Results

EMPORIA, Kan. - Emily LaMena won the NCAA Division II title in the 3,000m steeplechase with Sierra Wall and Max Bonenberger taking silver medals to headline the second night of the 2026 NCAA Championships at Emporia State.

LaMena, a redshirt sophomore, was utterly dominant in capturing the national championship a year after taking third in her first NCAA outdoor championship appearance. As she did in Thursday's prelim, LaMena went off the front immediately at the start of the race and was uncontacted the entire way, serving up a solo masterpiece with a new program record - and NCAA D-II #9 all-time - 9:58.38. LaMena becomes the second Oredigger national title winner in the steeplechase 26 years after Hannah Davey won the women's program's first-ever national crown in 2004. She is the fourth women's national champion in program history.

Wall had a strong start before suffering a fall on the water jump early in the race, but got up and methodically picked off runners to move back into second with a gritty 10:16.14 run. Wall came around the final 400m in 1:16 to outrace Northwest Missouri's Kiki Witt to the silver medal. Wall becomes the first true freshman in Mines history - man or woman - to be a three-season all-American, also earning honors in cross country and the indoor 5,000m. 

LaMena and Wall's 1-2 finish marked the first time two Orediggers locked out the top two spots at a national meet in any event.

Bonenberger took second in a close men's race, running 8:50.53 to finish only fourth-tenths behind Lee's Stephen Clark. Bonenberger lurked near the front the entire race as it developed at a casual pace to set up nine men in contention with two laps to go; Bonenberger took the lead with 800 meters to go and ultimately got into a three-man tangle with Clark and UIndy's Felix Rivet at the final water jump. Bonenberger came home in 1:00.39 to earn silver, tying the best-ever Mines finish in the event.

Elsewhere in prelims, Mines had a tough night in the 800m as the men fell victim to fast heats. Liam Currie led the way in ninth place with a 1:48.97 - good for only fifth in a blazing opening heat - while Brock Drengenberg and Tim Thompson got caught in traffic in the third heat to end up 18th and 19th in 1:51.34 and 1:51.46, respectively. In the women's 800m, Imani Fernandez-Gorbea suffered an injury while leading early in the race, but showed tremendous heart in finishing the two laps. The men's 4x400 relay had to shuffle personnel adding alternate Logan Meade to Currie, Thompson, and Elijah Quinby, but was ultimately hit with disqualification after finishing the second heat. 

Mines finishes the meet Saturday with Aidan Bennett competing in the pole vault (2 p.m. CT) and Dawson Gunn, Daniel Appleford, Grace Strongman, and LaMena running the 5,000m (5:30 p.m. CT).