First-year sprinter Gianna Phipps of the Case Western Reserve University women's track and field team earned her first career All-America honors by placing eighth in the 400-meter dash on the final day of the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Saturday.

Phipps finished the race in 55.03 seconds to earn the Spartans one team point at the national championship. She was the only non-senior or junior running in the finals of the event.

Phipps becomes just the fourth runner in the history of the CWRU women's track and field program to earn All-America honors at the outdoor national championship, joining Esther Erb (2008, 2007), Lisa Encarnacion (1991), and Sheila Ballado (1990). Encarnacion and Ballado are the only other two Case Western Reserve sprinters to qualify for the outdoor national championship with Phipps becoming the first-ever member of the program to medal in the 400-meter dash.

Overall, the Spartan women's track and field program now has 20 All-America finishes from 10 individuals. Throwers Adrienne Wachtman and Lauren Roskuszka were the previous two CWRU student-athletes to earn All-America recognition in the javelin throw in 2024.

The All-America finish caps an outstanding collegiate debut season for Phipps. She was named the University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year following the indoor conference track and field championships after she won the league title in the 400-meter dash and earned All-UAA honors in the 200-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay with third-place finishes. At the UAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Phipps again won the 400-meter dash in 54.82 seconds. This season, she set school records in both the indoor and outdoor 200- and 400-meter dashes as well as the outdoor 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay and indoor 4x400-meter relay.