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Vincennes University

Multiple All-Americans Highlight Trailblazers' Indoor Nationals Appearance

Multiple All-Americans Highlight Trailblazers' Indoor Nationals Appearance
Results
March 7, 2026

TOPEKA, Kan. — Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track and Field wrapped up the indoor season March 6–7 at the NJCAA Indoor National Championships, hosted by Washburn University, as the Trailblazers produced multiple All-American performances against the nation's top junior college competition. The VU women placed 17th overall, while the men finished tied for 18th, highlighting a strong indoor campaign for the program.

Men

Freshman Iheb Slimani led the men's performances with a standout finish in the mile, earning National Runner-Up honors with a time of 4:08.34. Distance Coach Tyler Steigenga said Slimani's race execution played a key role. "Iheb positioned himself well from the start and stayed out of trouble near the front of the pack," Steigenga said. "When the pace picked up late, he was the only runner able to go with the eventual winner and closed strongly to secure second place."

Sophomore Anis Abdaoui also earned All-American honors in the mile, finishing eighth in 4:10.85. "Anis stayed in the middle of the pack early and moved up well over the final lap," Steigenga said. "He handled the tactical race well, and earning All-American honors in that field was a great accomplishment."

"Iheb may not have been widely known coming into this season, but the NJCAA certainly knows who he is now," added first-year Head Coach Michael Mangan. "He raced with great tactics to finish second in the mile, and having Anis earn All-American honors in the same race made it an exciting moment for our program and VU fans."

The Trailblazers also earned All-American recognition in the 4000 meter Distance Medley Relay, where the quartet of Abdaoui, freshman Travon Lane, freshman Jacob Kusbel and Slimani finished seventh in a school-record 9:58.19, improving the previous program mark by more than a second. "We didn't run our best race, but the guys still finished seventh and earned All-American honors," Steigenga said. "It shows the depth of this group when they can still place that high without a perfect race."

On the sprint side, sophomore Devin Wilson capped his season with a personal-best 21.75 in the 200 meters, moving to third in program history.

Women

Freshman Ikram Dorai led the women's distance performances, earning All-American honors in the 3000 meters with a seventh-place finish in 9:53.73, improving her own school record by three seconds. "Ikram showed great maturity in the race," Steigenga said. "She stayed patient early instead of going with the fast opening pace and was able to move up late to earn another All-American finish."

Dorai also anchored the Trailblazers' 4x800 relay, teaming with sophomore Sarra Belgacem, freshman Elizabeth Smith and freshman Madison Senne to finish fifth in 9:36.76, earning All-American honors and setting a new school record. "We believed that group could finish fifth, and they executed perfectly," Steigenga said. "Sara and Liz put us in great position, Madison kept us close, and Ikram closed it out with her fastest 800 split of the season."

The Trailblazers also competed in the 4000 meter Distance Medley Relay, where Smith, freshman Brielle Seiler, Belgacem and Dorai finished ninth in 12:19.83, the second-fastest time in program history. "The women had a tough assignment running out of the first heat as the top seed, so they had to do most of the work on their own," Steigenga said. "They still ran the second-fastest time in school history and ended up with the fastest time at nationals that didn't score, missing the podium by just over a second."

In the 3000 meters, Smith added a personal-best 10:22.07, moving to third in program history while competing in her third race of the meet.

In the field events, freshman Kapri Granger delivered one of the top performances of the meet for Vincennes, clearing 3.60 meters in the pole vault to finish second overall and earn National Runner-Up honors, while setting a personal best and moving to sixth in program history. Mangan said Granger's performance set the tone early. "Kapri's runner-up finish in the pole vault really got us started," Mangan said. "She was just a slight brush of the bar away from winning the national championship."

Freshman Greer Hardin also earned All-American honors in the high jump, finishing seventh with a clearance of 1.56 meters, moving to ninth in program history. "Greer handled the moment extremely well," Mangan said. "She was perfect at the first two heights, which gave her the tiebreak advantage and helped secure her first All-American honor."

Mangan praised the team's overall performance across the two-day championship. "I'm proud that both of our teams finished inside the top 20 at nationals," Mangan said. "We had several athletes step up on the biggest stage and show how much this program has progressed."

Following spring break, the Trailblazers will turn their attention to the outdoor season. VU opens the outdoor campaign March 26 at the Washington University Distance Carnival in St. Louis, Missouri.

Join the Journey

As always, fans can keep up with the Vincennes University Men's and Women's Track and Field squads all year long through a number of ways: