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The road to Eugene officially begins this week as HBCU athletes from the SWAC, MEAC and other Division I Black college programs compete in the NCAA Division I East and West First Rounds.
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The NCAA preliminary rounds act as the national qualifying stage for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Athletes are divided geographically into East and West regions, with the top competitors advancing to nationals.
For sprint and hurdle races, athletes must survive preliminary heats and quarterfinal rounds before national qualifiers are determined. Field events and relays use different qualifying structures, with most field events functioning as single-round finals where only the top 12 athletes advance.
Below is the complete event-by-event breakdown of HBCU athletes competing this week.
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WOMEN’S EVENTS
Women’s 100-meter dash
Women’s 200-meter dash
Women’s 800-meter run
Women’s 100-meter hurdles
Southern’s Tashina Alase enters with one of the top seed times among HBCU athletes in the regional field.
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Women’s 400-meter hurdles
Women’s 4×100-meter relay
Florida A&M relay pool
- Janaree Kinchen
- Diandrenique Gaines
- Arayana Ladson
- Kiersten Clark
- Ty’yanah Adams
Howard relay pool
- Nilijah Darden
- Marcia Sey
- Yahnari Lyons
- Mackenzie Robinson
- Ai’yana Gray-Williams
Women’s 4×400-meter relay
Howard relay pool
- Zoe Turner
- Aniya Woodruff
- Cenaiya Billups
- Lindsay Johnson
- Carrie Vannoy
- Yahnari Lyons
- Mackenzie Robinson
Women’s High Jump
Women’s Long Jump
Women’s Triple Jump
Women’s Discus
Women’s Hammer Throw
MEN’S EVENTS
Men’s 100-meter dash
Men’s 200-meter dash
Men’s 400-meter dash
Men’s 110-meter hurdles
Men’s 400-meter hurdles
Men’s 4×100-meter relay
Men’s 4×400-meter relay
Men’s Long Jump
Men’s Triple Jump
Men’s Shot Put
Men’s Discus
Men’s High Jump
How athletes qualify for Eugene
Sprint and hurdle events
Most sprint and hurdle races use this format:
- Preliminary heats
- Quarterfinal rounds
- National qualification rounds
The top finishers in each heat plus additional time qualifiers advance.
Relay events
Relay teams compete once at regionals:
- Automatic qualifying spots go to top finishers
- Additional teams advance on time
Field events
Field events are single-round finals:
- Athletes receive three attempts
- Top 12 overall advance to Eugene
Why this matters for HBCU track and field
The NCAA preliminary rounds represent one of the biggest stages in collegiate track and field before the national championships in Eugene, Oregon.
For HBCU athletes, advancing through regionals means:
- All-American opportunities
- NCAA finals appearances
- National championship contention
- Increased national visibility for HBCU track and field programs
Programs from the SWAC, MEAC and other HBCUs continue to show growing national depth in sprinting, hurdles, relays and field events.
The post Every HBCU track and field athlete competing in NCAA Championship appeared first on HBCU Gameday.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 9:29 AM.