TicketsLEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Cincinnati men's track and field team saw three more Bearcats punch their tickets to Eugene on the final day of competition at the NCAA East First Round on Saturday, hosted by the University of Kentucky.
Kya Epps, Macaria Moore-Bastide and Macaela Walker each earned their way into the NCAA Championships with stellar performances, capping a strong showing for Cincinnati across all four days of competition.
// BEARCATS GOING TO EUGENE
Cincinnati will send six athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The competition runs Wednesday, June 10 through Saturday, June 13, with the men's and women's championships taking place simultaneously.
Five Bearcats will be making their return to the big stage, while Moore-Bastide is set to make her debut.
Moore-Bastide leaped 1.82m in the high jump to secure her spot and will compete in Eugene for the first time in her career.
Kya Epps nearly qualified in both the 100m and 200m, posting an 11.15 in the 100m to finish 14th — just outside the qualifying zone. She made her mark in the 200m, however, besting her own school record with a time of 22.55 to finish fourth and clinch her spot in Eugene for the second consecutive year.
Walker also punched her ticket to Eugene for the second straight year with an impressive performance in the 400m hurdles, clocking a school-record 55.91 to finish 10th.
Abby Knouff is headed back to Eugene for the third time, having earned her ticket with a mark of 4.27m to place seventh in the pole vault. The performance capped a dominant season for Knouff, who claimed an eighth-place podium finish at the Big 12 Women's Pole Vault Championship.
Juliette Laracuente-Huebner qualified for a third consecutive year. 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.
Orry Willems is also headed back to Eugene for the second year in a row, earning his spot with a throw of 67.11m to place sixth in the hammer throw. The Balen, Belgium, native becomes the first Bearcat in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw more than once. Willems capped a dominant season by claiming the Big 12 men's hammer throw championship with a program-record 68.65m.
// ENDING THE SEASON STRONG
Four Bearcats closed out impressive 2026 campaigns on Saturday.
The high jump trio of Moore-Bastide, Annika Kinley and DaShayla Wordlaw got the day started for Cincinnati. Kinley recorded a mark of 1.71m to finish 35th, closing out an impressive collegiate career. Wordlaw capped a standout freshman season with a jump of 1.76m to place 14th.
On the track, the 4x100 relay squad of Walker, Davenae Fagan, Wordlaw and Epps finished 18th with a season-best time of 43.94. Fagan also closed out her strong 2026 campaign with a 51.90 in the 400m for a 20th-place finish.
The night ended on a high note as the 4x400 relay quartet of Morgan Komolafe, Fagan, Epps and Walker set a school record with a time of 3:33.42 to place 15th.
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