Renee Finke got another year of college track as she competed with the SMU Mustangs for the 2025-26 school year.

It turned out to be a successful one for the Montgomery County graduate as she was one of the top performers in the jumping and hurdle events for the Atlantic Coast Conference school in Dallas, Texas.

“It was a wonderful experience,” Finke said. “I didn’t expect to get another year, but I’m so grateful that I did. It was a blast. The ACC Conference was a new whole font of athletics and track and field in general. The competition itself was amazing to be around.”

Finke competed in both the indoor and outdoor seasons for SMU. She participated in the pentathlon events in the indoor season and the heptathlon events in the outdoor portion of the track schedule.

Finke earned an all-ACC award as she received second-team notice in the pentathlon for her fourth-place finish in the event at the ACC Indoor Championships on Feb. 26.

“Renee was a doer,” SMU head coach ‘A Havahla Haynes said. “She showed up, did the work, was coachable and set the standard for others through her actions every day. She was consistent and earned every success through her work ethic and mindset both in the classroom and in track & field.”

Finke graduated with a Master’s degree in management at SMU in May. She will work at the University of Kansas Health System in Olathe starting June 29 and is currently applying for medical school.

Before heading south to Texas, Finke wrapped up a four-year outstanding track career at Central Methodist University in Fayette that included a national title in the high jump in 2024. Finke earned seven all-American awards during her career at CMU. She graduated in May 2025.

Finke also enjoyed success at MCHS, winning state titles in the high jump in her sophomore and senior seasons. She graduated there in 2021.

During her senior year at CMU, Finke was approached by SMU recruiting coordinator/assistant coach Austin Brobst to join a track program that has eight national champions, 15 All-American athletes and three team conference championships in its history. This spring, it had its first female ACC champion in Nea Sanders, who won the 100-meter hurdles.

Finke said she was pleased that she got the experience of competing in Division I for the first time.

“The schedule and training regimen were entirely different and it took quite a while to adjust to,” said Finke, who competed in the NAIA level while she was at CMU. “But I learned to enjoy the process and have fun with it. That’s where I really walked away happy because I put in 100 percent every day even though I didn’t have 100 percent.”

During the indoor season at SMU, Finke competed in five meets, including the ACC meet. She scored 3,749 points in the pentathlon at the conference meet. The pentathlon included in the shot put, high jump, long jump, 800 and the 60-meter hurdles. She had second-place finishes in the shot put and high jump.

Finke was the first SMU athlete to score points in the ACC meet. She recorded five points for her finish in the pentathlon. Finke sits at sixth all-time for the Mustangs in the pentathlon.

“This season, we placed a major focus on the multi-events (heptathlon/pentathlon) where Renee earned All-ACC honors,” SMU assistant coach Ashley Mort said. “The multi-events are the first event at the ACC Championships so her high-level performances there really set the tone for the entire team.”

Finke finished behind champion Seren Rodgers of Wake Forest, Lauren Huber of Notre Dame and Elsa Spoor of Virginia.

“It was a battle all day,” Finke said. “I didn’t exactly do as well as I hoped to have done. But I really executed in a couple of events that really put me on top here, like the high jump and the shot put. So my score was where it needed to be for the end of the competition.”

Finke participated in six meets during the outdoor season. She placed eighth in the heptathlon with 5,182 points at the ACC Championships on May 14, her final collegiate race. She recorded personal-best marks in the 200, 800, 100-meter hurdles and the javelin.

The ACC meet wrapped up a 10-year track career for Finke.

“It’s always sad when athletics come to an end and that goes for anybody and everybody I met along the way,” Finke said. “I’m just happy that I accomplished what I had these past handful of years. It’s been exciting in every meet. Every time I went out there to compete, I absolutely enjoyed it and I think that’s just where I left it.”

Finke was one of three graduate students on the SMU women’s track and field roster.

Mort said when Finke joined the Mustangs in January, she quickly became a valuable member.

“I believe there are three ingredients to every athlete’s success: self discipline, competitive fire and self belief,” Mort said. “Renee has all three. This is why she was able to come to SMU and make an immediate impact. Her championship background and mentality was apparent after working with her for a short time. This set an excellent example for everyone around her.”