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USTFCCCA News and Notes
Courtesy: Walker Brooks, USTFCCCA Communications Intern
February 26, 2023  
Being number one is good, but staying number one is more difficult.
Well, Indiana Tech has been making it look easy.
The Warriors have been the top-ranked team in the NAIA Women’s Indoor Track and Field National Ranking Index for five consecutive years. Let’s put it this way: Indiana Tech, the reigning back-to-back national champions, hasn’t been out of the No. 1 spot since the 2018 NAIA National Rating Index was conceived.
Even more impressive – the Warriors have maintained their dominance despite key student-athlete moves with coaches.
Indiana Tech maintains its edge by sticking to a simple approach.
“all the time [a student] They compete, we want it to be a high-five in their lives,” said Doug Edgar, who has been with the Warriors for the past 12 years and recently named the school’s new indoor track after him. “As long as they continue to raise the bar to be in the top-five, that means they’re consistent and we know we can trust them in a conference championship or a national championship.
That sentiment was echoed by junior Lisa Voyles.
“[The coaches] They’re very positive and encouraging, but they push you to the top,” Voyles said. “You always strive to be better than the day before.”
At last weekend’s Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WAC) indoor championships, Edgar’s philosophy paid off as the team won more than ten events. Voyles won the individual title in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:50.31. Soynn Grenion took the lead in the 200m with a time of 23.80. Indiana Tech’s 4×800 relay team of Haven Evans, Krista Boese, Olade Olapade and Voyles posted the nation’s top time of 9:13.87.
Another reason for the Warriors’ success is their depth. Indiana Tech boasts one of the largest rosters of more than 150 student-athletes on both the men’s and women’s teams. The roster size is rare, as NAIA programs only have 12 scholarships for each team.
It is a matter of personal pride for Edgar, who has been honored as the USTFCCCA NAIA Track and Field Coach of the Year nine times in his career.
“You always have someone pushing you,” says Edgar. “We feel we have someone who can challenge even our biggest athletes.”
The competition in Fort Wayne, Indiana is tough – but the Warriors are tougher.
Walker Brooks is a student at Murrow College at Washington State University, where he is also serving as the assistant director of cross country and track and field. You can follow him on Twitter @deputyviolet.
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