By: A.J. Vazquez, Strategic Communications & Marketing Intern
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Selections for the 2026 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships were announced by the NCAA, with 36 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference student-athletes earning 43 total selections for the national meet. The championship will take place Thursday, May 21 through Saturday, May 23, at Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, hosted by Emporia State University.
Qualification was determined by NCAA provisional standards, with the top 22 declared student-athletes advancing in each individual event, the top 16 declared relay teams (one per institution) selected, and the top 16 declared competitors in the heptathlon and decathlon earning championship berths.
The RMAC will have a strong presence in several track events, highlighted by its representation in the longer races. The conference placed eight student-athletes in the 1,500-meter run, six in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, eight in the 5,000-meter run, and four in the 10,000-meter, underscoring the conference’s depth heading into the national championship.
Adams State University leads the conference with 10 total entries, followed by Colorado School of Mines with eight. Colorado State University Pueblo earned six selections, while University of Colorado Colorado Springs qualified five entries. Western Colorado University and New Mexico Highlands University each have four, while Colorado Mesa University and Black Hills State University each earned two selections. Fort Lewis College rounds out the conference representation with one national qualifier.
CSU Pueblo’s Helen Braybrook enters the national championship as the nation’s top 1,500-meter runner with a time of 4:17.48, while Colorado School of Mines’ Grace Strongman holds Division II’s fastest 5,000-meter mark at 15:47.89. The RMAC also boasts the No. 2 and No. 3 runners in the 5,000-meter, with Colorado School of Mines’ Emily LaMena (15:57.89) and Adams State’s Tristian Spence (16:01.94) among the nation’s top contenders. New Mexico Highlands’ Patreece Clarke owns the nation’s top 100-meter hurdles time at 13.00 seconds, while Colorado School of Mines teammates Sierra Wall and Emily LaMena rank second and third nationally in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with times of 10:08.83 and 10:14.67, respectively.
The RMAC will look to make its mark in Emporia as the conference’s top talent competes for national titles against Division II’s best. A full list of qualifiers is available below.
100m: Ashley Barrett, New Mexico Highlands, 11.26
100m: Myia Dantzler, Western Colorado, 11.54
200m: Ashley Barrett, New Mexico Highlands, 23.38
800m: Imani Fernandez-Gorbea, Colorado School of Mines, 2:05.70
1500m: Charlotte Young, CSU Pueblo, 2:07.04
1500m: Helen Braybrook, CSU Pueblo, 4:17.48
1500m: Jadyn Herron, CSU Pueblo, 4:19.49
1500m: Peyton Weiss, Western Colorado, 4:20.68
1500m: Maggie McCleskey, Adams State, 4:21.56
1500m: Clara Keddy, Adams State, 4:22.15
1500m: Emma Kjellsen, Western Colorado, 4:25.68
1500m: Addison Bisceglie, Adams State, 4:26.16
5000m: Grace Strongman, Colorado School of Mines, 15:47.89
5000m: Emily LaMena, Colorado School of Mines, 15:57.89
5000m: Tristian Spence, Adams State, 16:01.94
5000m: Hannah Hartwell, Fort Lewis, 16:19.09
5000m: Megan Hodges, Colorado Mesa, 16:29.41
5000m: Maggie McCleskey, Adams State, 16:34.99
5000m: Keira Damron, Adams State, 34:20.27
5000m: Claragh Keane, Adams State, 34:57.95
10000m: Keira Damron, Adams State, 34:20.27
10000m: Claragh Keane, Adams State, 34:57.95
10000m: Annaka Rudolph, Western Colorado, 35:09.56
10000m: Lea Navarro, Adams State, 35:15.25
100mH: Patreece Clarke, New Mexico Highlands, 13.00
100mH: Krissie Sanders, UCCS, 13.80
400mH: Krissie Sanders, UCCS, 58.22
400mH: Aani Hardesty, Colorado School of Mines, 58.95
400mH: Kammi Merritt, Colorado Mesa, 59.00
3000m Steeplechase: Sierra Wall, Colorado School of Mines, 10:08.83
3000m Steeplechase: Emily LaMena, Colorado School of Mines, 10:14.67
3000m Steeplechase: Kate Henderson, UCCS, 10:25.83
3000m Steeplechase: Molly Breuer, UCCS, 10:29.77
3000m Steeplechase: Evie Boyd, Black Hills State, 10:29.85
3000m Steeplechase: Haley Harkrider, Adams State, 10:36.76
4x100 Relay: New Mexico Highlands, 44.75
Long Jump: Rojrika Campbell, New Mexico Highlands, 6.15m
Triple Jump: Rojrika Campbell, New Mexico Highlands, 12.51m
Triple Jump: Payton Rodgers, UCCS, 12.25m
Shot Put: Febe Wessels, CSU Pueblo, 15.71m
Discus: Cassidy Goddard, Black Hills State, 49.24m
Hammer Throw: Jennifer Jarnagin, Colorado School of Mines, 58.15m
Javelin: Keturah Templeman, CSU Pueblo, 46.98m
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 71 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.
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