NEWBERG, Ore. -- In the final meet of the regular season, several George Fox track and field athletes showed out in attempts to qualify for the NCAA Championships at the GFU Last Chance Meet — with Jenna Huntsman and Janice Hellesto putting themselves in national conversations thanks to season-best efforts.

Top Performers
While the majority of the events took place on Thursday, multis events began one day earlier. For the heptathlon, Jenna Huntsman finished in second place as the top attached finisher, impressing with a career performance. The senior won four events, including personal bests in the high jump and shot put, en route to a 4675 — a number that puts her at 19th in the nation, inside the championship cut line of the top 22.

Carson Tapia, along with Huntsman, was one of the few Bruins who entered Thursday knowing he would be competing at the national meet. Tapia, who sits in 12th in the 200m, tried to improve his 100m time on Thursday, winning the event and clocking in at 10.73.

Makaylah Johnson was another athlete in the mix for a nationals spot. The freshman is on the cut line, currently sitting in 21st in the 100m hurdles and 22nd in the heptathlon. Johnson ran a 14.87 in the 100m hurdles.

By far the big winner of the meet for GFU, though, was Janice Hellesto. The freshman cemented her spot in the national conversation with a persona-best jump of 19-04.75, moving her up to seventh in the nation.

Kylie Morais also set a PR of her own in the pole vault, vaulting 12-0.75 to win the event. Morais' mark is 35th in the nation — narrowly missing a national appearance, but the sixth-best mark of any freshman in all of Division III.

Still other Bruins ended their season on a high note. Candice Mugo-Wainaina (weight throw, 132-08), Luke Nelson (pole vault, 14-08.25), and Joshua Taylor (shot put, 49-11.75), all finished their 2026 campaign with an event win. 

In total, 18 Bruins set a personal best at the meet, with seniors Karina Rodriguez (800m, 2:20.73) and Ethan Sohus (1500m, 4:08.10) ending their careers with PR times.

What Comes Next
As it stands, select Bruins who qualify for a top 22 spot in any event will travel to La Crosse, Wisc. and compete in the NCAA Championships. Fox projects to have at least three athletes traveling, with three additional on the cut line. The national championships will begin on May 21.