Heather Murphy and Nathan Cremin Chase National Success At NAIA Championships Tonight

Following the conclusion of the NCAA conference championship season over the past fortnight, attention now turns towards the first of this weekend’s college national championships, with Irish athletes already making a major impact at the NAIA Outdoor Championships in Indiana.

Two Irish athletes representing Montreat College have enjoyed hugely impressive seasons across the NAIA circuit this year, and both are back in action tonight chasing further national success after an already memorable start to the championships.

Heather Murphy (St. Michael's AC) has already secured Ireland’s first US college national title of the outdoor season after winning the women’s 10,000 metres on Thursday night in a time of 34:49.16. The performance adds outdoor national gold to what has already been an excellent year for Murphy, who finished 2nd in the NAIA Indoor Championships over 5000 metres back in March.

Murphy now returns to the track again tonight looking to complete a possible long distance double when she lines up in the women’s 5000m final.

Meanwhile, fellow Montreat athlete Nathan Cremin (Emerald AC) will contest the men’s 800m final after qualifying impressively from yesterday’s heats in 1:48.71, looking fully in control as he comfortably progressed through to the championship race.

Cremin is now chasing a second national title of 2026 after already winning NAIA indoor gold over 1000 metres earlier this year. He will bid to complete an indoor and outdoor national double tonight and looks firmly in contention heading into the final after his composed qualifying performance.

Fortunately, unlike much of the NCAA coverage throughout the season, the NAIA Championships are not hidden behind a geo locked paywall, with the championships available to stream free through the official NAIA website below. 

🇺🇸 NAIA Outdoor Championships

⏰ 9:10 PM – 🏃‍♂️ Nathan Cremin (Montreat College) – Men’s 800m Final
⏰ 9:35 PM – 🏃‍♀️ Heather Murphy (Montreat College) – Women’s 5000m Final

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