TicketsCINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati track and field program heads to Lexington, Ky., this week for the 2026 NCAA East First Rounds, hosted by the University of Kentucky.
Twenty-seven Bearcats qualified in 29 events and will compete for a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The top 48 declared athletes were accepted into first-round competition; the top 12 finishers in each event advance to nationals.
The East First Round runs Wednesday, May 27, through Saturday, May 30, with men's events on Wednesday and Friday and women's events on Thursday and Saturday. Live results are available online, and the meet will be streamed on ESPN+.
// TOP FIVE BEARCATS
Three Bearcats enter Lexington with top-five marks in the East Region.
Nickson Kogei leads the men's contingent, sitting second in the region in the 10,000m with a 27:56.68 — the top qualifying standard among all Cincinnati competitors this spring and the No. 1 performance in program history. On the women's side, Abby Knouff owns the fourth-best mark in the pole vault at 4.42m, a clearance that stands as the UC all-time record, and Macaria Moore-Bastide ranks fifth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.83m.
// FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Several Bearcats arrive in Lexington having rewritten the UC record books this spring.
Kogei's 27:56.68 in the 10,000m is the No. 1 performance in program history. Camden Beatty clocked a school-record 50.13 in the 400m hurdles at the Big 12 Championships. Macaela Walker's 57.08 in the 400m hurdles is the No. 1 time in program history. Kya Epps is the fastest woman in UC history in both the 100m (11.07) and 200m (22.66). Abby Knouff's 4.42m pole vault clearance stands as the UC all-time record. Orry Willems enters as the No. 1 hammer thrower in program history after launching a 68.65m throw for first place at the Big 12 Championships — the sixth-best mark in the East Region. Claire Curtsinger set a program record in the women's 10,000m with a 33:45.11.
The women's 4x400m relay team of Epps, Morgan Komolafe, Walker and Davenae Fagan clocked a school-record 3:34.48 at the Big 12 Championships. The men's 4x400m squad of John Apel, Beatty, Romaro Knight and Ade Lloyd (3:04.52) also heads to Lexington as the fastest mile relay in program history.
// PULLING DOUBLE DUTY
Epps and Walker will each compete in two events. Epps ranks 10th in the 100m and 12th in the 200m heading into the weekend; Walker ranks 26th in the 100m hurdles and 12th in the 400m hurdles, with her 400m hurdles mark putting her squarely in contention to advance directly to nationals. Both will also run legs on the school-record women's 4x400m relay.
// OFF TO EUGENE
Juliette Laracuente-Huebner won't need to sweat the First Round. The four-time All-American claimed the heptathlon title at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a school-record 6,086 points — second in the nation — and has already secured her spot at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
// BREAKING DOWN THE QUALIFIERS
Distance: Kogei's 27:56.68 in the 10,000m is the defining individual performance of Cincinnati's qualifying class. In the men's 1,500m, Gianni Allwein (3:39.68, 30th) and Seth Elking (3:40.94, 39th) rank second and fourth all-time at UC, respectively. On the women's side, Gwen Stare enters the 1,500m with a 4:16.98, while Curtsinger's program-record 33:45.11 makes her the fastest 10,000m runner in UC history.
Sprints and hurdles: Lloyd enters with the No. 2 mark in UC history in the 400m, his 45.43 ranking 18th in the East; he will also anchor the men's 4x400m relay. Fagan's 51.74 in the 400m (23rd) earns her a return trip to the First Round alongside a leg on the relay. Ethan Long qualified with a 20.59 in the 200m (43rd) — second-fastest in program history. The women's 4x100m relay team of Walker, Fagan, Wordlaw and Epps also punched their ticket, clocking a 44.35 to rank 42nd in the East.
Jumps: Moore-Bastide is joined in the high jump by teammates Annika Kinley and DaShayla Wordlaw, who each cleared 1.80m to rank tied for 13th — giving Cincinnati a formidable trio in the event. Knouff enters the pole vault among the top contenders to advance directly out of the First Round. In the long jump, Miller Mabury (7.58m, 41st) and Oluwatosin Ayodeji (7.54m, 49th) give UC two representatives in the top 48.
Throws: Willems is joined in the hammer by Tyler Thompson, who locked in the 49th-best mark in the East with a 62.27m throw — third all-time at UC. Miranda Tcheutchoua returns to the First Round in the women's hammer (60.32m, 34th). Shot putters Omolola Kuponiyi (15.76m, 37th) and Emarie Jackson (15.72m, 40th) add depth in the women's circle. Emmanuel Agbo Anih rounds out the throwers on the men's side after qualifying with a 55.29m discus throw at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (41st).
Relay alternates: Prince Mcabelo will serve as the alternate for the men's 4x400m relay, and Jayda Holbrook will serve as the alternate for both the women's 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
// CINCINNATI NCAA EAST FIRST ROUND QUALIFIERS
Men (Wednesday & Friday)
- Ethan Long – 200m (20.59, 43rd)
- Ade Lloyd – 400m (45.43, 18th)
- Gianni Allwein – 1,500m (3:39.68, 30th)
- Seth Elking – 1,500m (3:40.94, 39th)
- Nickson Kogei –10,000m (27:56.68, 2nd) – School Record
- Camden Beatty – 400m Hurdles (50.13, 13th) – School Record
- Miller Mabury – Long Jump (7.58m, 41st)
- Oluwatosin Ayodeji – Long Jump (7.54m, 49th)
- Emmanuel Agbo Anih – Discus (55.29m, 41st)
- Orry Willems – Hammer Throw (68.65m, 6th) – School Record
- Tyler Thompson – Hammer Throw (62.27m, 49th)
- Apel, Beatty, Knight, Lloyd – 4x400m Relay (3:04.52, 22nd) – School Record
- Prince Mcabelo – 4x400 Relay Alternate
Women (Thursday & Saturday)
- Kya Epps – 100m (11.07, 10th) / 200m (22.66, 12th) – School Records
- Davenae Fagan – 400m (51.74, 23rd)
- Gwen Stare – 1500m (4:16.98, 75th)
- Claire Curtsinger – 10,000m (44th, 33:45.11) – School Record
- Macaela Walker – 100m Hurdles (13.17, 26th) / 400m Hurdles (57.08, 12th) – School Record
- Macaria Moore-Bastide – High Jump (1.83m, 5th)
- Annika Kinley – High Jump (1.80m, 13th)
- Dashayla Wordlaw – High Jump (1.80m, 13th)
- Abby Knouff – Pole Vault (4.42m, 4th) – School Record
- Omolola Kuponiyi – Shot Put (15.76m, 37th)
- Emarie Jackson – Shot Put (15.72m, 40th)
- Miranda Tcheutchoua – Hammer Throw (60.32m, 34th)
- Walker, Fagan, Wordlaw, Epps – 4x100m Relay (44.35, 42nd)
- Epps, Komolafe, Walker, Fagan – 4x400m Relay (3:34.48, 51st) – School Record
- Jayda Holbrook – 4x100 & 4x400 Relay Alternate
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