Gainesville, Fla. – Fifth-year senior Lexi Clarke (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet JC/Plainfield South) became just the second runner in program history to win an individual national championship after her first-place time of 1:31.15 in the 600m for the No. 10 ranked Saint Xavier University women's track & field team at the 2026 NAIA Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships this week at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center at Celebration Pointe in Gainesville, Fla. Clarke broke her own school record in the race by over a second, a mark she set last month on February 13. Clarke joins Saint Xavier Hall of Famer Ellie Willging (2015-18) as a national champion as Willging won the 5000m at the 2017 National Championships. It is the fourth time overall in program history that a Cougar athlete has won an individual national championship as Willging also won the 10,000m at the 2017 Outdoor National Championships and Ayobami Arokoyo (2021-2025) won the Discus last season at the 2025 Outdoor National Championships for the men's team.

It was also the second All-American honor for Clarke at the meet. She was a member of the second-place 4x800m Relay squad, along with senior Yanira Deana Paninka (Canary Island, Spain/Central Methodist/IES Jandia), fifth-year senior Olivia Mathis (Akron, Ohio/Lourdes/St. Vincent-St. Mary), junior Amaya Rique (St. Louis, Mo./Mineral Area/Seckman), with their time of 9:04.65 in the finals. Mathis was also a dual All-American after she broke her own school record in the 800m finals with a time of 2:10.25 for a third-place draw.

As a team, SXU placed in a tie for ninth with 24 points out of 68 scoring teams. It was the highest finish at nationals, as well as the most points for Saint Xavier in their ninth time scoring points at the national championships. Marian University (Ind.) won the team championship with 51 points.

• On the first day of the meet on Thursday, the 4x800 Relay team shattered the program record by nearly nine seconds, earning an at-large slot into the finals after they placed second in the heat, and fifth overall, with a time of 9:02.85 seconds. Their time in the finals on Friday was the second-best mark all-time for the Cougars.
• Also competing on day one, the 4x400 Relay team of senior Emerson Colins (New Lenox, Ill./St. Francis/Lincoln-Way West), junior Isabel Calderon (Orland Park, Ill./Olivet Nazarene/Sandburg), freshman Alesi Rodriguez (St. John, Ind./Andrean) and freshman Nyaa Williams (Romeoville, Ill./Romeoville) placed 22^nd with their time of 4:06.53. It was the 10^th fastest time in team history, and it was the first time SXU ran in the event at nationals.
• Friday afternoon, Clarke ran a time of 1:32.40 to finish second in the preliminaries of the 600m, at the time the second-fastest of her career. Deana Paninka established a new personal record (PR) with her time of 1:34.38 to finish 11^th, just missing the cut by a half a second. It was the fifth-best time in team history.
• In the prelims of the 800m, Mathis posted her third-best career mark at 2:11.25 to place second.
• Clarke and Mathis are now four-time All-Americans after they claimed All-American honors in the 800m in both 2024 and 2025, respectively. Deana Paninka is a three-time All-American after she earned the recognition last season in the 600m.

No. 10 Saint Xavier returns to action later in the month when the Outdoor Track & Field season begins.