10 Jayhawks Punch Their Ticket to NCAA Outdoor Championships at West Preliminary

Wednesday, May 27

Fayetteville, Ark.

University of Kansas

NCAA Outdoor West Preliminary Day 1

Photo by: Kate Benninghoff/Kansas Athletics

10 Jayhawks Punch Their Ticket to NCAA Outdoor Championships at West Preliminary

5/30/2026 10:40:00 PM | Track & Field

Full Results Kansas Results ONLY NCAA Championship Information Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2 Photo Gallery 3 Photo Gallery 4

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Kansas track and field had 10 athletes qualify in eight events for the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the NCAA West Preliminary this weekend at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

10 Jayhawks secured qualification for the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend by finishing as top 12 athletes or as a top 12 relay team in their respective event at the NCAA West Preliminary. In addition to the 10 athletes, John Swabik also qualified as a top 24 decathlete.

Aaron Merritt got Kansas underway on Wednesday with a 14.07 seconds 110 meter hurdles before senior captain Tanner Talley advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's 1,500 meter run with a 3:40.44 time to finish 13th in the first round.

Michael Joseph finished with a season best time of 45.29 seconds to finish second in the men's 400 meter first round run and Ian Kipkogei ran a personal best time of 1:47.52 in the men's 800 meters to advance to the quarterfinals on Friday.

Stephen Maroro closed Wednesday on a high note, picking up the first qualification for the Jayhawks when he finished ninth in the men's 10,000 meter run with a time of 28:57.05. It marks the first time Maroro qualified for the NCAA Championships. Barnabas Ndiwa also achieved 29th place in the event.

Kat Meacham and Barbora Stejfova opened Thursday in the women's hammer throw, with Meacham achieving 43rd place and Stejfova finishing in 45th. Anthony Meacham then punched his ticket to the Championship in the men's pole vault when he finished third with a clearance of 5.47 meters.

Kori Randle placed 17th in the women's long jump while Richelle Stanley placed 47th before Emmah Jemutai, the Big 12 Women's Outdoor Performer of the Year, secured a berth to the women's 1,500 meters quarterfinals when she finished 11th in the first round.

Mason Meinershagen tied for eighth in the women's pole vault to secure her spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships while Madison Snody placed 18th. Deshana Skeete finished third in her heat during the women's 400 meters first round to advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday before Jemutai advanced in the women's 800 meter run as well, finishing 13th in the first round.

Sidney Smith closed her season with a 58.81 seconds time in the women's 400 meter hurdles to wrap up Thursday. On Friday, Kierson Wicks was the first competitor for Kansas, placing 13th in the event but tying his personal best height of 2.17 meters.

Following Wicks, Talley competed in the men's 1,500 meter run where he finished 24th after being involved in a collision. Junior Sawyer Schmidt achieved 41st in the men's 3,000 steeplechase before Joseph qualified for the second NCAA Championship in his career with a time of 45.43 in the men's 400 meter run, placing ninth.

Reagan Kibet placed 30th in the men's 5,000 meters before the 4x400 meter team of Grant Lockwood, Prophet Basden Jr., Joseph, and Jack Markstrom ran a season best time of 3:06.01 to close the men's events.

To kick off Saturday, Sofia Sluchaninova qualified for her second straight NCAA Championship in the women's discus with a top throw of 56.47 meters, placing seventh, while Meacham also achieved 40th. Meinershagen then finished 27th in the women's high jump, tying her season best with a clearance of 1.76 meters. Randle also competed in her second event of the meet, the women's triple jump, setting a new personal best of 13.18 meters to place 16th and become the fifth best performer in school history.

After winning both the women's 800 and 1,500 meter Big 12 titles, Jemutai qualified in both events for the NCAA Championships on Saturday. First, she qualified in the 1,500 meter run, where she achieved a season best time of 4:08.73 to place fifth and book her spot in the Championship. 110 minutes later she ran the third fastest 800 meters time in the meet, 2:00.66, to also qualify in the 800 meters.

In Kansas' penultimate event of the meet, Skeete finished 20th in the 400 meter run with a time of 52.72 seconds before the women's 4x400 meter relay team of Ethel Amissah, Skeete, Pearl Awanya and Smith finished 10th in 3:30.56 to close the evening and punch their ticket to the national meet. The time was the third fastest in Kansas history and made the group the second fastest team in school history.

A full list of results can be found here while a list of Kansas only results is available here.

UP NEXT:
Kansas athletes will next be in action at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 10-13. More information can be found here. Fans can stay current with the team and events by following the official Kansas Track & Field and Cross Country X or Instagram account @kansastfxc.

QUALIFIED KANSAS ATHLETES:
Emmah Jemutai - 800 meters AND 1,500 meters
Ethel Amissah - 4x400 meters
Deshana Skeete - 4x400 meters
Pearl Awanya - 4x400 meters
Sidney Smith - 4x400 meters
Mason Meinershagen - Pole Vault
Sofia Sluchaninova - Discus

Stephen Maroro - 10,000 meters
Michael Joseph - 400 meters
Anthony Meacham - Pole Vault
John Swabik - Decathlon*

*Qualified prior to West Preliminary