University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Panther track and field continues postseason action at NCAA West Prelims
5/26/2026 11:26:00 AM | Track and Field
UNI track and field at 2026 NCAA West Preliminary Round
- May 27-30, 2026
- Fayetteville, Ark. | John McDonnell Field
- WATCH (ESPN+)
- LIVE RESULTS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Postseason track and field continues this week for the UNI Panthers as 15 athletes are set to represent the purple and gold in ten events at the NCAA West Preliminary Meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas beginning on Wednesday.
Live coverage of the meet can be followed on ESPN+. The full schedule of competing Panther athletes is listed below.
The NCAA Preliminary Meets serve as the first round site for the national postseason meet, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon at Hayward Field, June 10-13. The two preliminary meets this year will be held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, hosted by the University of Arkansas, and Lexington, Kentucky, on the University of Kentucky campus.
To qualify for the preliminary meets, athletes must rank in the top-48 in an individual event and top-24 for relays in their respective regions. Athletes competing in multi-event competitions, including Carter Morton in the decathlon and both Katy Stephens and Joey Perry have already qualified automatically for the finals site in Oregon based on top-24 national rankings in their respective events.Top-12 finishers at the preliminary meets will earn qualification to the finals site in Oregon.
Wednesday's action will begin with the men's long jump with Morton, the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion, along with Parker Kiewiet set to compete together. Kiewiet lept a career-best 25' 5 ¼ this season for the program's second-best outdoor mark all-time, while Morton followed with UNI's third-best outdoor mark in history at 25' 4. Derek Woods will also run in the first round of the men's 800 meters, while Carson Lienau and David Russell will compete in the men's shot put.
Thursday evening will include a pair of events with Stephens set to participate in the women's long jump, an event where she became just the second Panther woman ever to leap over 20' 7 in either indoor or outdoor competition. Meanwhile, Perry will run in the first round of the 400-meter hurdles, an event she won earlier this month at the MVC Outdoor Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana and also set a school record at the Musco Twilight to begin the month.
Friday begins with Tye Hardin competing in the men's high jump in the afternoon, followed by the men's 4x100-meter relay, featuring the team of Tinashe Chigudu, Kiewiet, Luke Meyers and Luke Nevitt, who all set a program record in 39.47 seconds at the Fresno State Invitational in May.
The preliminary meet will wrap on Saturday with both Stephens and Perry in the women's high jump, with Stephens, this year's MVC outdoor champion in the event seeking to qualify for Eugene in multiple events. Stephens notably tied UNI's outdoor women's high jump record at the MVC Outdoor Championships this year, matching Chaley Rath's 2015 mark of 5' 10 ½. Amelia Hill is also scheduled to compete in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.
2026 NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 27
- 6:30 p.m. CT - Men's Long Jump (First Round) [#40 Kiewiet, #47 Morton]
- 7 p.m. CT - Men's Shot Put (First Round) [#42 Lienau, #60 Russell]
- 7:50 p.m. CT - Men's 800m (First Round) [#130 Woods]
Thursday, May 28
- 6:30 p.m. CT - Women's Long Jump (First Round) [#53 Stephens]
- 8:20 p.m. CT - Women's 400m Hurdles (First Round) [#62 Perry]
Friday, May 29
- 2 p.m. CT - Men's High Jump (Semifinals) [#56 Hardin]
- 5 p.m. CT - Men's 4x100m Relay (Quarterfinals) [#74 Chigudu, Kiewiet, Meyers, Nevitt]
- 7:05 p.m. CT - Men's 800m (Quarterfinals) ***
Saturday, May 30
- 2 p.m. CT - Women's High Jump (Semifinals) [#54 Stephens, #77 Perry]
- 5:40 p.m. CT - Women's 3,000m Steeplechase [#110 Hill]
- 7:25 p.m. CT - Women's 400m Hurdles (Quarterfinals) ***
- 8:45 p.m. CT - Women's 4x400m Relay (Quarterfinals) [#104 Perry, Jones, Wiseman, Randecker]
*** Pending qualification
Number by name indicates overall NCAA ranking
UNI track and field action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Track and Field), X (@UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uni_tf_xc). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
