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 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, 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."

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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.'

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Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, where we feature the amazing athletes and performances in NAIA cross country and track and field. We are joined by the NAIA Outdoor National Championships' Most Valuable Performer, Nico Altheimer. The St. Thomas University Men's Track and Field Program recorded its best finish in program history in third place, led by Altheimer, a freshman, who earned MVP honors after claiming Individual National titles in the 100 and 200-meter races before contributing to a third-place effort in the 4x100 relay and again in the 4x400 finals, to place fifth.

Altheimer was the Sun Conference outdoor champion in the 100, 200, and 4x100, and was All-American at the indoor championships, finishing sixth in the 200. As a high school senior, he competed for Curtis High School in Washington State, earning a state championship in the 100, 200, 4x100 relay, and even placing in the top ten in the 300-meter hurdles. He made the podium at elite meets like Nike Nationals and the USATF National Junior Olympics, and clearly, the transition from high school athletics to collegiate competition has been successful. Join us as we chat with this dynamic first-year student athlete who has made an immediate impact in the NAIA in 2026.

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