BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Cal State Bakersfield sophomore Makiah Parker has been named the 2026 Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Thursday.

Parker becomes the first Roadrunner to earn Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Year honors and just the second Roadrunner to receive a conference Athlete of the Year distinction in track & field in the Division I era, joining former pole vault standout Miranda Miller, the 2022 Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Year.

The Mansfield, Texas native highlighted her championship campaign at the 2026 Big West Track & Field Championships, where she captured the conference title in the 100-meter dash, earned a silver medal in the 200-meter dash and anchored the Roadrunners' 4x100-meter relay team to a runner-up finish. 

She totaled 20 individual points at the conference championships and was subsequently named the Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Meet.

Parker's success extended beyond the conference level as she qualified for the NCAA West First Round in both the 100m and 200m for the second straight year while also leading Bakersfield's 4x100m relay squad into postseason competition for the first time in Division I history. 

At the NCAA Division I West First Rounds, Parker reset her own school record in the 100m with a time of 11.21 and placed 17th overall.  

The honor marks another milestone in Parker’s collegiate career. In 2025, she was named Big West Women's Freshman of the Year after becoming the first CSUB freshman in the Division I era to win an individual conference championship. The Sophomore was been named CSUB’s Female Athlete of the Year for the second straight year, at the department’s annual award ceremony, the ROWDYs. 

With just two seasons in the Blue and Gold, Parker has already rewritten the program’s record book with four individual school records and part of the 4x100m relay school record team. 

~GoRunners.com~