Kearney, Neb. – Redshirt senior Lily Novacek repeated as hammer champion and freshman Abigail Burger was the 10,000-meter runner up at the 2026 MIAA Outdoor Championships Friday night in Pittsburg, Kan.

The three-day meet began today with the start of the heptathlon and decathlon, five event finals and three prelims. Action resumes Saturday at 10 a.m. and ends around 8 p.m. The meet is available on The MIAA Network. 

The Division II leader in the hammer (218-0), Novacek saw five of her six attempts travel at least 205-8. Her top effort came on her fourth throw (212-4) and was nine feet better than the runner up. Novacek joins Morgan Benesch (steeplechase; 2015 & 2017) as the only Loper women to win two MIAA outdoor titles. Kansas sophomore McKenzie Campbell also scored here (8th/172-2) with Kansas junior Toree Slavik right behind (9th/169-11).

To close out day one, Burger (Kearney H.S.) ran the second-fastest time in program history in the 10,000 (35:37.68) to trail only Fort Hays State's Emily McCullough (37:27.82). Grace Bonsall managed a 35:34.80 back in April 2022 to set the UNK mark. Dannebrog sophomore Hannah Swanson (9th/36:31.57) and Omaha senior Noelle Abels (14th/37:27.82) now rank fourth and seventh, respectively, on the UNK top 10 list. 

In the men's hammer, Ord redshirt sophomore Sam Boettcher finished sixth (193-1) with Gretna senior Clayton Kelly fifth in the long jump (career-best 24-4.25). His big leap moves him up move spot to fourth on the all-time list. Next, Kansas senior Brett Schoenhofer (6th/30:37.85) and Grand Island junior Juan Garcia (8th/career-best 30:41.06) scored points in the 10,000. Garcia now ranks seventh in Loper lore with Schoenhofer just off his top time. Finally, Sidney senior Mitchell Deer qualified for the 400-meter finals (4th/career-best 52.31) with Bennington sophomore Carter Diamond 10th in the 400 hurdle prelims (career-best 48.14). Deer's time trails only Travis Vallin's school record of 51.95 in 1991.