The Park University indoor track & field program was spectacular at 2026 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Gainesville, Fla at Alachua County Sports & Events Center at Celebration Pointe. A championship caliber meet for Park involved crowning Cody Hammond the 800m National Champion, four more individual NAIA All-Americans, and a runner-up men's 4x800m relay team.

Park competed in 12 events on the men's side, scoring 23 points to come in 10th place as a team at nationals. The women's team scored five points on Rosjai Curtis' 4th place finish in the triple jump and the team came in 43rd.

The freshman from Richmond, Kan. was two for two in reaching NAIA All-American status in his two events, the 800m and the 4x800m relay. The ultimate prize for Hammond was on the final day of competition as the NAIA National Champion in the 800m. It was an exciting finish as Hammond was actually trailing in last through the first 600m, but the closing speed of Hammond triumphed over the rest of the competition by .12 seconds in the final 200m. He becomes Park's 4th men's track & field individual national champion. He is the first indoor national champion at Park and the only time Park's claimed the title in the 800m. Overall he becomes Park's 9th national champion program wide for track & field.

It's this type of speed that was also on display in the prelim of the men's 4x800m relay. Hammond, along with Caden Peters, Alexander Caines, and Palmer O'Connor rocketed through the event crushing the indoor NAIA 4x800m, facility, and Park records with a 7:29.18. Park was over 8 seconds faster than the 2nd place finisher and on the following day in the final, the Pirates captured a runner-up finish in the 4x800m and another set of NAIA All-Americans rose to the top. 

Two more members from the 4x800m relay team, joined Hammond as two-time NAIA All-Americans at nationals. Alexander Caines showed what he could do in the 600m and was 3rd in the prelim for a new Park record at 1:18.23. He came back on Saturday and captured 7th for an NAIA All-American award. 

Peters, who like Hammond is in his first year at Park, has already been a individual conference champion in cross country and in the 5,000m at the Heart of America Athletic Conference meets, but adds to his accomplishments an NAIA All-American performance in the 1 mile with 8th place. His final mile time was a new Park record by nearly three seconds as well at 4:10.97

Ahmad Evans has made three trips to indoor nationals over his Pirate career and now the senior hoists his first NAIA All-American award in the long jump for 7th place.

On the women's side, Curtis has been to two consecutive NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships and the sophomore again got it done for her 3rd NAIA All-American award during indoor seasons. When you add last spring's outdoor national championship, she now is a 6-time NAIA All-American. 

Another record for Park went down in the men's 1,000m by Palmer O'Connor, he already earned an All-American award as the final leg of the 4x800m relay team, but was three spots away from qualifying for the final with a time of 2:26.66. 

Niran Warde, who came in to Park at the semester was a huge boost to Park in the Heart Championship and, like O'Connor was just off from qualifying to the final in the 400m. That did not stop him from attaining a Park record though at 48.02

See the remaining results for this outstanding indoor season for Park track & field. Results   

NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships
60 Meters
Prelims 18 — Van Forbes Jr — 6.81	Prelims 14 — Mya Charles — 7.62
200 Meters
	Prelims 19 — Mya Charles — 24.89
400 Meters
Prelims 11 — Niran Warde — 48.02 — Park record 18 — Sam Thomas — 49.00
600 Meters
Prelims 3 — Alexander Caines — 1:18.23 — Park record Finals 7 — Alexander Caines — 1:18.60 — All-American
800 Meters
Prelims 2 — Cody Hammond — 1:52.35 Finals 1 — Cody Hammond — 1:50.95 — National Champion, All-American
1000 Meters
Prelims 11 — Palmer O'Connor — 2:26.66 — Park record
Mile
Prelims 9 — Caden Peters — 4:15.10 Finals 8 — Caden Peters — 4:10.97 — All-American, Park record
5000 Meters
13 — Cayden Walker — 14:59.37
60m Hurdles
	Prelims 18 — Hope Klamm — 8.91
4 x 400 Relay
Prelims 29 — Park U. (Niran Warde, Chase Housh, Sam Thomas, Shemar Caines) — 3:20.52
4 x 800 Relay
Prelims 1 — Park U. (Cody Hammond, Caden Peters, Alexander Caines, Palmer O'Connor) — 7:29.18 — NAIA Record, Facility Record, Park Record Finals 2 — Park U. (Cody Hammond, Caden Peters, Alexander Caines, Palmer O'Connor) — 7:31.24 — All-American
Distance Medley Relay
Prelims 20 — Park U. (William Norris, Chase Housh, Niran Warde, Cayden Walker) — 10:38.90
Long Jump
7 — Ahmad Evans — 7.34m / 24' 1" — All-American 24 — Shemar Caines — 6.63m / 21' 9" — Sam Thomas — NM	9 — Rosjai Curtis — 5.70m / 18' 8.5"
Triple Jump
— Ahmad Evans — NM	4 — Rosjai Curtis — 11.99m / 39' 4" — All-American