
Falcons Open NCAA Championships at West Prelim
5/26/2026 8:43:00 AM | Track and Field
Twenty-one members of the Air Force track and field team will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., this week for the opening rounds of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The four-day West Preliminary will begin on Wednesday, May 27, and continue through Saturday, May 30.
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, WEST PRELIM
Wednesday-Saturday | May 27-30
Fayetteville, AR | John McDonnell Field
Watch | Results | Tickets | Meet Central
Air Force Weekly Notebook | Outdoor Performance List
MEET INFORMATION
The West Preliminary of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The men will compete on Wednesday (May 27 and Friday (May 29), while the women will follow the same schedule on Thursday (May 28) and Saturday (May 30). A complete breakdown of Air Force athletes and events can be found on Page 2 of this release. Tickets can be purchased through ArkansasRazorbacks.com and range from single day tickets ($25) to all-session passes ($70). Live results will be available for all four days of competition, courtesy of Flash Results and the NCAA, while the meet will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
BIRD-WATCHING
The Falcons will have 21 Falcons on the grounds of John McDonell Field for the NCAA West Prelim. Liliane Aittama (800-meter run), Cadee Alder (javelin throw), Cam Bodine (800-meter run),Rachel Fereday (1500-meter run), Morgan Glaser (high jump), Anna Harden (1500-meter run), India Jones (5000-meter run, 10,000-meter run) and Julie Segroves (pole vault) will represent the women, while Junior Allen (3000-meter steeplechase), Zach Ayers (5000-meter run), Zachary DeWalt (400-meter dash), Trenton Groff (javelin throw), Asher Jenkins (200-meter dash), Evan Keefe (discus throw), Max McFarlane (pole vault), Jayden Nats (10,000-meter run), Dominykas Remeikis (1500-meter run), Jettason Rose (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash), Saketh Rudraraju (1500-meter run), Ben Scheller (1500-meter run) and Texas Tanner (discus throw, hammer throw) will represent the men.
BY THE NUMBERS
A total of 13 men and eight women will represent the Falcons across 18 events at the West Preliminary. The 21 athletes and 24 total bids are the most for Air Force since 2017 and the third highest since the two-region system began in 2010.
HOW THIS WORKS
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin at two preliminary sites (East – Lexington, West – Fayetteville. Each region features the top 48 accepted athletes in each event, as well as the top 24 teams in each relay. The top 12 finishers from each event at the two preliminary sites, as well as the nation's top 24 athletes in both the decathlon and heptathlon, will advance to Eugene, Ore. – the final site of the NCAA Outdoor Championships – on June 10-13
THE EXPERIENCED TRAVELERS
India Jones and Texas Tanner have qualified for their third-straight trip to the NCAA West Preliminary, while Morgan Glaser, Asher Jenkins, Jayden Nats, Saketh Rudraraju and Ben Scheller are all making their second trip in as many years to the opening rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
MEN REMAIN IN NATION'S TOP 30
The men remained in the nation's top 30 this week, as they moved to No. 29 in the May 26 edition of the USTFCCCA National Rankings. The Falcons have been listed among the NCAA Top 30 in every checkpoint this season – an eight-week stretch that marks the longest such streak in program history.
AIR FORCE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Backed by NCAA leading marks in the discus (66.30m) and hammer (78.87m) from Texas Tanner, four Falcons were listed among the nation's Top 30 in the final NCAA rankings (May 25). Tannerwas also listed at No. 19 in the shot put (19.24m), while Jayden Nats was ranked 11th in the 10,000-meter run (27:59.31) and Evan Keefe was listed at No. 30 in the discus (58.91m). On the women's side, Morgan Glaser was ranked sixth in the high jump with a 1.87-meter clearance.
THANK YOU SENIORS
The Falcons' Class of 2026 – Ethan Ashley, Zach Ayers, Jevonte Eaves, Ricky Fetterolf, Massimo Grisotto, Ashton Higgerson, India Jones, Bryce Lentz, Tanner Lindahl, Brenton Maddox, Jayden Nats, Jacob Nelson, Jettason Rose, Max Sannes, Ben Scheller, Jacqui Spencer, Beatrice Shea, Texas Tanner, Nathalia Veal, and Eric Yu – will graduate from the Air Force Academy on May 28 and commission as second lieutenants into the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force.
COMING UP
The 2026 collegiate season comes to a close in two weeks, as the top 12 finishers from each event at this week's two preliminary sites, as well as the nation's top 24 athletes in the decathlon and heptathlon, travel to Eugene, Ore., for the final rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 10-13.
NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, WEST PRELIM
Wednesday-Saturday | May 27-30
Fayetteville, AR | John McDonnell Field
Watch | Results | Tickets | Meet Central
Air Force Weekly Notebook | Outdoor Performance List
MEET INFORMATION
The West Preliminary of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will take place at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The men will compete on Wednesday (May 27 and Friday (May 29), while the women will follow the same schedule on Thursday (May 28) and Saturday (May 30). A complete breakdown of Air Force athletes and events can be found on Page 2 of this release. Tickets can be purchased through ArkansasRazorbacks.com and range from single day tickets ($25) to all-session passes ($70). Live results will be available for all four days of competition, courtesy of Flash Results and the NCAA, while the meet will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
BIRD-WATCHING
The Falcons will have 21 Falcons on the grounds of John McDonell Field for the NCAA West Prelim. Liliane Aittama (800-meter run), Cadee Alder (javelin throw), Cam Bodine (800-meter run),Rachel Fereday (1500-meter run), Morgan Glaser (high jump), Anna Harden (1500-meter run), India Jones (5000-meter run, 10,000-meter run) and Julie Segroves (pole vault) will represent the women, while Junior Allen (3000-meter steeplechase), Zach Ayers (5000-meter run), Zachary DeWalt (400-meter dash), Trenton Groff (javelin throw), Asher Jenkins (200-meter dash), Evan Keefe (discus throw), Max McFarlane (pole vault), Jayden Nats (10,000-meter run), Dominykas Remeikis (1500-meter run), Jettason Rose (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash), Saketh Rudraraju (1500-meter run), Ben Scheller (1500-meter run) and Texas Tanner (discus throw, hammer throw) will represent the men.
BY THE NUMBERS
A total of 13 men and eight women will represent the Falcons across 18 events at the West Preliminary. The 21 athletes and 24 total bids are the most for Air Force since 2017 and the third highest since the two-region system began in 2010.
HOW THIS WORKS
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin at two preliminary sites (East – Lexington, West – Fayetteville. Each region features the top 48 accepted athletes in each event, as well as the top 24 teams in each relay. The top 12 finishers from each event at the two preliminary sites, as well as the nation's top 24 athletes in both the decathlon and heptathlon, will advance to Eugene, Ore. – the final site of the NCAA Outdoor Championships – on June 10-13
THE EXPERIENCED TRAVELERS
India Jones and Texas Tanner have qualified for their third-straight trip to the NCAA West Preliminary, while Morgan Glaser, Asher Jenkins, Jayden Nats, Saketh Rudraraju and Ben Scheller are all making their second trip in as many years to the opening rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
MEN REMAIN IN NATION'S TOP 30
The men remained in the nation's top 30 this week, as they moved to No. 29 in the May 26 edition of the USTFCCCA National Rankings. The Falcons have been listed among the NCAA Top 30 in every checkpoint this season – an eight-week stretch that marks the longest such streak in program history.
AIR FORCE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Backed by NCAA leading marks in the discus (66.30m) and hammer (78.87m) from Texas Tanner, four Falcons were listed among the nation's Top 30 in the final NCAA rankings (May 25). Tannerwas also listed at No. 19 in the shot put (19.24m), while Jayden Nats was ranked 11th in the 10,000-meter run (27:59.31) and Evan Keefe was listed at No. 30 in the discus (58.91m). On the women's side, Morgan Glaser was ranked sixth in the high jump with a 1.87-meter clearance.
THANK YOU SENIORS
The Falcons' Class of 2026 – Ethan Ashley, Zach Ayers, Jevonte Eaves, Ricky Fetterolf, Massimo Grisotto, Ashton Higgerson, India Jones, Bryce Lentz, Tanner Lindahl, Brenton Maddox, Jayden Nats, Jacob Nelson, Jettason Rose, Max Sannes, Ben Scheller, Jacqui Spencer, Beatrice Shea, Texas Tanner, Nathalia Veal, and Eric Yu – will graduate from the Air Force Academy on May 28 and commission as second lieutenants into the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force.
COMING UP
The 2026 collegiate season comes to a close in two weeks, as the top 12 finishers from each event at this week's two preliminary sites, as well as the nation's top 24 athletes in the decathlon and heptathlon, travel to Eugene, Ore., for the final rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 10-13.
Players Mentioned
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Tuesday, May 12
Ryan Cole Interview April 21, 2026
Tuesday, April 21
Texas Tanner Pre Indoor Nationals Interview
Monday, March 09
Ryan Cole Interview - March 3rd, 2026
Tuesday, March 03







































