FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State women’s track & field team will send nine entries to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, scheduled for May 28-31 in College Station, Texas. A total of seven Bison women will compete, with Nyariek Kur and Adison Kapitzke qualified in a pair of events.
 
The NCAA announced the top 48 declared entries in all individual events and the top 24 relay teams in each region on Thursday. The top 12 finishers in each event at the Preliminary Rounds will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 11-14.
 
Sophomore Arienne Birch will be the top-ranked Bison entering next week’s meet at No. 7 in the West for the high jump, followed by senior Grace Emineth at No. 16 in the long jump.
 
 
NDSU Women’s Qualifiers (in order of event rank)
 
7. Arienne Birch (high jump)
16. Grace Emineth (long jump)
32. Jacee Johannsen (pole vault)
33. Nyariek Kur (triple jump)
35. Merrideth Spiers (hammer throw)
40. Adison Kapitzke (shot put)
43. Annabel Thorstenson (hammer throw)
47. Nyariek Kur (long jump)
47. Adison Kapitzke (hammer throw)
 
 

Youngster Jade Arnold, the 18-year-old coach of the Nordek 14&U Girls’ team, juggles competing for the Victorian Phoenix women’s team in the Australian Water Polo League (AWL) and volunteering her time coaching in the ACT pathways system.

Inspired by her mother, Sharyn, assistant coach for the Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medal winning team; Jade discovered her passion for following in her mum’s footsteps to mentor the next generation of water polo athletes.

Jade takes immense pride in nurturing young talent, dedicating herself to their growth both in and out of the pool. Witnessing the transformation of the ACT teams in recent times, she has observed the improvement in their confidence, teamwork and competitive spirit.

“I love watching kids grow and get better,” Jade said.

“Coming from the ACT, a few years ago we were losing almost every game. And now this new generation of kids are doing a really good job.

“I just love seeing that development and that growth, it’s really rewarding watching them,” she said.

With the Australian Waterpolo League season wrapping up last month, Jade credits her coach, Rowie Webster, as a key influence on her own coaching style.

“She is a huge inspiration. She has been so encouraging and motivating, and helped me grow. I want to be able to do the same for my kids to make them better.”

Reflecting on her own coaching experience at the 2025 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships held in Perth, Jade values the people who have contributed towards her development as a player, coach and person out of the pool.

“I’ve had amazing coaches in my experience and I want to be that person for my team.”

“I love this sport, it’s a huge part of my family.”

FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State University men’s track & field team will send seven entries to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, scheduled for May 28-31 in College Station, Texas.
 
The NCAA announced the top 48 declared entries in all individual events and the top 24 relay teams in each region on Thursday. The top 12 finishers in each event at the Preliminary Rounds will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., on June 11-14.
 
Sam Roller will be the top-ranked Bison entering next week’s meet at No. 20 in the West for the javelin. NDSU will send three competitors in the 110m hurdles – Blake Nyenati, Brooks Turner, and Brock Johnsen.
 
 
NDSU Men’s Qualifiers (in order of event rank)
 
20. Sam Roller (javelin)
27. Jayden Williams (long jump)
30. Blake Nyenati (110m hurdles)
33. Adam Dugger (triple jump)
35. Brooks Turner (110m hurdles)
35. Zack Ramos (shot put)
48. Brock Johnsen (110m hurdles)

 

BOZEMAN, Mont. — The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committee announced the participants for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round competitions on Thursday afternoon.  

An incredible 21 Montana State track and field athletes will participate in the NCAA West First Rounds on May 28-31 at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

The 21 qualifying Bobcats and 19 total entries are the second-most in program history since the current regional format was adopted in the early 2000s. The school record of 23 Bobcat participants was set last season, with the previous best before 2024 set in 2022 (17 qualifiers). 

Montana State will have seven men compete across Wednesday, May 28, and Friday, May 30, while the 14 women will compete in events on Thursday, May 29, and Saturday, May 31.  

A full meet schedule can be viewed here. 

Qualifiers for the NCAA West First Rounds:  

The top 12 finishers in each event at the NCAA West First Rounds advance to the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, held on June 11-14 at Hayward Field.  

Athletes who ranked among the top 48 in their respective events earned a berth into the NCAA West First Rounds. In addition, the best 24 relays times advanced to the NCAA preliminaries. Athletes with the top-12 marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West First Rounds sites qualify for the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.  

Last season, a school-record 23 members of the Montana State track and field team qualified for the NCAA West First Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

Three men’s steeplechase runners went on to advance to the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, with Levi Taylor, Rob McManus, and Owen Smith all representing ‘Steeple U’ at the biggest stage in collegiate track and field. 

Montana State’s three participants in the 24-athlete field last year in Eugene marked the most of any school and was also the second consecutive year the Bobcats have sent three to the national meet in the steeplechase.  

Montana State and Eastern Kentucky are the only two schools in the country who have sent multiple qualifiers to the NCAA Championships in each of the last three years. 

Though three-time steeplechase All-American Levi Taylor graduated after last season, Rob McManus and Owen Smith are back to try to return to Eugene. 

McManus, who finished 13th in the steeplechase at outdoor nationals in 2024 and 16th in 2023, also finished 15th at indoor nationals this past March in the mile. 

The three-time All-American is one of just five Bobcat men to ever earn three All-American honors (Levi Taylor, Duncan Hamilton, Lyle Weese, Shannon Butler). 

McManus is seeded No. 4 for the West Region and ranks No. 6 nationally in the steeplechase this year. 

He’ll be joined in next Friday’s national quarterfinal by 2024 Honorable Mention All-American Owen Smith (seeded No. 23) and four-time NCAA Division III All-American Will Kelly (seeded No. 30). 

Harvey Cramb, a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia, who placed 11th in the mile at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, is ranked No. 8 in the West Region in the 1,500 meters heading into College Station. The Big Sky champion in the event also set the school record in the 800 meters this season. 

Sam Ells, a junior from Kalispell, Montana, will join Cramb in the pursuit of a berth to Eugene in the 1,500 meters while ranked No. 13 in the West Region in the event. Ells placed fifth in the 1,500 and sixth in the 5,000 at last week’s Big Sky Championships in Sacramento. 

Colby Wilson, a graduate student from Olympia, Washington, qualified for the 2025 NCAA indoor championships in Virginia Beach in March after also qualifying for the 2022 NCAA outdoor championships and 2023 NCAA indoor championships. Wilson heads to College Station ranked No. 22 in the West Region. 

Sydney Brewster, a sophomore from Sandy, Oregon, makes her second straight NCAA West First Rounds appearance after a season in which she broke the school and conference record in the shot put multiple times. Brewster is seeded 13th in the West Region. 

Emma Brensdal, a sophomore from Plentywood, Montana, will join Brewster in the shot put next week in College Station. The Treasure State native broke the school record in the discus this year as well as recorded the second-best throw in Montana State history in the shot put. Brensdal is seeded 29th in the West Region. 

Clara Fox, a sophomore from Bozeman, Montana, is one of three women’s sophomore throwers to qualify for regionals, and returns to the NCAA West First Rounds for the second straight year in the javelin. Fox is seeded 37th in the West Region. 

Elijah Jackman, a junior from Tigard, Oregon, advances to the NCAA West First Rounds for the second straight year in the hammer throw. At the Big Sky Championships last week in Sacramento, Jackman placed second in the hammer, second in the discus, and seventh in the shot put to score 18 points for the Bobcats—tied for the team lead with Harvey Cramb. Jackman is seeded No. 36 in the West Region in the hammer. 

Kyla Christopher-Moody, a graduate student from Royal Oak, Michigan, advances to the NCAA West First Rounds for the second straight year in the 5,000 meters. Christopher-Moody has set four school records in 2025 (indoor mile, indoor 3,000 meters, outdoor 1,500 meters, outdoor 5,000 meters) and has earned three All-Conference honors this season with podium finishes in the indoor 3,000 meters, indoor 5,000 meters, and outdoor 10,000 meters. Christopher-Moody is seeded 26th in the West Region in the 5,000 meters. 

Grace Gilbreth, a senior from Bozeman, Montana, qualifies for College Station in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Gilbreth, the only Montana State woman ever to finish the steeplechase in under ten minutes, placed 25th at the NCAA West First Rounds last year in Fayetteville, and finished fourth in the event last week at the Big Sky Championships in Sacramento. The school record-holder is seeded 12th in the West Region. 

Millie Hubbell, a junior from Littleton, Colorado, qualifies for NCAA Regionals in the 100 meter hurdles. Hubbell is making her first NCAA West First Rounds appearance following a spectacular season in which she finished second in the 60 meter hurdles at the Big Sky indoor championships and second in the 100 meter hurdles at the Big Sky outdoor championships. The junior is seeded 29th in the West Region. 

Giulia Gandolfi, a junior from Faenza, Italy, qualifies both in the 400 meter hurdles and as part of the Bobcats’ 4×400 meter relay team. Gandolfi ran the third leg on the school-record relay team that enters College Station as the ninth-fastest squad in the field, and also currently holds the fifth-fastest 400 meter hurdle race in school history. Gandolfi is seeded No. 40 in the West Region in the 400 meter hurdles. 

Peyton Garrison, a junior from New Castle, Colorado, qualifies in both the 200 meters and as part of the Bobcats’ 4×400 meter relay team. Garrison ran the second leg on the school-record relay team that enters College Station as the ninth-fastest squad in the field, and also holds the school record in the 200 meters. The junior earned a silver medal in the 4×100 meter relay last week at the Big Sky Championships and a bronze medal in the 200 meters. Garrison is seeded No. 45 in the West Region in the 200 meters. 

Caroline Hawkes, Olivia Lewis, and Jadyn VanDyken will all travel to College Station as part of the qualifying 4×400 meter relay team. The squad is ranked ninth in the West Region thanks to their school-record time of 3:33.66 run at the Mt. SAC Relays in April. The top-12 relays from the 24 competing next week advance to Eugene. 

Hailey Coey, a junior from Billings, Montana, qualifies for the NCAA West First Rounds in the long jump for the first time in her career after a breakthrough season. Coey broke her own school record in the long jump multiple times and is currently ranked second all-time in Big Sky Conference history in the event. The 2025 Big Sky indoor champion finished second at the outdoor conference meet last week and enters College Station seeded ninth in the West Region. 

Tatum Richards, a sophomore from Emmett, Idaho, qualifies for the NCAA West First Rounds in the pole vault for the first time in her career. The 2025 Big Sky champion is currently tied for No. 2 all-time in Montana State history in the event (13-09.00) and will be one of a school-record three pole vaulters to compete at the regional stage next week. Richards is seeded 41st in the West Region. 

Megan Bell, a freshman from Ann Arbor, Michigan, qualifies for the NCAA West First Rounds in the pole vault in her debut collegiate season. Bell recorded the top clearance in the Big Sky Conference during the regular season (13-08.25) and placed fourth at the Big Sky Championships last week in Sacramento. Bell is seeded 48th in the West Region. 

The NCAA First Rounds will be streamed on ESPN+. A full meet schedule can be viewed here. 

#GoCatsGo 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Air Force track and field team secured 17 bids to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the national office announced today (May 22), with the release of their final fields for the upcoming championship meet. The Falcons, who earned selections in 13 different events, will send 13 athletes and one relay to College Station, Texas, for the West Preliminary on May 28-31, while freshman Brayden Richards earned a spot in the decathlon final next month (June 11-14) at Hayward Field.
 
Richards, the first Falcon in 13 years to qualify to the NCAA Championships in the decathlon, is one of just three freshmen in the 24-man decathlon field (unlike the other events, the multis send the top 24 athletes from across the country to the final site of the national championships). Overall, Richards is ranked 17th in the NCAA with a career-best tally of 7659 points – No. 2 in Air Force history – that he set at the Bryan Clay Multis earlier this season.
 

For the rest of the Falcons, based on their ranking as one of the West’s top 48 accepted athletes in each event, a total of 11 men, two women, and one relay will compete at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University.
 
Junior Texas Tanner paced the Falcons with three bids into the national meet, as he qualified in the shot put, discus throw, and hammer throw for the second-straight year. Tanner, who captured conference titles in the discus and hammer throws at last week’s MW Championships, is ranked fourth in the West in both events behind career-best, Academy Record marks (63.59 meters in the discus, 75.83 meters in the hammer). He is also ranked among the top 48 in the shot put with a season-best distance of 18.29 meters.
 
Tanner will be one of two Air Force representatives in the opening round of the hammer throw, as senior Cooper Stroka is ranked 13th in the region behind a distance 67.33 meters. The Falcons qualified athletes in all four throwing events for the third-straight year, as senior Joe Nizich and Richards earned regional bids in the javelin throw. Nizich, who claimed the conference title at last week’s championship meet, will enter his fourth-straight West Prelim ranked 18th in the region behind his conference-winning throw of 69.91 meters (No. 2 in Air Force history), while Richards is ranked 44th in the region with a throw of 64.92 meters (No. 13 in Air Force history).
 
On the track, the Falcons qualified multiple first-time qualifiers in both the 1500-meter and 10,000-meter events. Junior Ben Scheller and freshman Saketh Rudraraju enter the West Region ranked 46th (3:41.98) and 48th (3:42.06), respectively, in the 1500-meter run, while juniors Jayden Nats (28:22.06, 30th) and Max Sannes (28:25.20, 39th) hold regional top 40 rankings in the 10,000-meter run.
 
Senior Jason Renze qualified for his third-straight West Prelim in the 3000-meter steeplechase, following a career-best 8:41.69 that is ranked 24th in the region, while classmate Javin Bostic advanced to his second West meet after earning his first bid in the 200-meter dash (20.56, 21st). Freshman Asher Jenkins earned his first outdoor selection following a 10.29 performance in the 100-meter dash (47th) and has joined Bostic on the first two legs of every 4×100-meter relay this season – including the squad that won the MW title last weekend and clocked the prelim-qualifying time of 39.81a at the Air Force Twilight (24th).
 
On the women’s side, freshman Morgan Glaser qualified to her first national meet in the high jump with an outdoor-best clearance of 1.79 meters (27th), while junior India Jones secured her second-straight trip to the NCAA West Prelim in the 10,000-meter run (33:39.58, 32nd).
 
The four-day West Preliminary will run simultaneously with the East Preliminary in Jacksonville, Florida. The top 12 finishers in each event from both sites, as well as the nation’s top 24 athletes in the decathlon and heptathlon, will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on June 11-14.