KENOSHA, Wis. -- North Park Track & Field saw a number of athletes peak at the right time, showcasing quality performances at the 2025 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Indoor Championships this past Friday and Saturday. Jereme Ombogo and Thea Ring were named "Athletes of the Meet" - Ombogo the Male Track Athlete and Ring the Female Field Athlete. The Viking Women's team also claimed their highest point total in over 19 years (51.5) at the championships meet.
Ring was an early favorite in the Pentathlon and showed just why on Friday and Saturday; the multis junior swept every Pentathlon event. Her Friday got started with a 5.69m Long Jump, a significant PR to set the stage. She followed that up with another personal best in the 55m Hurdles (8.29). Ring's other top event finishes included a 1.57m mark in the High Jump, 10.97m Shot Put toss, and 2:26.75 time in the 800m.
Her 3,711 point total is a new personal record and, therefore, a new all-time record for North Park Track & Field. It is also a new all-time Open and Championships record for CCIW Women's Track & Field. She's currently first in Division III and her Pentathlon score is 14th all-time in Division III.
Ombogo enjoyed a day one qualifying time of 6.35 in the 55m Dash before having one of the best days of his career on Saturday. The two-sport athlete left everyone in his wake during the 55m and 200m Finals. Not only was he more than a tenth of a second faster than the second-place finisher in the 55m Dash, his PR time of 6.28 set a North Park AND CCIW all-time record in the event, securing 10 points for North Park. That 55m time is eighth in Division III history.
Ombogo was the only athlete to finish with a sub-22.0 in the 200m Dash, earning first-place and 10 more points for the Vikings. That's not all, though. His 21.68 finish set a CCIW Championship all-time record in the event and was a facility record, leading to another Track Athlete of the Meet honors by the CCIW.
Sophomore Meja Lindberg also had a great meet for NPU Women's Track. The multis athlete finished fourth in the Pentathlon with a PR point total of 2,983. She cracked the top three in the Pentathlon High Jump (1.54m) and Pentathlon Long Jump (5.31m) as both were personal records. In fact, she PR'd all five events, including an 8.64 time in the 55 Hurdles, 2:57.17 in the 800m, and 5.31m leap in the Long Jump. Lindberg was also a finalist in the 55m Dash, placing fourth with a time of 7.25, another personal record.
Speaking of finals qualifiers, junior sprinter Riana Hayes found her way to the podium with a third-place finish in the 55m Dash. She ran a PR time of 7.18 in the prelims before nearly duplicating that performance with a 7.19 in the Finals to bring in six points for the Vikings.
Another finals qualifier was junior jumper Wesley McCloud, who earned four points for the Viking Men's squad. McCloud placed fifth of 14 in the High Jump with a leap of 1.88m.
Mason Wilson was just outside the point-getters in the Shot Put, heaving a personal record of 13.51m to finish in the upper third - ninth of 31 throwers.
The Women's 4x400 Meter Relay team made up of Hayes, Ring, Lindberg, Jayla Sotelo, Alexa Pawlowski, and Julia Klein placed fourth of the nine teams with a 4:09.52 time. Julia Klein placed tied for eighth in the Pole Vault with a mark of 3.19m and Kimoria Oliver neared the upper half of finishers in the Triple Jump with a distance of 10.47m. Ali Karatas represented the North Park distance runners with a top-half finish. The junior was 15th of 33 athletes with a time of 2:02.17.
Additionally, Alex Salmaron and Mariana Costa were named North Park's recipients of the CCIW RESPECT Award.
Season Bests
55 Meter Dash:
200 Meters
400 Meters
800 Meters
Mile
4x400
- Men's: Brito, Karatas, Martinez, Kochanowski: 3:39.89
- Women's: Ring, Hayes, Lindberg, Sotelo: 4:09.52
High Jump
Shot Put
Personal Records
55 Meter:
55 Meter:
200 Meters
400 Meters
800 Meters
Mile:
- Alex Salmeron: 5:17.56
- Johanna Soedergaard: 5:58.79
- Melanie Sorisho: 6:33.54
- Alex Salmeron: 5:17.56
Long Jump
Shot Put
Pentathlon
NPU Top-10 List Update:
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Jereme Ombogo set the school record in the 55-meter Dash
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Thea Ring set the school record in the Pentathlon
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School Record in the Long Jump
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School Record in the 55-meter Hurdles
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School Record in the 400 meters
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Riana Hayes is now the school record holder in the 55-meter Dash
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Meja Lindberg is now 2nd all-time in the 55-meter Dash
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3rd all-time in NPU History for the Pentathlon
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4th all-time in NPU History for the Long Jump
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5th all-time in NPU History for the High Jump
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5th all-time in NPU History for the 55-meter Hurdles
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Women's 4x400 Meters is now 2nd all-time in NPU History
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Mariana Costa is now 6th all-time in NPU History for the 55-meter Dash
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Jayla Sotelo is now 7th all-time in NPU History for the Pentathlon
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Mason Wilson is now 10th all-time in the Shot Put
CCIW All-Conference
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Jereme Ombogo - 55-meter – 1st place (Set Facility record and 8th all-time in D3 history)
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Wesley McCloud – High Jump – 5th place
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Thea Ring – Pentathlon – 1st place (Set Facility Record and 14th all-time in D3 History)
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Riana Hayes – 55-meter dash – 3rd place
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Meja Lindberg – Pentathlon – 4th place
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Julia Klein – Pole Vault – 8th place
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Women's 4x400 – 4th place
What's Next?
North Park looks ahead to the Firebird Final back in Kenosha, Wisconsin next Friday, March 7.
