Cardinals Meet the Challenge with Seven First-Place Finishes Over Two Days

Friday, April 10

Muncie, Ind.

All Day

Ball State University

We Fly Challenge

Photo by: Josh Brunette

Cardinals Meet the Challenge with Seven First-Place Finishes Over Two Days

April 11, 2026 | Track & Field

Live Stats

MUNCIE, Ind. -- On a day when Ball State honored its 2026 track and cross country seniors, it was a grad student and a sophomore that joined senior Alana Springer with the Cardinals' biggest headlines. The second day of the Cardinals' We Fly Challenge track invitational featured six more first-place finishes by Ball State, and a slew of personal records.

Springer and freshman Amina Hadziahmetovic staged a 1-2 finish in the 200-meter dash, with the youngster completing a personal-best time and the veteran logging Ball State's sixth first-place medal of the Challenge.

Springer's first first on Saturday came in the 4x100-meter relay with Laya'Lapri Ratney running the opening leg. Ratney later captured the We Fly Challenge crown in the 100-meter hurdles to record Ball State's first two titles on the day.

Multi-event specialist Kenli Nettles opened the day with an early-morning performance in the javelin that was originally scheduled for Friday evening. Nettles missed another Ball State first-place finish by just 5/100's of a meter, finishing second with a PR throw of 40.10 meters, behind a winning throw of 40.15. Honored in the Cardinals' 2025 senior ceremony and competing this year with a remaining year of eligibility, Nettles set a pair of personal records and challenged a hurdles record that has stood for 26 years.

After Springer and Ratney captured the first relay medal and Ratney won the sprint hurdles, junior Paige Kirtz won Ball State's third first of the day with a personal-record time of 55.98 in the 400 meters.

Nettles followed with a record effort in the 400m hurdles -- 58.46 seconds -- that was the second-fastest in the MAC this year and the fastest by a Ball State athlete since Linise Gordon's 57.82 in 2000. It is the second-best tme in the event in program history.

After Nettles garnered the Cardinals' fourth first of the day, Springer nabbed No. 5 and middle-distance runner Carly Spletzer won the 1,500-meter run for the Cardinals' final first.

Ball State Results at the We Fly Challenge
Friday
Hammer Throw
8th, Sydney Miller, Jr. -- 46.10m PR
9th, Malena Higgins, Sr. -- 44.41m
23rd, Ayla Rice, Fr. -- 38.86m

Discus
3rd, Sydney Miller, Jr. -- 47.16 PR (third in Ball State history)
8th, Malena Higgins, Sr. -- 40.59
21st, Ayla Rice, Fr. -- 35.79

High Jump
1st, Nina Garner, Fr. -- 1.76m PR (best in MAC this season)
2nd, Malina Miller, Jr. -- 1.76m PR (best in MAC this season)
5th, Lexi Hale, So. -- 1.65m
6th, Bella Jackson, Sr. -- 1.65

Saturday
Javelin
2nd, Kenli Nettles, Sr. -- 40.10m PR
9th, Maci Easton, Sr. -- 29.69m
11th, Kendra Keesling, Jr. -- 26.60m

5000m Run
5th, Sadey Seyferth, Fr. -- 18:49.90
7th, Kendyl Thrasher, Jr. -- 18:56.04

4x100m Relay
1st, A: Laya'Lapri Ratney, Kylee Marshall, Amina Hadziahmetovic, Alana Springer --- 45.50
5th, C: Lindley Steele, Kendra Keesling, Lily Eagleston, Nina Garner -- 47.48
6th, B: Taylor Hickman, Savannah Lake, Jiah Davenport, Trinity Bibbs -- 47.55

800m Dash
19th, Leila Williams-Molitor, Sr. -- 2:28.94
27th, Mikayla Mimnaugh, Jr. -- 2:39.73

Long Jump
2nd, Kylee Marshall, So. -- 5.75m
7th, Anisa Barnett, Fr. -- 5.45m
8th, Kenli Nettles, Sr. -- 5.42m
10th, Lindley Steele, Sr. -- 5.38m
12th, Taylor Hickman, Sr. -- 5.31m
19th, Phaelin Jones, Fr. -- 5.00m

100m Hurdles
1st, Laya'Lapri Ratney, So. -- 14.49
6th, Lia Patterson, Fr. -- 14.94
11th, Lauren Graham, Jr. -- 15.34
15th, Kendra Keesling, Jr. -- 15.97
25th, Phaelin Jones, Fr. -- 17.47

400m Dash
1st, Paige Kirtz, Jr. -- 55.98 PR
4th, Allison Valladay, Sr. -- 57.25

Shot Put
3rd, Malena Higgins, Sr. -- 14.48m PR
6th, Sydney Miller, Jr. -- 13.74m PR
28th, Ayla Rice, Fr. -- 11.28m

100m Dash
3rd, Laya'Lapri Ratney, So. -- 12.27
7th, Trinity Bibbs, Fr. -- 12.38 PR
14th, Savannah Lake, So. -- 12.69
22nd, Jiah Davenport, So. -- 12.81

400m Hurdles
1st, Kenli Nettles, Sr. -- 58.46 PR (second in Ball State history)
3rd, Lia Patterson, Fr. -- 1:01.97
5th, Amina Hadziahmetovic, Fr. -- 1:03.66
8th, Lindley Steele, Sr. -- 1:04.28
12th, Lily Eagleston, Fr. -- 1:05.20
18th, Phaelin Jones, Fr. -- 1:08.38
20th, Lauren Graham, Jr. -- 1:09.59

200m Dash
1st, Alana Springer, Sr. -- 24.44
2nd, Amina Hadziametovic, Fr. -- 24.62 PR
9th, Kylee Marshall, So. -- 25.35
18th, Trinity Bibbs, Fr. -- 25.70
22nd, Savannah Lake, So. -- 26.05
24th, Jiah Davenport, So. -- 26.28

Triple Jump
4th, Brenna Lehrke, Sr. -- 11.20m
9th, Taylor Hickman, Sr. -- 10.44m

1500m Run
1st, Carly Spletzer, Sr. -- 4:27.32
4th, Kaitlyn Kauppila, Fr. -- 4:32.84
5th, Sarah Mahnensmith, Sr. -- 4:34.16
7th, Emily Decker, Fr. -- 4:36.81
20th, Maci Hoskins, Sr. -- 4:53.09