NCAA Championship Preview (pt. 1): Division I champs in Fayetteville...

After starting the 2025-26 NCAA collegiate track and field season in Boston and Spokane with December meets at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center and The Podium, the season comes to an end for Washington, Washington State, Western Washington, Central Washington and Seattle Pacific Friday and Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas (Division I) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (Division II).

We start our preview of the NCAA championship meet with the Division I championships in Fayetteville:

MEN'S PREVIEW...

Despite finishing fourth at the B1G Ten Championships,
Jimmy Rhoads heads into the NCAA title meet as the
number one seed in the men's pole vault (Paul Merca photo)

The biggest question surrounding the 11th ranked Washington Husky men's team is whether or not they can improve upon their 19th place finish in last year's meet.

The Dawgs go into Fayetteville with four top-ten seeds in Reuben Reina (5th) and Thomas Diamond (7th) in the mile, the distance medley relay team (7th), and pole vaulter Jimmy Rhoads (1st).

As we noted last week when the qualifiers for the championship meet were announced, one positive move made was in the time schedule.

After the 2020 meet in Albuquerque was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, the time schedule was modified to two two-hour sessions per day--a men's and women's session.

The problem with the scheduling was that it gave less recovery time between events for athletes and coaches who wanted to double (i.e. mile/distance medley, 800/mile, 400/200/4 x 400 relay) in those running events.

From the 2021 championships, a runner qualified in the mile and on their team's distance medley had less than two hours to recover between events, and barely an hour between the mile/800 double and the 800/distance medley double.

For a 400/200 double, it was also an hour between events, and an hour if you made the finals of the 400 and your team qualified for the finals in the 4 x 400. And, if you wanted to try a 60/200 double, you got roughly 70 minutes, and a 60/60hurdles double was roughly 40 minutes rest.

With the men's and women's meet merged into one session, athletes in the events named will get essentially an extra hour of recovery time.

From Washington's perspective on the first day, the biggest question as it relates to Reina and Diamond is whether or not to sub them out of the distance medley relay should both advance to Saturday's final in the mile and leave them fresh, or put them in and hope they can replicate their efforts the following day?

According to the accepted entries list posted last week, Washington has in their DMR relay pool Alex Rhodes (400 leg), and Tyler Bilyard (800 leg). They also have freshmen Josiah Tostenson and Owen Powell, and Jamar Distel & Martin Barco to choose from.

At the B1G Ten meet two weeks ago, the only change from the team that ran 9:17.03 at Arkansas the week before, was running Jamar Distel on the opening leg instead of Thomas Diamond. Otherwise, the team remained the same--Rhodes, Bilyard, and Reina.

Obviously the UW coaching staff has up until 45 minutes before the DMR to make changes to their team.

Reina and Diamond run in the mile qualifying heats at 5:20 pm local time, with the distance medley the last event of Friday's session at 8:30 pm local time. The mile finals are on Saturday at 4:20 pm local time.

Pole vaulter Jimmy Rhoads lost for the first time this season to a collegian at the B1G Tens when he finished fourth after clearing 18-1.75 (5.53m). He'll jump at 4:45 pm local time on Friday.

Evan Jenkins, the B1G Ten 10000 champ outdoors, is entered in Friday night's 5000 meter run. He goes at 7:25 pm local time.

Reina, an Arkansas native and former Razorback, runs in Saturday's 3000m run final at 6:25 pm.

Former Washington State standout Mason Lawyer, who was one of many impacted by the school's decision to downsize the track and field program to a distance-only squad, is one of the top qualifiers in the 60 meter dash, after running 6.49 for the University of Arizona at the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas last week (adjusted to 6.51 by the NCAA for altitude).

Lawyer runs at 5:45 pm local time Friday, with the finals the next day at 4:40 pm local time.

Bellingham natives Andre Korbmacher of Florida State and Jacob Andrews of USC are entered. Korbmacher is in the 60 meter hurdles, while Andrews is on USC's 4 x 400 relay pool.

Korbmacher goes at 6:55 pm local time Friday, with the finals Saturday at 6 pm local time.

Also in the 4 x 400 relay pool for Georgia is Seattle Prep grad Will Floyd.

The 4 x 400 relay is a timed final. Both Andrews and Floyd run at 6:55 pm local time.

Rainier native Jeremiah Nubbe of Virginia is back again in the weight throw, where he looks to improve upon his fourth place finish last year.  He throws at 4 pm Friday local time.

WOMEN'S PREVIEW...

Washington's Chloe Foerster and Washington State's
Rosemary Longisa are both entered in the mile at the
NCAA D1 championships in Fayetteville (Paul Merca photo)

The big question with the Washington women's team is whether or not they can replicate last year's performance and score at least 30 points to put them in position to possibly podium (they scored 31 to tie for fourth)?

Maurica Powell's squad, ranked number 17 in the latest USTFCCCA rating index (see notes below), only has two athletes to worry about in the distance madley relay, and that's senior Chloe Foerster and junior Mia Cochran.

Foerster, who ran the 1200 leadoff leg for the Huskies to qualify for the NCAAs at the Husky Classic, where they ran 10:45.03, anchored the Huskies two weeks ago at the B1G Tens, where they won in 10:56.18.

Foerster, who finished sixth at the NCAA indoors last year in the mile, is entered at the NCAAs in the mile, where she's seeded tenth, and was scratched out of the 800. 

She's entered in the mile along with Cochran, who is seeded 15th, as well as Washington State's lone competitor in the meet, Rosemary Longisa, who is seeded sixth.

Cochran ran the 1600 anchor at the Husky Classic, and the 800 third leg at the B1G Tens.

The qualifying heat of the mile is at 5:05 pm local time Friday, with the final at 4:10 pm local time Saturday.

Washington's DMR pool includes Chloe Symon (400 leg), Jenica Swartz, Julia David-Smith, and Chloe Thomas, who is entered in Friday's 5000m, where she's seeded 16th. Thomas would unlikely be available, as the 5000 goes at 7:05 pm local time, and the DMR final is at 8:15 pm.

Thomas ran the leadoff leg at the B1G Tens.

In addition to the mile, 5000 and distance medley relay, Washington's best scoring opportunity comes in the pole vault, led by defending NCAA outdoor champ and current world leader Hana Moll (Paul Merca photo).

Moll, who tied for sixth at the world championships in Tokyo with twin sister and defending NCAA indoor champ Amanda, will not have Amanda around, after the UW coaches shut her down due to injuries. Washington will however, have freshman Veronica Vacca, who is seeded seventh. Vacca is the only freshman pole vaulter among the top ten seeds,

Others with Washington ties entered include former Husky Wilma Nielsen, the defending champion in the mile at the University of Oregon, along with Puyallup native JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, Carnation native Braelyn Baker, and former Husky Kapiolani Coleman.

Gero-Holt is entered in both the pentathlon, which starts Friday at 11:15 am local time, and Saturday's high jump, which gets underway at 1:45 pm local time. Gero-Holt is seeded fourth in the pentathlon, and seventh in the high jump.

Nielsen is seeded third in the mile, and will be on Oregon's distance medley relay, which is seeded seventh. 

Carnation native Braelyn Baker, and former Husky Kapiolani Coleman are on the 4 x 400 relay pools for Duke, and UCLA, respectively. They will go at 6:40 pm local time. Like the men, the women's 4 x 400 relay is a timed final.

Here's a link to the meet's microsite, which includes links to accepted entries, heat sheets, and the time schedule.

ESPN Plus ($) will stream both days of the meet live, while a replay of the meet will be shown on ESPNU on Sunday, at 7 pm Eastern/4 pm Pacific.

FINAL PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP RATING INDICES RELEASED BY USTFCCCA....

With the NCAA Division I and II indoor track and field championships set for this weekend, the USTFCCCA released its pre-NCAA championships rating index Tuesday.

Unlike the regular season rating indices, the ratings reflect those who will actually compete in Fayetteville and Virginia Beach this week in their respective events.

DIVISION I

In the Division I index, the Washington men actually moved up one spot from last week's index to number 11 from number 12.

The nation's top five men's teams are in order: Arkansas, Oregon, Tennessee, Florida and Kansas State.

Other B1G Ten teams in the national top 25 include number 6 Penn State, number 14 Illinois, number 21 Iowa, and number 24 USC.

The Washington women dropped five spots to number 17 from number 12.

The nation's top five women's teams are in order: Illinois, Georgia, Arkansas, BYU and South Carolina.

B1G Ten teams in the top 25 include number 7 Oregon, number 8 USC, number 12 Nebraska, and number 23 Minnesota.

DIVISION II...

The only two Washington schools ranked in the national top 25 in either the men's or women's D2 rating index are number 20 Central Washington and number 21 Western Washington in the women's index.

Central Washington maintained its position from last week, while Western moved up three spots.

The nations' top five women's teams going into the national championships are in order: Pittsburg State, West Texas A&M, Grand Valley State, Adams State, and Colorado School of Mines.

Simon Fraser's women's squad, buoyed by the strength of five marks in the national top five, is ranked number 7 in the country.

No men's teams from the GNAC are ranked in the national top 25 heading into this weekend's nationals in Virginia Beach.

The USTFCCCA release is available here.

NOTE: The NCAA, USTFCCCA, and the sports information offices of the University of Washington and Washington State University contributed to this report.

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