Track and Field Closes Regular Season at Wisconsin and Illinois

Friday, May 1

Madison, Wis.

DePaul University

Badger Challenge

Track and Field Closes Regular Season at Wisconsin and Illinois

4/30/2026 4:38:00 PM | TRACK AND FIELD

DePaul enters final regular season meets with momentum from Drake

WISCONSIN/ILLINOIS – DePaul track and field enters the final weekend of the regular season with a split-squad slate, competing at the Badger Challenge in Madison, Wis., and the Gary Wieneke Memorial in Champaign, Ill., May 1-2. The meets serve as the final opportunity to sharpen performances before the start of championship competition.

Last Time Out
DePaul turned in one of its strongest performances of the season at the Drake Relays, highlighted by three program records and a pair of event titles at the Blue Oval. On the women's side, the 4x100 relay (Nevaeh Lowe, Claire Dunn, Helen Baumgarten, Sade Miller) broke the school record in both prelims and finals, ultimately lowering the mark by more than half a second en route to a third-place finish, the highest Drake Relays finish for a women's relay under head coach Dave Dopek.

The 4x400 relay (Kayliah Motes, Nadja Moll, Aisha Kazeem, Dunn) followed with another program record at 3:40.54. On the men's side, the distance medley relay and 4x800 relay both reset long-standing program records, with the 4x800 group (Bush, Abdullahi, Quinn, Larkins) dropping the previous mark by over five seconds. The DMR effort was highlighted by Mohamed Abdullahi's field-leading 1600m split.

In the field, DePaul swept the triple jump titles behind siblings Isaiah and Jaiah Hopf, each claiming first place in their respective events. Across the weekend, the Blue Demons consistently placed in the top-five, signaling continued progression as the postseason approaches.

Big East Bling
Following his Drake performance, Isaiah Hopf was named BIG EAST Men's Field Athlete of the Week. The graduate student's 15.13m triple jump not only secured the event title but also moved him to No. 1 in the BIG EAST this season and into the NCAA West Region rankings.

West Region Watch
DePaul enters the final weekend of the regular season with multiple athletes positioned inside the NCAA West Region qualifying range, which includes the top-48 declared entries in each event. Alex Bernstein leads the group, ranking No. 8 nationally in the hammer throw with a mark of 71.13m, while also sitting comfortably within the West Region field.

On the track, Daniel Fasasi sits No. 37 in the West Region in the 400m, while the men's 4x400 relay ranks No. 48 following a season-best 3:08.60 from Tyce Smith, Christian Ortiz-Velazquez, Denhm Holt, and Fasasi. In the field, Isaiah Hopf ranks No. 47 in the triple jump at 15.13m and Jaiden Gary sits No. 33 in the shot put at 18.07m, while Sade Miller rounds out the group on the women's side at No. 40 in the 100m with a time of 11.44.

Looking Ahead
DePaul turns its focus to the postseason action, beginning with the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships (May 14-16) in Storrs, Conn. From there, qualifying Blue Demons will advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds (May 27-30) in Fayetteville, Ark., as the road to the NCAA Championships continues.

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