NCAA Championship Preview (pt. 2): Division II champs in Virginia Beach...

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).

Our championship week preview concludes with the NCAA Division II championship meet in Virginia Beach:

WOMEN'S PREVIEW...

From a state of Washington perspective, the biggest question is how close 20th ranked Central Washington jumps standout Emy Ntekpere (Loren Orr/GNAC photo) comes to duplicating her feat at last May's outdoor championships where she won both the triple and high jumps.

Ntekpere goes into nationals seeded third in both the high jump at 5-10.5 (1.79m) and triple jump at 42-0.5 (12.81m). In both events, she's not very far away from the national leaders in those events, Zamora Horace of Oklahoma Baptist (5-11.25/1.81m) and Ghana Hamdani of Minnesota State (42-5.25/12.93m).

In the 2026 season, all of her losses in those events have come against Division 1 competition.

The Wildcat standout goes in the high jump on Friday at 4:35 pm local time and the triple jump on Saturday at 3:30 pm local time.

In Friday's high jump, she'll be joined by Western Washington's Kora Cook, who is seeded 16th at 5-8.5 (1.74m).

Western Washington's Bec Bennett, who was seventh in this meet last year, goes into Virginia Beach seeded second in the 400 meters at 53.58.

Bennett will anchor the 21st ranked Vikings' 4 x 400 relay, which is seeded eighth at 3:42.98. The Australian will be joined by Casie Kliene, Jayda Darroch, and Kennedy Cook. 

Emmy Kroontje, who is entered in the 800 and seeded 12th at 2:08.70, will serve as the alternate on the relay team.

Bennett will run a qualifying round of the 400 Friday at 4:45 pm local time, while Kroontje goes in the 800 qualifying 40 minutes later. The finals in both the 400 and 800 are Saturday at 5:10 pm and 5:35 pm, local time.

The 4 x 400 relay is the final event of the meet at 7 pm local time, and is a timed final for the twelve qualifying teams.

Western Washington's Jessica Polkinghorn is seeded number 11 in the shot put at 49-10 (15.19m). She throws Saturday at 2:15 pm local time. 

Elise Hopper of Central Washington is the Wildcats' other individual qualifier, as she'll run in the 200 meters, where she's seeded 15th at 24.00.

The qualifying round of the 200 is at 6 pm local time on Friday, with the finals the next day at 5:55 pm

Seattle Pacific's lone qualifier for the national championships is GNAC 60 hurdles champion Hannah Chang, who is seeded 14th at 8.52. 

Chang's qualifying race is at 3 pm local time Friday, with the finals Saturday at 3:55 pm local time.

MEN'S PREVIEW...

The only two Washington athletes qualified for the NCAA D2 championships are 60 meter sprinter Colton Magruder (Loren Orr/GNAC photo) and heptathlete Drew Klein of Central Washington.

Magruder, the GNAC 60 champion in a personal best 6.62, tuned up for the nationals by running in the USATF indoor championships against the top pros, finished fifth in his heat in 6.75.

He goes into the D2 nationals seeded fourth, with Griouard Weddington of Pittsburg State the top seed at 6.54.

Magruder runs in the qualifying of his event at 3:15 pm local time Friday, with the finals Saturday at 4:10 pm local time.

Klein returns for his second NCAA indoor heptathlon appearance, after finishing 14th in 2024.

Klein is seeded 13th at 5149 points, scored when he won the GNAC title last month.

The heptathlon begins Friday at 10 am local time, and resumes Saturday at 11 am local time.

Former Wildcat standout Ramon Rodriguez, now competing for Tiffin, qualified for the 3000 meters, where he's seeded 15th at 7:58.26.

The men's 3000 final is Saturday at 6:05 pm local time.

NCAA.com will offer free streaming of the Division II championships starting at 10 am local time each day.

The microsite for the NCAA Division II championships, which includes the start lists, is available here.

The time schedule is available here.

NOTE: The NCAA, USTFCCCA, and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contributed to this report.

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