NEW ORLEANS, La. — Stan State placed five student-athletes on the All-America list as Annie Wild earned First Team All-America honors in the women's mile, Alexis Nino secured Second Team All-America recognition in the women's shot put, and the distance medley relay quartet of Izzy Soto, Mila Real, Crystal Hernandez and Wild collected Second Team All-America honors at the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
Wild delivered another standout performance on the national stage, finishing third in the women's mile final with a time of 4:45.45 to score six team points for the Warriors. The podium finish earned the junior First Team All-America honors and marked her fifth career All-America award during her Stan State career.
The defending national champion positioned herself near the front throughout the race, briefly holding the lead early before remaining among the top three runners entering the closing laps. Wild closed with a 33.05 final lap to secure the podium finish.
Adams State's Ava O'Connor captured the national title in 4:44.04, followed by CSU Pueblo's Helen Braybrook in 4:44.49.
Earlier in the championships, Wild advanced to the national final after winning her preliminary heat with a time of 4:46.84, the fastest mark across both heats. The junior stayed near the front throughout the race before taking control late, closing with a 32.70 final lap to automatically qualify for the championship race.
Stan State also capped Friday's competition with a ninth-place finish in the distance medley relay, earning USTFCCCA Second Team All-America honors.
The relay team of Izzy Soto, Mila Real, Crystal Hernandez and Wild recorded a time of 11:42.25.
Soto opened the relay with a 3:31.90 split in the 1200 meters, followed by Real's 55.55 400-meter leg, which moved the Warriors into sixth place at the exchange. Hernandez then ran 2:18.20 in the 800 meters before Wild anchored the mile in 4:56.60.
By finishing ninth overall, the Warriors earned Second Team All-America recognition, which is awarded to finishers 9–16 at the NCAA Division II Championships.
Later on Saturday, Alexis Nino represented Stan State in the women's shot put, finishing 16th overall with a mark of 13.18 meters (43-3). With her appearance at the national championships, Nino earned USTFCCCA Second Team All-America honors.
Stan State finished the championships tied for 32nd in the team standings with six points, all scored by Wild in the mile.
The Warriors now turn their attention to the outdoor season beginning Saturday, March 21 at the Mark Conover Classic hosted by Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif., at the Miller & Capriotti Athletics Complex. The Warriors will then compete March 27-28 at the West Coast Relays hosted by Fresno State at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, Calif.
