There’s room for one more in track & field’s trophy case. The Little Giants will begin the hunt for their 10th North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Indoor Championship on Friday, February 28 hosted at Oberlin. Bringing their unique philosophy and long winning tradition, Head Track & Field Coach Clyde Morgan and company will take a season-long development path and leave it all on the line.
“We don’t change our philosophy,” said Morgan. “You shouldn’t make something bigger than it is. We don’t walk around with pens and count scoring [at] any other meet. So we don’t do that at conference.”
The Little Giants – after four seasons at the top of the conference – were narrowly dethroned by Wittenberg in last year’s indoor championships. This year promises another thrilling contest between the two dominant programs.
“The culture that Coach Morgan has built has taught us to keep our heads down and to just keep working,” said Sly Williams ’26. “We have already dealt with that pain of losing last year. We definitely have not forgotten how that feeling felt; so we will just be showing the work we’ve done and just letting our work talk for us.”
For a handful of teams, the competition began on February 22 at the NCAC Indoor Combined Championships, also hosted at Oberlin. The two days of competition were held for competitors in the heptathlon. The single event should have minor consequences for final scoring but did give teams a chance to get an early lead. Wabash did not send anyone to compete in the competition.
Results after Heptathlon:
Ohio Wesleyan – 15 points
DePauw – 11 points
Kenyon – 8 points
Denison – 3 points
Wittenberg – 2 points
In the pre-championship poll, five NCAC coaches picked the Little Giants to finish first. Wabash received a total of 76 points, narrowly finishing ahead of Wittenberg with 75 points. However – as the team would say – winning the poll is one thing, winning the meet is something else.
“I don’t talk about other teams,” said Morgan. “My philosophy is — it doesn’t matter. Sometimes people spend too much time talking about other teams and opponents and they miss what’s going on in their own team. So we focus on us, and that’s all you can do. We don’t believe in paper champions. Last time I checked, you have to do the work to win.”
In the final meet before the conference championships, a handful of Little Giants traveled to Indiana State University for the John Gartland Invitational. The meet was a final opportunity for the competitors to hit the conference cut-off in their respective events.
Jakob Van Pelt ’28 was successful, throwing a career-best 13.81 meters to earn a spot in the NCAC meet.
“I’m so proud of him when he did that,” said Morgan. “That is huge. Because the more you can get qualified and the more depth you have, the better.”
While the team will mentally focus on doing the same things they’ve done all season, they will be bringing together the full force of the program for the first time this season. As fans have come to expect, several Little Giants will be on watch to win their respective events at conference.
Brayden Curnutt ’25 – the man who ranks amongst the top runners in the country in both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races – has spent most of the season running individually at meets where he can face the NCAA’s best. Now, he will join the Little Giants in the NCAC meet for a chance to pull in multiple first-place finishes.
Williams, who was out for a significant portion of the season, has been dominating the long jump in the few weeks leading up to the NCAC meet. His numbers put him comfortably near the top of the NCAC this season with a chance to take gold.
“Since getting back, I have had high expectations for myself,” said Williams. “I want to end on a high note. So, I am going to give it all I can and hope I finally come home with the first-place finish I’ve been working for.”
Wabash’s fearsome 800-meter crew will be another event to keep an eye on. Will Neubauer ’25, Haiden Diemer-McKinney ’26 and David Adesanya ’27 have all been consistently finishing at the top this season. Seeded 1-2-3 in the NCAC, these Little Giants will look to sweep this event for the second time this season.
Newcomer Hugh Ford ’28 has made a splash in the pole vault. Taking home first at nearly every meet in February, Ford will be another Little Giant with a chance to rake in points for the team.
“As a freshman, going into your first big NCAA competition draws a bit of nerves, but also a lot of excitement,” said Ford. “I’d say it’s important to realize you get the opportunity to do the thing you love, and those nerves will become minimal.”
The list goes on for Wabash, as top-to-bottom they will bring a team with more winning experience than anyone else in the NCAC.
“I love championship season,” said Morgan. “Because chasing the marks and the times is over. The only thing that matters now is places. And as a coach, you get to that point where you finally get everyone on the same bus. That’s what it’s all about. That’s the fun part. We just attack and have a good time doing it.”