Grace Steinmetz, Bellevue University

Grace Steinmetz, Bellevue University

Bellevue University's Grace Steinmetz's college coach called her rapid ascent a "huge understatement" of a surprise, and there’s no better way to explain the incredible trajectory of improvement for this athlete. Grace had a high school cross country 5K best of 20:34, and she was 73rd at the Iowa Class 1A cross country state meet as a senior, with track bests of 2:30 for the 800, 5:37 for the 1600…no state titles, no national appearances, a few all-state awards…just your regular high school runner.  And then all semblance of average disappeared. As a collegiate freshman, Grace won in Sioux City, Iowa, at the Dordt Classic last October, becoming just the second NAIA runner at that time in the season to break 21 minutes, running 20:40 and breaking her own school record and setting the course record by over a minute. She was named the NAIA Athlete of the Week and the Frontier Conference Runner of the Year for her efforts.  By the end of her first collegiate season in November, she had set cross country school records of 17:33 in the 5K and 20:40 in the 6K, winning her conference and taking fifth at the NAIA cross country national championships, the best-ever finish for Bellevue, garnering NAIA USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year honors.  She now owns the 1500, 5K, and 10K track school records at Bellevue University, along with the DMR and 4x800 records, with personal bests of 4:42, 17:08, and 35:12, respectively.  She’s a multi-time track conference champ, both indoors and outdoors, was All-American in both the 5K and 10K outdoors, and was named the Freshman of the Year by NAIA Track and Field Central.  Send us a message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2602988/fan_mail/new] Follow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Trenton Sweet, Indiana Wesleyan University

Welcome back to another episode of the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, the show where we dive deep into the minds, the miles, and the mindsets of the athletes chasing college running’s ultimate prize.  Representing the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats, Trenton Sweet is our guest in this episode. If you look back at his TFRRS page in early 2025, he opened his collegiate 5,000-meter career with a 15:29. This past season, Trenton blew the doors off the track. He broke the 14-minute barrier at the Bison Outdoor Classic with a blazing 13:59.26, hauled in a pair of 3rd-place All-American finishes at Indoor Nationals in the 3,000 meters and the DMR, and then went down to Asheville to capture the NAIA Outdoor National Title in the 5,000 meters in 14:15. He is officially an NAIA National Champion, a sub-14-minute 5K runner, and now one of the most dominant distance forces returning in the NAIA…and he will only be a junior this fall. We’ll chat with Trenton about how he managed the tactical pressure of being the man to beat on the national stage, what it’s like chasing Red Banners alongside his teammates, and how the powerhouse culture of the Crossroads League prepares him for the biggest moments in the sport. Plus, we’ll get a look into his goals for the upcoming cross country season, and find out what hobbies and time off look like for a guy who seems to rarely slow down. Send us a message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2602988/fan_mail/new] Follow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Sydney Duncan, Indiana University Kokomo

At the 2026 NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Asheville, NC, Sydney Duncan [https://www.tfrrs.org/athletes/8667589/Indiana_Kokomo/Sydney_Duncan.html]of Indiana University Kokomo completed a rare and historic feat—sweeping the Hammer, Shot Put, and Discus national titles in the same meet, earning the honor of being named NAIA National Meet MVP [https://riverstatesconference.com/news/2026/5/23/womens-track-and-field-iu-kokomos-duncan-named-naia-outdoor-championships-mvp.aspx]. Sydney has a long history of dominance on the national throws stage: she was the NAIA indoor shot put champ this past winter, was the outdoor shot put champion and runner-up in the discus in May of 2025, the indoor champ in the shot and weight throw in the winter of that year, and has dozens of invitational wins to her name. She is the first hammer throw national champion in program history, was named the USTFCCCA NAIA Field Athlete of the Year [https://iukcougars.com/news/2026/5/28/womens-outdoor-track-duncan-repeats-as-ustfccca-naia-outdoor-national-womens-field-athlete-of-the-year.aspx?fbclid=IwY2xjawSqqWxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF0NE9RM0hTZXFDeFdQcWlsc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHreuBIyxe-LBdc4d323KYyoPI2M0l7zNeL8yulah9H2bypOfMBumgm_icr4Q_aem_fv_hWvCi6NeUahQWAsI6-Q], River States Conference Field Athlete of the Year [https://iukcougars.com/news/2025/7/15/general-sydney-duncan-named-2024-2025-river-states-conference-female-athlete-of-the-year.aspx], and the Kokomo Female Athlete of the Year.  Join us as we discuss the technical differences between throws, the nuances of training as a field athlete, and get to know her personally as an NAIA thrower. Send us a message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2602988/fan_mail/new] Follow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Carson Krack, Carroll College

The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recently announced its 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year, with Carroll College sophomore Carson Krack [https://carrollathletics.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/carson-krack/5582] earning the honor. Carson, who hails from Whitefish, Montana, won the decathlon at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Championships with a score of 7522 points in leading a 1-2 finish in the event for the Saints (Tucker Monaco [https://carrollathletics.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/tucker-monaco/5585], his teammate, was second with 7167 points). That score was just four points off his seasonal best of 7526 at the Bryan Clay Multi's in Azusa, Calif., earlier this season, the highest score in the NAIA since 2001. Carson was the Frontier Conference MVP and Field Athlete of the Meet.  While he is now the second athlete from Carroll to win the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Decathlon in the last five years (as Lee Walburn did in 2021 and 2022), he is the first Carroll student-athlete to earn the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year award. Carson runs a 10.97 100, a mid-48 second 400, a 4:23 1500, 14.29 110-meter hurdles, 52.86 400 hurdles, 40.5 foot shot put,  126-foot discus, 172 feet in javelin, high jumps 6-7, pole vaults about 14 feet, long jumps 23 feet, and would have placed in the top 8 outright in multiple events had he done them individually at the NAIA championships.  As a high school senior, he competed in seven separate events at the state meet, winning two of them.  Clearly an incredibly versatile athlete and only halfway through his collegiate career, we’re sure to see more yet to come.  As Carson likes to quote, "There are two things in this world: excuses and results, and you can’t have both." Send us a message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2602988/fan_mail/new] Follow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Luca Madeo, University of the Cumberlands

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report, the podcast highlighting the amazing athletes and achievements in NAIA Cross Country and Track & Field. In this episode, we are sitting down with a man who has redefined the pace of the Mid-South Conference and the national stage. When you talk about dominance in the 5000 and 10,000 meters, one name has become a permanent fixture at the top of the leaderboard. Coming to the University of the Cumberlands by way of Germany, he hasn’t just participated in the NAIA—he’s rewritten its record books, with back to back titles in both the 5 and 10K. Who are we talking about? That would be Cumberland Patriot Luca Madeo. With a wide range across events both on the track and the road, and a unique blend of tactical racing and raw engine power, Madeo also owns the U23 German National Record in the half marathon along with a national championship for his native country in that  event. He was a major factor in the Patriot’s NAIA outdoor track and field team championship in Asheville, NC. We’re diving deep into the training and mindset of a champion, the transition from European racing to the American collegiate system, and what it takes to chase that elusive 'Red Banner.' Send us a message [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2602988/fan_mail/new] Follow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport