Track & Field Set for Action at the 2026 NCAA East Region First Round

**CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – **Harvard track & field embarks to Lexington, Kentucky for the NCAA East Region First Round, as action in the Bluegrass State takes place from Wednesday, May 27 to Saturday, May 27. Crimson fans can stream all the action from the preliminary round of the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships live on ESPN+.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Members from the Crimson's women's team will feature in 12 different events at the NCAA East Region First Round, while Harvard's men's team will compete in nine different events.

• Sophomore

Ella Cooper is in tremendous form to start the 2026 postseason, earning Most Outstanding Women's Track Athlete honors at the 2026 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships.

• A native of Owings Mills, Maryland, Cooper will compete in both the women's 100m and 200m at the NCAA East Region First Round. Cooper's season-best time of 11.32 in the 100m ranks 39

th amongst the field at the NCAA East Region, while her 23.00 from the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships is 23rd-fastest time among all competitors. Both of those marks rank second all-time in both Harvard and Ivy League history.

• First-year

Dylan McElhinney will make her NCAA East Region First Round debut in the women's 1500m, qualifying with a time of 4:15.76 from the Duke Twilight, a mark that ranks 33rd among all qualifiers.

• An All-America honorable mention in the women's 3000m steeplechase last year, senior

Molly Malague is looking to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the event for a second-consecutive season. The Most Outstanding Women's Track Athlete at the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, Malague ranks 23rd with a time of 10:04.61 from the Duke Twilight.

• Another Crimson enjoying a breakout 2026 outdoor season, sophomore

**Abby Dennis **will run both the women's 100 hurdles and the women's 400 hurdles at the 2026 NCAA East Region First Round. The school record holder in the women's 100 hurdles, Dennis' time of 13.36 from the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships ranks 41st, while her time of 58.31 in the women's 400 hurdles from the Tom Jones Memorial is 32nd among all qualifiers.

• Two Crimson will take part in the women's pole vault. Sophomore

Ella McRitchie will make her NCAA East Region First Round debut this week, as her mark of 4.40m (14' 5.25") represents a school record and the No. 8 mark in the field. Junior Lilly Hodge returns to the NCAA East First Round for the second time in her Crimson career, as her height of 4.18m (13' 8.5") from the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships ranks 27th

• An All-America Second Team honoree in the women's long jump last year, junior

Marta Amani is looking to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for a second time in her career, as her mark of 6.36m (20' 10.5") from the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships ranks 14th among all women's long jump competitors at the NCAA East Region First Round.

• Sophomore

Tyler Glover is set to make her NCAA East Region First Round debut in the women's shot put this week, as her throw of 16.57m (54' 4.5") from the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships ranks 19th in the field.

• Sisters

Milina Wepiwé and Nadjela Wepiwé will both compete in the women's discus throw this week. A two-time All-American in the event, Milina Wepiwé ranks 15th with a throw of 55.83m (183' 2") from the Tom Jones Memorial, while Nadjela Wepiwé ranks 30th with a throw of 54.01m (177' 2") from the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships.

• Harvard's women's 4x100m relay team of senior

Mfoniso Andrew, Cooper, junior Mickaila Haisley and senior Saige Forbes rank 23rd with a seed time of 44.30.

• The Crimson also qualified in the women's 4x400m relay, as the Crimson's relay squad of Andrew, Amani, senior

Jacklynn Okereke and Cooper rank 20th with a time of 3:33.13.

• The school record holder and Ivy League all-conditions record holder in the men's 100m, junior

Timi Esan will run the men's 100m this week, his time of 10.15 ranks 24th in the field.

• Junior

Amari Turner, the Ivy League champion in the indoor men's 200m, will run the men's 200m in Lexington this week. A native of Sanford, Florida, Turner's time of 20.70 from the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships ranks 47th at the NCA East Region First Round.

• Harvard's school record holder in the men's 400m, sophomore

Harlow Tong is eyeing to make his first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the event, as the Saint Paul, Minnesota native ranks 29th with a time of 45.70.

• A trio of Crimson will run the men's 5000m this week. The Ivy League champion in the indoor men's 5000m, junior

Charlie Ortmans is No. 16 across the whole field with a time of 13:38.25. First-year Tam Gavenas, the Ivy League champion in the outdoor men's 5000m, ranks 25th with a time of 13:41.43, while junior Sam Burgess is 33rd after running a 13:43.27 at the Duke Twilight earlier this month.

• Ortmans and Burgess will also double in the men's 10,000m this week, as Ortmans is 16

th with a time of 28:29.37 while Burgess is 30th with a 28:55.37.

• First-year

Oliver Parker will make his NCAA Championships debut in the men's 400 hurdles, as the Leicester, England native ranks 39th with a time of 51.30.

• The reigning NCAA national champion in the indoor men's jump junior

Tito Alofe looks to take the next in capturing his first national title in the outdoor men's high jump this week, as the Peachtree City, Georgia native ranks seventh in the field after clearing 2.18m (7' 1.75") at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships.

• Fresh off his first Ivy League championship, first-year

Joachim Johnson will take part in the men's triple jump, as his mark of 15.63m (51' 3.5") ranks 26th in the east region this year.

• The Crimson's men's 4x100m relay team of Esan, senior

Jonas Clarke, sophomore LeRoy Horton and Turner rank 13th in the east region with a time of 39.22.

• Top 12 finishers from each individual event and the top 12 relay teams from each relay event will qualify for the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships, held at the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from Wednesday, June 10

th to Saturday, June 13th.

CRIMSON SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 27

**7:00 PM – **Men's 100m First Round (

Timi Esan)

**7:25 PM – **Men's 400m First Round (

Harlow Tong)

**8:20 PM – **Men's 400 Hurdles First Round (

Oliver Parker)

**8:45 PM – **Men's 200m First Round (

Amari Turner)

**9:10 PM – **Men's 10,000m Semifinals (

Sam Burgess and

Charlie Ortmans)

Thursday, May 28

**6:00 PM – **Women's 100 Hurdles First Round (

Abigail Dennis)

**6:00 PM – **Women's Long Jump First Round (

Marta Amani)

**6:30 PM – **Women's Pole Vault Semifinals (

Ella McRitchie and

Lilly Hodge)

**6:30 PM – **Women's Shot Put First Round (

Tyler Glover)

**6:30 PM – **Women's 1500m First Round (

Dylan McElhinney)

**7:00 PM – **Women's 100m First Round (

Ella Cooper)

**8:20 PM – **Women's 400 Hurdles First Round (

Abigail Dennis)

**8:45 PM – **Women's 200m First Round (

Ella Cooper)

Friday, May 29

**2:00 PM – **Men's High Jump Semifinals (

Tito Alofe)

**5:00 PM – **Men's 4x100m Relay Quarterfinals

**6:00 PM – **Men's Triple Jump First Round (

Joachim Johnson)

**6:35 PM – **Men's 100m Quarterfinals (

Timi Esan)

**6:50 PM – **Men's 400m Quarterfinals (

Harlow Tong)

**7:25 PM – **Men's 400 Hurdles Quarterfinals (

Oliver Parker)

**7:50 PM – **Men's 200m Quarterfinals (

Amari Turner)

**8:10 PM – **Men's 5000m Semifinals (

Sam Burgess,

Charlie Ortmans,

Tam Gavenas)

Saturday, May 30

**1:00 PM – **Women's Discus Throw First Round (

Milina Wepiwé and

Nadjela Wepiwé)

**5:00 PM – **Women's 4x100m Relay Quarterfinals

**5:15 PM – **Women's 1500m Quarterfinals (

Dylan McElhinney)

**5:40 PM – **Women's 3000m Steeplechase Quarterfinals (

Molly Malague)

**6:15 PM – **Women's 100 Hurdles Quarterfinals (

Abigail Dennis)

**6:35 PM – **Women's 100m Quarterfinals (

Ella Cooper)

**7:25 PM – **Women's 400 Hurdles Quarterfinals (

Abigail Dennis)

**7:50 PM – **Women's 200m Quarterfinals (

Ella Cooper)

**8:45 PM – **Women's 4x400m Quarterfinals

UP NEXT

Harvard will end the 2026 outdoor track & field season at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships, hosted at Hayward Field from Wednesday, June 10

th to Saturday, June 13

th.

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