INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA announced the selected participant field for the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Tuesday afternoon with a total of 14 student-athletes from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's and women's track & field teams being chosen to compete across 11 individual entries and one relay entry at the national meet on May 21-23 in Emporia, Kan.
The UCCS men's track & field team qualified 10 student-athletes to compete across six individual entries and one relay entry:
- Junior Brett Davis will make his first career appearance at the outdoor national championship meet in the men's 5,000m race with a season-best time of 13:55.48 that ranks 12th overall in the field. As the fourth student-athlete in men's program history to qualify for the outdoor 5k and the first since the 2023 season, Davis is scheduled to toe the start line in the men's 5,000m final at 5:30 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, May 23.
- Another first-time qualifier for the outdoor national championship meet, redshirt junior Joseph Impellitteri was selected to compete in the 3,000m steeplechase with a season-best converted time of 8:56.60 that ranks 14th overall entering the competition. Just the second student-athlete in men's program history to qualify for outdoor nationals in the event and the first since the 2005 season, Impellitteri will open the weekend in the preliminary round of the men's 3,000m steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21 with the top four finishers in each of the two heats along with the next four fastest times advancing to the event final at 6:15 p.m. (MT) on Friday, May 22.
- For the fifth time in outdoor program history and the second consecutive season, the Mountain Lions qualified their 4x100m relay team for the outdoor national championship meet after freshman Michael Ryan Cruzado, freshman Noah Brown, senior Daryn Ofori-Kuragu, and junior Zamari Burrell clocked a converted time of 39.98s at the RMAC Outdoor Championships that ranks tied for 10th in the field. UCCS will also have junior Luke Trinrud and redshirt junior Broden Cahoon traveling with the team as alternates for the relay. The preliminary round of the 4x100m relay is scheduled for Thursday, May 21 at 3:50 p.m. (MT) with the top two finishing teams in each of the two heats along with the next five fastest times advancing to the event final, which will take place at 2:30 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, May 23.
- Redshirt sophomore Josiah Billington is set to make his outdoor national championship debut as the No. 5 seed in the men's long jump with a season-best mark of 7.64m that he accomplished at the Jo Meaker Classic on April 10. Billington becomes the seventh student-athlete in program history to qualify for the long jump at outdoor nationals, and the first since Richard Safoh in 2024. The men's long jump final is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21.
- Redshirt junior KJ McInnis becomes just the third student-athlete in program history to be selected for the outdoor national championship meet in the triple jump as he enters the competition tied for 15th in the field with a season-best leap of 15.24m. McInnis is set to make his outdoor nationals debut in the men's triple jump final at 1:15 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, May 23.
- The Mountain Lions will have a competitor in the men's hammer throw for a second consecutive year as senior Michael Roberts is set to make his outdoor national championship debut in the event with a season-best toss of 63.59m that ranks 12th overall in the field. Roberts will make his appearance in the ring for the men's hammer throw final at 11:30 a.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21.
- Junior Evan Atkin joins two-time national qualifier Thorben Hast as just the second student-athlete in men's program history to qualify for the decathlon at the outdoor national championship meet after posting a mark of 7,031 points that ranks 11th overall in the field. The two-day combined event will kick off at 9:30 a.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21 with the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400m before resuming at 8:30 a.m. (MT) on Friday, May 22 with the 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1500m.
The Mountain Lion women's team will have four student-athletes competing at the outdoor national meet across a total of five individual entries.
- Junior Krissie Sanders will pull double duty for the Mountain Lions as she qualified in both the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles.
- A 2024 national qualifier in the event as a freshman, Sanders will enter the outdoor national championship meet as one of favorites in the 400m hurdles as she holds the No. 4 seed in the field with her personal and season-best converted time of 58.22s. Sanders, who joins Molly Klotz (2016) as one of just two student-athletes in program history to qualify for the 400m hurdles, will compete in the preliminary round of the event at 6:55 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21 with the top two finishers in each of the three heats along with the next three fastest times advancing to the final round on Saturday, May 23 at 4:50 p.m. (MT).
- Sanders will make her outdoor nationals debut in the 100m hurdles as she posted the 22nd-fastest time in field with her season-best converted time of 13.80s. Joining three-time national qualifier Melissa Moreni as just the second student-athlete in program history to qualify in the 100m hurdles, Sanders will compete in the preliminary round of the event at 5:50 p.m. (MT) on Friday, May 22 with the top two finishers in each of the three heats along with the next three fastest times advancing to the event final on Saturday, May 23 at 3:25 p.m. (MT).
- The Mountain Lions had a pair of first-time qualifiers in the women's 3,000m steeplechase with freshman Kate Henderson locking down the No. 8 seed in the field with a season-best time of 10:25.83 and redshirt senior Molly Breuer holding the No. 13 seed with a season-best time of 10:29.77. As the fifth and sixth national qualifiers in the women's 3,000m steeplechase in program history, Henderson and Breuer are set to compete in the preliminary round of the event at 6:10 p.m. (MT) on Thursday, May 21 with the top four finishers in each of the two heats along with the next four fastest times advancing to the event final at 6:30 p.m. (MT) on Friday, May 22.
- Sophomore Payton Rodgers is set for her outdoor nationals debut in the women's triple jump as she enters the meet holding the No. 19 seed in the event with her season-best leap of 12.25m. Joining program-legends Audrey Bloomquist (2023-24) and Hannah Meek (2021-22) as just the third student-athlete in women's program history to qualify for the outdoor triple jump, Rodgers is scheduled to compete in the event final at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, May 22.
2026 NCAA DIVISION II OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
Thursday, May 21
9:30 a.m. (MT) / 10:30 a.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon 100m (
Evan Atkin)
~10:15 a.m. (MT) / 11:15 a.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon Long Jump (
Evan Atkin)
~11:45 a.m. (MT) / 12:45 p.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon Shot Put (
Evan Atkin)
~12:45 p.m. (MT) / 1:45 p.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon High Jump (
Evan Atkin)
~3 p.m. (MT) / 4 p.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon 400m (
Evan Atkin)
11:30 a.m. (MT) / 12:30 p.m. (CT) – Men's Hammer Throw Final (
Michael Roberts)
1:30 p.m. (MT) / 2:30 p.m. (CT) – Men's Long Jump Final (
Josiah Billington)
3:50 p.m. (MT) / 4:50 p.m. (CT) – Men's 4x100m Relay Prelim (Cruzado, Brown, Ofori-Kuragu, Burrell)
5:40 p.m. (MT) / 6:40 p.m. (CT) – Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Prelim (
Joseph Impellitteri)
6:10 p.m. (MT) / 7:10 p.m. (CT) – Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Prelim (
Kate Henderson,
Molly Breuer)
6:55 p.m. (MT) / 7:55 p.m. (CT) – Women's 400m Hurdles Prelim (
Krissie Sanders)
Friday, May 22
8:30 a.m. (MT) / 9:30 a.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon 110m Hurdles (
Evan Atkin)
~9:30 a.m. (MT) / 10:30 a.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon Discus Throw (
Evan Atkin)
~11:15 a.m. (MT) / 12:15 p.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon Pole Vault (
Evan Atkin)
~3 p.m. (MT) / 4 p.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon Javelin Throw (
Evan Atkin)
3:45 p.m. (MT) / 4:45 p.m. (CT) – Women's Triple Jump Final (
Payton Rodgers)
~4:15 p.m. (MT) / 5:15 p.m. (CT) – Men's Decathlon 1500m (
Evan Atkin)
5:50 p.m. (MT) / 6:50 p.m. (CT) – Women's 110m Hurdles Prelim (
Krissie Sanders)
*6:15 p.m. (MT) / 7:15 p.m. (CT) – Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Final (
Joseph Impellitteri)
*6:30 p.m. (MT) / 7:30 p.m. (CT) – Women's 3,000m Steeplechase Final (
Kate Henderson,
Molly Breuer)
*If advanced through preliminary round
Saturday, May 23
1:15 p.m. (MT) / 2:15 p.m. (CT) – Men's Triple Jump Final (
KJ McInnis)
*2:30 p.m. (MT) / 3:30 p.m. (CT) – Men's 4x100m Relay Final (Cruzado, Brown, Ofori-Kuragu, Burrell)
*3:25 p.m. (MT) / 4:25 p.m. (CT) – Women's 110m Hurdles Final (
Krissie Sanders)
*4:50 p.m. (MT) / 5:50 p.m. (CT) – Women's 400m Hurdles Final (
Krissie Sanders)
5:30 p.m. (MT) / 6:30 p.m. (MT) – Men's 5,000m Final (
Brett Davis)
*If advanced through preliminary round
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