University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI track and field: Hardin, 4x100-meter relay close out men’s action at NCAA West Prelims
5/29/2026 5:36:00 PM | Track and Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. --- UNI closed out the men's portion of competition at the 2026 NCAA Division I Track and Field West Preliminary Meet at Arkansas' John McDonnell Field on Friday afternoon, with Panther competitors in action in both the 4x100-meter relay and high jump.
UNI put forth its school record holding men's 4x100-meter relay team of Tinashe Chigudu, Parker Kiewiet, Luke Meyers and Luke Nevitt for its lone track event of the day. The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) runners-up would clock a time of 39.58 seconds, just 0.11 seconds off their program record mark to finish in 16th place out of 24 teams.
In the men's long jump, Tye Hardin, making his NCAA West Preliminary debut, opened the afternoon in a competitive 48-man field narrowly clearing 6' 9 ½" on his third and final attempt on the first height of the competition. Hardin, who finished in a tie for fifth at the MVC Outdoor Championships last month, would come up short on his three attempts to clear 6' 11 ½", finishing in a tie for 39th place.
UP NEXT
The 2026 NCAA Division I Track and Field West Preliminary Round concludes on Saturday with Katy Stephens and Joey Perry in action for UNI in the women's high jump at 2 p.m. CT, as well as Amelia Hill in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Perry also in the quarterfinal round of the women's 400-meter hurdles at 7:25 p.m. CT. Northern Iowa will conclude the meet at 8:45 p.m. CT with Perry, Jersey Jones, Darci Wiseman and Emma Randecker running the women's 4x400-meter relay. 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
- Men's High Jump
- T39th - Tye Hardin (6' 9 ½")
- Men's 4x100m Relay
- 16th - Tinashe Chigudu, Parker Kiewiet, Luke Meyers, Luke Nevitt (39.58)
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)
- 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.
