University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Perry sets UNI women’s 400-meter hurdles record at NCAA West Prelims
5/28/2026 9:00:00 PM | Track and Field
Panther hurdler advances to NCAA quarterfinal round after breaking record for second time this month.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. --- UNI's Joey Perry and Katy Stephens kicked off the second day of the 2026 NCAA Division I Track and Field West Preliminary Meet on Thursday at the University of Arkansas' John McDonnell Field.
Having both qualified for next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon in Eugene, Oregon, both athletes were in search of qualifying for additional events for the national meet.
On the track, Perry showed off her remarkable speed in the women's 400-meter hurdles, breaking her own school record from earlier this month in 57.75 seconds to finish in 22nd place in the first round, qualifying for Saturday night's quarterfinal round. The 2026 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion, her new record marks the first sub-58 second time by a women's 400-meter hurdler in program history.
Stephens took part in the women's long jump, placing 37th in the 48-woman field with a leap of 19' 6 ¾ on both her first attempt, as well as 18' 9 ¾ on her final jump. Earlier in the year, Stephens became one of only three Panther women, alongside Perry and Dianna Leftridge, to ever leap over 20 feet indoors or outdoors, posting the MVC's top mark of the season at 20' 8 ¾.
UP NEXT
The 2026 NCAA Division I Track and Field West Preliminary Round continues on Friday with Tye Hardin in action for UNI in the men's long jump at 2 p.m. CT, as well as Tinashe Chigudu, Parker Kiewiet, Luke Meyers and Luke Nevitt in the men's 4x100-meter relay at 5 p.m. CT. Live coverage of the meet can be found on ESPN+.
2026 NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Wednesday, May 27
- Men's Long Jump
- 14th - Carter Morton (24' 11 ¼)
- 23rd - Parker Kiewiet (24' 3 ¾)
- Men's Shot Put
- 19th - David Russell (59' 10 ½)
- 23rd - Carson Lienau (59' 2 ¼)
- Men's 800m
- 37th - Derek Woods (1:49.45)
Thursday, May 28
- Women's Long Jump
- 37th - Katy Stephens (19' 6 ¾)
- Women's 400m Hurdles
- 22nd - Joey Perry (57.75) [SCHOOL RECORD]
Friday, May 29
- 2 p.m. CT - Men's High Jump (Semifinals) [Hardin]
- 5 p.m. CT - Men's 4x100m Relay (Quarterfinals) [Chigudu, Kiewiet, Meyers, Nevitt]
Saturday, May 30
- 2 p.m. CT - Women's High Jump (Semifinals) [Stephens, Perry]
- 5:40 p.m. CT - Women's 3,000m Steeplechase [Hill]
- 7:25 p.m. CT - Women's 400m Hurdles (Quarterfinals) [Perry]
- 8:45 p.m. CT - Women's 4x400m Relay (Quarterfinals) [Perry, Jones, Wiseman, Randecker]
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.
