By: Hunter McKay
KENNESAW, Ga. – 20 Kennesaw State Owls track and field athletes are headed to the UK Outdoor Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Kentucky, for the NCAA Division I East First Rounds meet. The four-day event, which will determine qualifiers for the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, is scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday.
At both the Lexington and Fayetteville, Arkansas, sites, 48 athletes will compete in each individual event and 24 teams will race in each relay. The top 12 finishers in each event at each of the two locations will earn spots at the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, scheduled for June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
How to Follow the Owls
Live streaming coverage of each day's running events will be available on ESPN+. Noah Frary and Kelly Burke will provide commentary. Broadcasts begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Live results, including lap-by-lap splits and field event updates, will be provided by Flash Results.
Weather Report
The forecast for Lexington calls for highs around 80 degrees on all four days, with the greatest chance of rain and thunderstorms expected Wednesday.
This meet has historically experienced delays and schedule changes because of thunderstorms, regardless of location.
Men's Preview
KSU will have 14 men and one alternate competing Wednesday and Friday.
Jase Hunter will open competition for KSU in the men's hammer throw. Hunter recorded a career-best toss of 63.86 meters (209 feet, 6 inches) earlier this year at Florida Relays to qualify for Lexington. He and the other 47 competitors will receive three throws, with the top 12 marks advancing to Eugene. Last year, the 12th-place finisher recorded a throw of 64.99m (213-2).
Aidan Boyd will attempt to become the first Owl in program history to qualify for Eugene in the javelin. The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday. Boyd qualified with a throw of 67.51m (221-6) at the Georgia Tech Invitational. All 48 athletes will receive three throws, with the top 12 advancing. Last year, the 12th-place mark measured 221-1.
Mohamed Diaby and Cameron Guadiano will represent KSU in the first round of the 110-meter hurdles at 6 p.m. Wednesday. This will be Diaby's fourth hurdles race of the season after battling injury. He qualified with a time of 13.73 seconds at the Spec Towns Invitational. Guadiano earned his spot with a personal-best 13.63 seconds at the Emory Final Qualifier earlier this month.
The top three finishers in each first-round heat and the next six fastest times will advance to Friday's quarterfinals. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest times will move on to Eugene. Last season, it took 13.97 seconds to reach the quarterfinals and 13.56 seconds to advance to the national meet.
Simon Seid will look to become the first Owl since Jack Rhea in 2021 to qualify for Eugene in the men's pole vault. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Seid cleared 5.25m (17-2 3/4) to win the Emory Qualifier this season.
After opening at 16-6 3/4, competition will continue until all entrants have attempted at least one height and 12 or fewer athletes remain. At that point, competition will stop and the top 12 will advance to Eugene, with a jump-off used if necessary. Last season, a clearance of 17-9 3/4 guaranteed qualification.
Chance Cross will try to become the first Owl in program history to qualify for Eugene twice in the 100 meters. He begins competition at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Cross ran 10.36 seconds in the first round and 10.09 seconds in the quarterfinals to qualify for Eugene previously.
The top three finishers in each first-round heat and the next six fastest times will advance to Friday's quarterfinals. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest times will move on to Eugene. Last year, 10.40 seconds was the 24th-place quarterfinal time, while 10.13 seconds was the final qualifying mark for Eugene.
Josh Jones set the school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.39 seconds at the Georgia Tech Invitational this season. He is scheduled to compete at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The top three finishers in each first-round heat and the next six fastest times will advance to Friday's quarterfinals. On Friday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest times will qualify for Eugene. Last season, it took 51.14 seconds to reach the quarterfinals and 50.25 seconds to advance to the national meet.
Gage Voyles and Kenyatta Bennett will compete in the high jump at 2 p.m. Friday. Voyles cleared 2.27m (7-5 1/4) to win the gold medal at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships. That mark ranks second in both the NCAA and the NCAA East Region this season. Bennett earned the silver medal with a personal-best clearance of 2.18m (7-1 3/4). Bennett placed 13th in the event last season, missing Eugene by one spot.
After opening at 6-9, competition will continue until all entrants have attempted at least one height and 12 or fewer athletes remain. At that point, competition will stop and the top 12 will advance to Eugene, with a jump-off used if necessary. In 2025, a clearance of 7-0 1/2 was needed to qualify for Eugene.
Chinedum Ike will compete in the triple jump Friday at 6 p.m. He recorded a personal-best mark of 15.69m (51-5 3/4) to finish second at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships earlier this month. Ike is seeking to become the third Owl to compete in the event in Eugene since 2013.
All 48 athletes will receive three jumps, with the top 12 advancing. Last year, the 12th-place mark measured 51-10.
The Owls' 4x400-meter relay team of Chance Cross, Justin Warner, Pishon Haughton and Eric Young II will try to become the first KSU men's relay squad to qualify for Eugene. The team set the school record with a time of 3:05.19 at Penn Relays last month.
The 24 relay teams will be divided into three heats. The top three teams from each heat and the next three fastest times will advance to Eugene. A time of 3:04.47 was the final qualifying mark in 2025.
Women's Preview
Senior Kali Terza will begin competition for the KSU women in the hammer throw at 10 a.m. Thursday. Terza is seeking her second consecutive trip to Eugene and the third finals appearance of her career after also qualifying as a freshman in 2023, when the championships were held in Austin.
Terza has improved her school record this season and is coming off a gold medal performance with a throw of 69.12m (229-9) at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships. She and the other 47 competitors will receive three throws, with the top 12 advancing to Eugene. Last year, the 12th-place finisher recorded a throw of 63.44m (208-2).
Emma Sullivan will attempt to return to Eugene for the second consecutive year in the 800 meters. She is scheduled to race in the first round Thursday at 7:50 p.m. Sullivan ran 2:01.07 at Florida Relays earlier this season, a time tied for ninth in the NCAA East Region and tied for 16th nationally this season.
The top three finishers in each first-round heat and the next six fastest times will advance to Friday's quarterfinals. On Saturday, the top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest times will advance to Eugene.
Maddie Seiler will try to become the first Owl to qualify for Eugene in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Seiler narrowly missed qualifying in 2025 after placing 13th. She set the program record with a time of 9:56.87 at Penn Relays earlier this season.
She will compete in a field that includes 14 athletes who have run under 10 minutes this season. Saturday's competition will feature three heats. The top three finishers in each heat and the next three fastest times will qualify for Eugene. Last season, a time of 10:01.65 guaranteed qualification.
Freshman Jermiya Winston and senior Victoria Joyce will represent KSU in the triple jump at 6 p.m. Saturday. Winston qualified on her final jump at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships with a leap of 13.03m (42-9), becoming the first female in KSU history to surpass 13 meters in the triple jump.
Joyce qualified with a season-best mark of 12.77m (41-10 3/4) at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial last month. All 48 athletes will receive three jumps, with the top 12 advancing to Eugene. Last year, the 12th-place mark measured 42-5 1/2.
