RIO GRANDE, Ohio — WVU Tech closed out the 2026 River States Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship with podium finishes, scoring relay performances, personal-best marks and continued growth across both squads as the Golden Bears wrapped up another record-setting outdoor season.
The Golden Bear men finished seventh overall with 35.5 points, while the women tied for eighth with 14 points against a strong conference field.
Men's Highlights
Freshman Isaac Agee once again led the way for WVU Tech with two podium finishes during the championship meet. Agee earned runner-up honors in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing in 14.53 after qualifying second overall in prelims with a 14.48. He also placed third in the long jump with a mark of 6.76 meters (22-2.25), adding another all-conference performance to his standout freshman season.
Freshman Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba added another podium finish for the Golden Bears, placing third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.27. He also competed in the 110-meter hurdles and contributed to both scoring relay teams for WVU Tech.
The Golden Bears added points in multiple field events as sophomore Matthew Linville placed sixth in the high jump with a personal-best clearance of 1.80 meters (5-10.75). Linville also competed in the long jump and triple jump during the meet.
Junior Corbyn Cunningham added another scoring performance in the pole vault, clearing 3.20 meters (10-6.00) to place sixth overall.
WVU Tech's relay teams continued to provide valuable points throughout the championship. The men's 4x100-meter relay team of Isaac Agee, Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba, Chucky Jordan and Carlos Parra Soto finished sixth in 44.41, while the 4x400-meter relay team of David Maxson, Parra Soto, Etaba Ateba and Tommy Wikel also placed sixth with a season-best time of 3:36.03.
The Golden Bears also scored in the 4x800-meter relay as Tommy Wikel, David Maxson, Christian Saffouri and Eli Jordan combined to place sixth in 8:44.11, a mark that ranked No. 77 in the NAIA this season.
In the sprint events, Carlos Parra Soto paced WVU Tech in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, running 11.28 and 22.83, respectively. Athman Musinde added times of 11.62 in the 100 and 23.55 in the 200, while Owen Cameron posted a personal-best 12.35 in the 100 meters. John Ashton competed in both hurdle and sprint events, recording 17.76 in the 110-meter hurdles and 25.08 in the 200 meters.
Sophomore Chucky Jordan added a personal-best 53.30 in the 400 meters while also contributing in relay competition throughout the weekend.
The Golden Bears continued to show depth in the middle-distance and distance events. Tommy Wikel led the 800-meter group with a 2:04.24, followed by David Maxson (2:09.31), Christian Saffouri (personal-best 2:12.48) and Eli Jordan (2:14.95). Freshman Jan Ponsa posted a personal-best 4:10.22 in the 1500 meters, while Travis Anderson competed in both the 1500 meters (5:06.38) and 3000-meter steeplechase, recording a personal-best 12:05.22 in the steeplechase. Samuel Whitcomb also competed in the 1500 meters, and Evan McElwayne added a strong ninth-place finish in the 10,000 meters with a time of 33:07.17.
In the throws, Colton Henderson led WVU Tech in the discus with a mark of 36.79 meters and also competed in the shot put. Brady Smith added efforts in both events with 31.76 meters in the discus and 12.36 meters in the shot put. Nicholas Vincent competed in the discus, hammer throw and javelin, while Jonathan Cantley contributed in both the javelin and shot put. Matthew Rhodes represented the Golden Bears in the hammer throw, javelin and shot put.
Women's Highlights
Freshman Rebecca H. Lorincz delivered WVU Tech's top women's finish of the championship, placing fourth in the 400 meters in 1:00.55 to score five points for the Golden Bears. Lorincz also competed in the 200-meter prelims and contributed to both scoring relay teams.
Freshman Hailey Ervin continued her strong freshman season by scoring in the 100-meter hurdles, placing sixth in 17.04 after running a personal-best 16.69 in prelims to qualify for the finals. Ervin also competed in the long jump and helped the Golden Bears score in the 4x100-meter relay.
Freshman Jadyn Farmer added another personal-best performance in the 400 meters with a time of 1:04.28 while also competing in the 200-meter prelims and contributing to both relay teams.
Sophomore Lexie Wikel posted a personal-best 5:22.60 in the 1500 meters and ran on the women's 4x400-meter relay team, while sophomore Peyton Asbury recorded personal bests in both the 800 meters (3:13.21) and 3000-meter steeplechase, where she placed eighth to score for WVU Tech.
The women's relay teams also added points for the Golden Bears. The 4x100-meter relay team of Ervin, Farmer, Nevaeh Wooding and Lorincz placed sixth in 53.26, while the 4x400-meter relay squad of Farmer, Wikel, Wooding and Lorincz finished seventh in 4:34.32.
Wooding also competed individually in the 100-meter prelims and high jump during her final conference championship meet in a Golden Bear uniform.
In the throws, Abigail Holley posted a personal-best 18.29 meters in the discus while also competing in the hammer throw and shot put. Tianna Duncan rounded out the women's distance group with a performance in the 1500 meters.
A Record-Breaking Outdoor Season
The 2026 outdoor season marked another major step forward for WVU Tech track and field, as the Golden Bears combined for 10 outdoor school records across the spring campaign.
Women's Outdoor Records
100m Hurdles – Hailey Ervin (17.24)
400m – Rebecca H. Lorincz (1:00.39)
Heptathlon – Nevaeh Wooding (2,037 points)
Men's Outdoor Records
100m – Carlos Parra Soto (11.05)
110m Hurdles – Isaac Agee (14.36)
400m – Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba (51.10)
400m Hurdles – Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba (56.58)
Pole Vault – Nikolas Rodriguez (3.65m)
Long Jump – Isaac Agee (6.81m)
Triple Jump – Crutcher Hutchison (12.27m)
The River States Conference Championship capped another major step forward for the Golden Bear track and field program, as WVU Tech closed the outdoor season with podium finishes, scoring performances, school records and continued momentum across both squads.
