INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois State track & field qualified 10 individual student-athletes and one relay squad to the 2026 NCAA West First Round hosted May 27-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country Championships Sub-committee announced Thursday.
The Redbirds earned 11 total entries into the NCAA postseason meet, highlighted by four women's qualifiers and six men's individual selections, along with the men's 4x400-meter relay team. The top 48 declared student-athletes in each individual event, and the top 24 relay teams in each region qualified for NCAA First Round competition.
On the women's side, Becca Heitzig enters the NCAA West First Round ranked 22nd in the West Region in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:14.76, while Pauline Schedler qualified 26th in the event at 4:15.89. Mattison Plummer heads into the regional meet ranked 16th in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a mark of 10:07.06, while Macee Rivers qualified 18th in the 100-meter hurdles at 13.19.
Illinois State's men qualified in a variety of events on the track and in the field. Zach Paul enters the NCAA West First Round ranked 21st in the West Region in the 100-meter dash with a school-record time of 10.15, while Reece Curtis qualified 45th in the 200-meter dash at 20.63.
The men's 4x400-meter relay squad of Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr., Zach Paul, Jake Welch, Evan Watson, Jaiden Reed and Reece Curtis qualified 12th in the West Region with a season-best time of 3:05.27.
In field events, freshman Voldy Makabu qualified 30th in the high jump after clearing 2.14m, while Seth Nelson enters the pole vault competition ranked 28th at 5.30m. Garrett Taylor qualified in both the shot put and discus, ranking 32nd in the shot put at 18.33m and 36th in the discus at 56.57m. Jacob Klink also earned a berth in the shot put, ranking 42nd with a mark of 17.96m.
Twelve competitors from each individual event and 12 teams from each relay event will advance from each First Round site to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., June 10-13. The individual student-athletes and relay teams advancing to the national championships based on their performances at the First Round sites will be announced and posted on NCAA.com the week prior to the NCAA Championships.
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