Tommy Allen '24 followed St. Peter in fourth (2:31.11) and fifth (2:31.78), respectively, in the 1,000 meters.

Alec Ungar '25 tied for fifth in the high jump (1.86m), while junior Andrew Withuski (Wahpeton, N.D.) tied for fifth in the pole vault with a height of 4.16 meters. Senior Kole Guth (St. Peter, Minn.) was seventh with the same mark and junior Wyatt Witschen (Monticello, Minn.) claimed sixth in the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 50.66 seconds.

Max Lelwica '25 finished fifth in the heptathlon (4,421) and junior Noah Besemann (New Brighton, Minn./Irondale) was eighth (4,323), while junior Matt Hansen (Longmont, Colo./Niwot) followed five places behind Schaffer placing seventh in the long jump (6.64 meters). Montreuil and St. Peter placed seventh (1:57:48) and eighth (1:57:61) in the 800 meters. 

SJU's 4x200-meter relay (Hansen, Witschen, White, Eisele) was fourth (1:30.89), while the 4x400-meter relay (Hansen, Montreuil, St. Peter, Witschen) was fifth (3:26.70).

IN THE MIAC: The Johnnies currently boast 23 top-10 marks/times in the MIAC.

60-Meter Dash
3. Kieran Murnan, 6.95
5. Aiden Jones, 6.99
9. Bailey Evans, 7.04

200-Meter Dash
3. Kieran Murnan, 22.46
6. Cooper Smith, 22.67
7. Aiden Jones, 22.72

400-Meter Dash
8. Cooper Smith, 50.71

600 Meters
5. Owen Montreuil, 1:22.12

800 Meters
6. Owen Montreuil, 1:55.02

1,000 Meters
2. Cole Stencel, 2:28.88
7. Nick St. Peter, 2:32.18

Mile
1. Cole Stencel, 4:10.42

3,000 Meters
2. Cole Stencel, 8:19.52

60-Meter Hurdles
6. Bashir Amoud, 8.51
8. Trae Headlee, 8.63

High Jump
4. Bailey Evans, 1.88m

Pole Vault
5. Alex Chirhart, 4.38m
t6. Kole Guth, 4.30m
t6. Austin Mohr, 4.30m
9. Josh Johnston, 4.23m

Long Jump
9. Anthony Sletta, 6.54m

Triple Jump
8. Bangaly Kaba, 13.35m

Shot Put
4. Grady Minnerath, 15.87m