<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4aBJUq_1GvopbEB00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4aBJUq_1GvopbEB00" width="1000" height="658" ><figcaption>Junior Jaynie Halterman, left, and fifth-year senior Malarie Pinwar, center right, return from injury at the Great Lakes Challenge. Photo by Taylor Athletics / The Echo</figcaption></figure>Junior Jaynie Halterman and fifth-year Malarie Pinwar made their 2026 season debuts on Oct. 24 at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge, where the No. 11 Maddawgs placed sixth out of 20 teams, with a score of 146.Halterman dominated the race, crossing the line 15 seconds ahead of the next finisher, with a time of 17:28. Pinwar finished in 43rd with a time of 18:36.After recovering from a heel fracture she sustained over the summer, Halterman has claimed two awards. She was named Crossroads League Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week of Oct. 19-25. Then, for the week of Oct. 26, the U.S. Track &amp; Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Halterman as the NAIA Women’s National Athlete-of-the-Week.As Pinwar and Halterman worked toward recovery throughout the beginning of the season, the pair deepened their bond. Halterman called Pinwar her “injury buddy” and said having someone who could empathize and relate to the hardship was reassuring.Pinwar, who tore her hip labrum in the late spring, said it was encouraging to work through their recovery plans together. It allowed them to grow close and lift each other up. She also said as she and Halterman moved closer toward competing, the team was always celebrating their “little victories.”“(The team) has been so amazing,” Pinwar said. “They’re good at celebrating the teeniest little tiny things. Like, ‘Oh, you ran half a mile today? Oh my gosh, we’re so happy for you!’ And our first race back, just so incredibly encouraging, even that entire week, like walking into the locker room, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s race week! You guys finally get to race!’”Each of the two has worked hard to get back to racing, and head coach Mark Fairley commended their diligence.Fairley said Halterman and Pinwar’s positivity has been impactful to the team the whole year, and he is excited to have them back competing.“(Jaynie) has put in a lot of hours of unseen work on the bike and on different forms of cross training, still strength training, and doing a lot of really hard work,” he said. “Yes, she’s talented, but she’s also extremely hardworking, and so I think it’s been cool to see how her hard work is paying off. She took a really big step this last race, and the biggest thing we’re excited about is she’s happy and healthy and smiling.”He added that Pinwar is a big team player, always ready to encourage her teammates.“(Malarie) really wants to help the team and do whatever she can do,” Fairley said. “We’ll get to see her continue to take some steps in the next couple of weeks as well, as she gains fitness and just more confidence running on the ground.”Pinwar reflected this, noting that one of her biggest goals for this season has been to find joy in small moments and to celebrate her teammates well.Halterman said every small step toward recovery brought her joy.“Like, the first time I got to run, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so excited to go run for two minutes and then walk for one minute and then repeat that over and over again,’” she said. “Like, me a year ago would not ever think that would be an exciting thing. And yet, every single chance I get to run now is just so fun and exciting.”When she and Pinwar ran at the Great Lakes Challenge, both shared feelings of excitement and joy.Pinwar said she had been looking forward to the end-of-October race since the beginning of September. Halterman echoed this anticipation, which culminated during the race.“For weeks and weeks, I was looking forward to the day that I could finally race and get out on the course, and I just found myself smiling,” Halterman said. “It was so fun to be out there and be with my teammates.”Coming off the CL Championships, which the Trojans hosted on Nov. 6, the team is now preparing for the final stretch of the year: Nationals on Nov. 20. Runners who qualify will travel to Vancouver, Washington, for the championship race.Fairley said the Trojans face some tough competition and called the postseason races “a little bit of a dogfight.”“You know, we obviously want to win, and I think that’s definitely a realistic goal at conference and at the national stage as well,” he said. “But I think beyond winning, we’re focusing on, ‘Hey, what can we control to have our best day when it matters?’”Updated 11/10 for title accuracy</div></body>

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Junior Jaynie Halterman and fifth-year Malarie Pinwar made their 2026 season debuts on Oct. 24 at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge, where the No. 11 Maddawgs placed sixth out of 20 teams, with a score of 146. Halterman dominated the race, crossing the line 15 seconds ahead of the next...

Key runners return ahead of postseason

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Junior Jaynie Halterman and fifth-year Malarie Pinwar made their 2026 season debuts on Oct. 24 at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge, where the No. 11 Maddawgs

Key runners return ahead of postseason

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