INDIANAPOLIS – The RMU women's track and field team was selected to finish fourth in the 2026 Under Armour Women's #HLTF Outdoor Preseason Poll, the Horizon League announced on Thursday afternoon.
The Colonials, selected fourth in the poll, finished with 67 points in the voting process ahead of Oakland, Northern Kentucky, Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State, Wright State, and IU Indy.
Youngstown State, which is coming off a Horizon League Indoor T&F Championship, was selected as the outdoor preseason favorite, securing 99 points and nine out of 10 first-place votes ahead of Milwaukee with 91 points and one first-place vote and Purdue Fort Wayne with 80 points.
Last year, the Colonials finished fifth at the Horizon League Outdoor Championship, earning their highest points total since joining the league with 86 points. At the meet,
Samantha Hennen was one of two gold medal winners for RMU, securing a first-place finish in the 5000m with a time of 17:03.77.
Mariya Chamberlain also secured an individual medal, placing third in the triple jump.
The Colonials are coming off a fourth-place finish at the Horizon League Indoor Championships. As a team, the Colonials secured their highest placement at the Horizon League Indoor Championships since the Colonials joined the league back in 2020. On the afternoon, RMU recorded 89 points behind Purdue Fort Wayne (107), Milwaukee (123), and champions Youngstown State (165). The Colonials secured their first victory of the championship with the DMR team of
Erin LaQuatra,
Lindsey Martineau,
Ailena Reynolds-Diaz, and
Samantha Hennen securing a first-place finish with a time of 11:46.19, which also breaks the RMU school record. Hennen also won an individual championship in the 3000m with a time of 9:30.81 to defend her title from last season. Hennen also took home a second-place finish in the mile with a record-breaking time of 4:47.83 to break her own school record.
2026 Under Armour Women's #HLTF Outdoor Preseason Poll
Pl. Team (First-place votes) – Points
1. Youngstown State (9) – 99
2. Milwaukee (1) – 91
3. Purdue Fort Wayne – 80
4. RMU – 67
5. Oakland – 59
6. Northern Kentucky – 54
7. Detroit Mercy – 38
8. Cleveland State – 27
9. Wright State – 20
10. IU Indianapolis – 15
