Blue Demons Defend Home Turf at BIG EAST Championships

Friday, February 27

Chicago, Ill.

DePaul University

BIG EAST Indoor Championships

Blue Demons Defend Home Turf at BIG EAST Championships

2/26/2026 4:35:00 PM | TRACK AND FIELD

Championship Central Schedule Live Results Watch (2/27)Watch (2/28)

Indoor Championship competition set for Friday and Saturday

CHICAGO – DePaul track and field is set to compete in the 2026 BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center at Gately Park.

Both days of competition will stream live on ESPN+. General admission tickets start at $15 for a single-day pass, while all-session two-day passes are available for $25. Friday's events begin at 11:30 a.m. CT, while Saturday's competition opens at 11 a.m. CT.

Follow Along: Championship Central – Schedule – Watch (2/27 – 2/28) – Live Results

Looking Back at 2024-25 Championships
At the 2025 BIG EAST Indoor Championships, DePaul's men placed third overall while the women finished fourth, highlighted by four individual conference titles and multiple podium finishes.

Outdoors, both squads delivered the strongest combined championship performance in program history, earning runner-up finishes at the 2025 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships for the first time ever. DePaul enters the 2026 indoor championships looking to build on that momentum.

Returning All-BIG EAST Performers
The Blue Demons return nine indoor All-BIG EAST performers who will compete this weekend on home turf. Patrick Diakite returns in the high jump after earning conference honors in 2025, while Claire Dunn brings back All-BIG EAST experience in the 200m and as part of the 4x400m relay. In the throws, Jaiden Gary returns as a previous medalist in the shot put. Jaiah Hopf enters championship weekend as a returning All-BIG EAST performer in both the long jump and triple jump, and Sade Miller returns after earning conference honors in the 60m. Relay contributors Nadja Moll and Kaylilah Motes return following All-BIG EAST recognition as members of the 4x400m squad, while Eveline Reno brings back conference medal experience in the triple jump. On the men's side, Demetrius Rolle returns as an All-BIG EAST performer in the 60m.

Indoor Recap
Throughout the indoor season, DePaul competed at the Blue Demon Holiday Invite, Notre Dame Invitational, Badgers Windy City Invite, Meyo Invitational and the Blue Demon Alumni Classic, steadily building championship momentum. The winter campaign produced multiple additions to the Blue Demons' record book, beginning at the Notre Dame Invitational (Jan. 24), where Isabella Orozco established a new school record in the 1000m with a winning time of 2:49.17. At the Meyo Invitational (Jan. 31), Sade Miller lowered her own program mark in the women's 60m to 7.45, while Ashleigh McArdle set a new school record in the pentathlon with 3,245 points. The Blue Demon Alumni Classic (Feb. 13) continued that momentum as Demetrius Rolle reset the school record in the 60m with a 6.69 in prelims before capturing the event title, and Katelyn Welsh extended the DePaul indoor pole vault record, clearing 3.75m.

BIG EAST Leaders
DePaul enters the BIG EAST Indoor Championships with multiple athletes ranked among the top-three in the conference across both squads.

First: Daniel Fasasi – 400m (46.62) | Men's 4x400m Relay – 3:09.67 | Jaiah Hopf – Long Jump (6.07m) | Claire Dunn – 200m (23.98) | Sade Miller – 200m (23.98)

Second: Demetrius Rolle – 60m (6.69) | Christian Ortiz-Velasquez – 200m (21.35) | Jaiah Hopf – Triple Jump (12.45m) | Isaiah Hopf – Triple Jump (15.20m) | Jaiden Gary – Shot Put (17.59m) | Jaiden Gary – Weight Throw (18.31m) | Aisha Kazeem – 60m Hurdles (8.47) | Katelyn Welsh – Pole Vault (3.75m) | Sade Miller – 60m (7.45)

Third: Amy Carhee – 60m Hurdles (8.58) | Josh Hill – Long Jump (7.02m) | Eveline Reno – Triple Jump (12.41m) | Women's 4x400m Relay (Moll, Motes, Pacsi, Dunn) – 3:45.14

Emerging Standouts
Freshmen and sophomores lead 16 of DePaul's 34 indoor events this season — more than half of the program's event leaders entering championship weekend.

On the men's side, sophomore Daniel Fasasi, already listed among the conference leaders in the 400m, also tops the 500m and anchors the 4x400m relay. Fellow underclassmen Christian Ortiz-Velasquez (200m) and Joshua Hill (long jump) continue to add depth behind their top-three conference marks, while first-year sprinter Denhm Holt leads the 300m and contributes to the relay unit. Sophomore Jaiden Gary, ranked second in both throwing events in the BIG EAST, rounds out the group with team-best marks in the shot put and weight throw.

On the women's side, freshman Aisha Kazeem, a conference runner-up in the 60m hurdles, also leads the 300m. Sophomore Sade Miller, who shares the conference lead in the 200m and ranks among the top in the 60m, continues to headline the sprint corps. In the distance events, sophomore Vivian Wyler sets the pace in both the 3000m and 5000m, while sophomore Laila Richardson and freshman Ashleigh McArdle provide scoring potential in the shot put and pentathlon, respectively.