Heart Claims Four Individual National Champions, Central Methodist Earns Top-10 Team Finishes at NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Nationals
The 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, held May 20-22 at Karl Straus Track in Asheville, North Carolina, featured the Heart conference capturing four individual national titles and multiple All-America performances on both the men's and women's sides.
On the team leaderboard, the Central Methodist University men's squad placed seventh overall with 33 points, while the Eagles' women's team tied for seventh place alongside Aquinas College and Concordia University with 25 points.
Heart National Champions
Joe Loughman, Benedictine College — Men's Javelin (66.59m)
Cody Hammond, Park University — Men's 1500m (3:59.19)
Koby Higginbotham, William Penn University — Men's 110m Hurdles (13.91)
Nikiwe Mongwe, MidAmerica Nazarene University — Women's 400m (53.21)
Central Methodist Men Finish Seventh
The Central Methodist University men's squad produced multiple All-America performances en route to its seventh-place national finish.
Cortney Watkins led the way individually with a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles, clocking a time of 14.04. Corlando Chambers added another podium finish for the Eagles in the 800m, placing third overall in 1:50.90.
Central Methodist also earned a runner-up finish in the 4x400m relay as Logan Bass, Isaac Lawson, Chambers, and Tyrone Summerall combined for a time of 3:10.48.
Bellamy Leads Central Methodist Women
The Central Methodist University women were powered by a standout performance from Haley Bellamy in the heptathlon.
Bellamy finished second overall in the event with 5,176 points and posted several top finishes throughout the competition. She won the heptathlon 800m in 2:21.42, claimed first in the high jump at 1.72m, and added another first-place mark in the long jump with a leap of 5.72m. Bellamy also placed second in the 100m hurdles portion of the heptathlon after finishing in 14.39.