VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – After day one of competition at the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, both Grand Valley State men's and women's teams rank first and sixth. The men lead with a team total of 27 points from five podium finishes and the women tie West Texas A&M for sixth with a team score of 12.
 
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Andrew Kraft began the day at 10 a.m. in the men's heptathlon. The sophomore successfully completed three events before having to withdraw from competition due to minor injury. Despite this, Kraft finished first in heat one of the 60m dash at a personal-best 7.11 and ranked first in shot put, throwing for 14.66m (48-1.25).
 
Dominic Downes and Joshua Hurt continued competition for GVSU''s men at 2:45. The duo crossed the 60m hurdles finish line at a matching 7.98 seconds to place ninth and 10th overall. Unfortunately, the duo fell short and was unable to advance to tomorrow's finals.
 
Throughout the several preliminary track events the day had to offer, four Lakers managed to qualify for tomorrow's final rounds. Flynn Pumpa was the first to do so, qualifying for the men's mile with a first place finish in his heat at 4:04.68. Joshua Page followed suit, qualifying for the men's 400m finals with a second-overall finish at 46.19. Sam Allen was the next to advance, crossing the heat one finish line first at 1:49.26 to automatically qualify for the men's 800m finals. Alaina Diaz was the fourth to do so with a personal-best 23.77 finish in the women's 200m, ranking sixth of eight qualifiers.
 
Transfer throwers Brandon Schirck and Sebastian Tesch were the first two to take the podium for Grand Valley State, placing fourth and seventh in weight throw. Schirck maintained a solid fourth place rank throughout his six throws, throwing his furthest 21.52m (70-7.25) on his final attempt. Tesch threw his best weight on attempt four, throwing for 20.97m (68-9.75) and placing seventh. The two added seven total points to GVSU's team score – their first NCAA points added in their collegiate careers.
 
Diaz was the next Laker to find the podium, placing sixth in women's long jump just hours prior to her 200m prelims. The junior saved her best jump for last, landing at 6.09m (19-11.75) on her sixth and final attempt of the day. Her finish adds another All-American honor to her résumé and put the first three points on the board for her Laker ladies.
 
Unsurprisingly, Dolan Gonzales led the Lakers in pole vault. The junior has been improving throughout the season and postseason, consistently breaking personal, facility and program records. After passing the first two heights, Gonzales climbed his way to 5.36m (17-7) in just five attempts. On his second attempt at the height, he was able to clear the bar and attempt to break his best, yet again. Although he was unable to clear 5.41m (17-9), his hard work was rewarded with a National Runner-Up title in the event – his best national finish in three NCAA Championship appearances.
 
Shelby Ulven was the final field athlete to land a podium spot for the Lakers. In her final indoor outing for GVSU, Ulven notched a best-of-six weight throw mark of 19.83m (65-0.75). Her throw ranked her fifth overall and added four points to the women's team score.
 
Koby Fraaza and Abigail VanderKooi were Grand Valley State's stars in the men's and women's 5000m. Fraaza took the track first, completing the 25 laps around the 200m track in 13:49.98 to earn bronze and a personal-best finish in the event. VanderKooi followed her teammate's footsteps, finishing the 5000m at a personal-best 16:24.01 to place eighth and add one point to the team score.
 
The final All-America honors of day one were awarded to the men's and women's distance medley relay squads. The men went first; Owen Westerkamp, Page, Colin MacGregor and Pumpa combined for a third place finish at 9:40.17 in the event, contributing another six to the team score. Megan Postma, Claire Neumann, Addison Washler and Cara Newman closed out the day with a fifth place finish at 11:30.93 in the DMR, adding four points for the Laker ladies.
 
Tomorrow's events, all of which are finals, begin at 4 p.m. for Grand Valley State. Brooke Bowers begins the day in women's pole vault, where she's seeded-first at 4.35m. Marcus Gelpi and Braden Prielipp compete at 4:30 in men's high jump just before Pumpa takes the men's mile starting line at 4:40 and Page competes for the men's 400m crown at 5 p.m. Erika Beistle, Paige Westra and Avery Lahti take the ring for women's shot put at 5:15 before Allen races in the men's 800m finals at 5:25 and Diaz takes on the women's 200m at 5:55 p.m. Fraaza and Lauren Kiley will close out the individual events as they take on the men's and women's 3000m, and the men's and women's 4x400m relay squads compete to add the final team points of the day as they close out the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships around 7 p.m.
 
Fans can watch the 2026 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships via livestream, courtesy of the NCAA. Live results and scoring will be provided by Leone Timing.
 
Be sure to follow @GVSUXCTF on Instagram and X and GVSU CC and TF on Facebook for photos, live updates and more. A story recapping Grand Valley State's outing at the 2026 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships will be posted to gvsulakers.com following the conclusion of the meet.