Florida Track & Field Totals 46 Entries for NCAA East Preliminary

A female in black leads a race against a female in white at night under lights.

Judy Chepkoech leads the NCAA East Region in the 5,000-meter run. // Photo by Dylan Cannella | UAA Athletics

Florida Track & Field Totals 46 Entries for NCAA East Preliminary

Thursday, May 21, 2026 | Track and Field

Men's Entries Women's Entries Meet Schedule Ticket Information

Of the 46 entries, 25 are ranked in the top 10 of the East Region.

By: Andrew Hile

INDIANAPOLIS - Entry lists for the NCAA East and West Preliminaries were released on Thursday afternoon, with the Florida track & field program totaling 46 entries for competition at next week's regional meet, hosted by the University of Kentucky from May 27-30.

The top 48 individual and top 24 relay declarations within the East and West Regions earned berths to their respective preliminary meets. The top 12 individuals and 12 relays from each regional competition will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., slated for June 10-13.

Eleven entries on the men's side hold top-10 seeds, led by sophomore Vance Nilsson, who owns the second-fastest time in the region in the 400-meter hurdles after a personal-best performance in the event at the 2026 SEC Outdoor Championships to earn bronze. The Gators also own seven additional top-five regional entries, including Justin Braun (400 meters), Oussama Allaoui (1500 meters), Jarno van Daalen (shot put and discus), Leikel Cabrera Gay (javelin), the 4x100-meter relay squad of Trenton Howard, Jaden Wiley, Almond Small and Wanya McCoy, and the 4x400-meter relay team of Jayden Horton-Mims, Nicholas Spikes, Malique Smith-Band and Braun.

On the women's side, the Orange & Blue boast 14 top-10 entries, led by the national leader in the discus throw, Alida van Daalen, and Judy Chepkoech, who sits atop the region in the 5,000-meter run. In addition to van Daalen and Chepkoech, nine entries sit in the top five of the East, including Gabrielle Matthews (100 and 200 meters), Layla Haynes (800 meters), Tia Wilson (1500 meters), Claire Stegall (1500 meters), Hilda Olemomoi (10,000 meters), Asia Phillips (triple jump), van Daalen (shot put) and the women's 4x400-meter relay team of Quincy Penn, Tyra Cox, Matthews and Sydney Sutton.

With the inclusion of all athletes listed for the relays, the 45 athletes declared for the regional meet are the most since the program qualified 44 during the 2009 season. Additionally, the men and women haven't both qualified at least 20 athletes in the same season since 2013.

Entering the East Preliminary, the both squads sit in the top 10 of the USTFCCCA rankings, with the women staying steady in second while the men jumped nine spots to seventh.

Florida will get going at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 28, with the men's and women's hammer throws. In similar fashion, events on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30, will start at 1 p.m. ET on both days with the men's and women's discus throws.

NCAA EAST REGIONAL STREAMING INFORMATION
Wednesday Streaming: 6 p.m. ET
Thursday Streaming: 6 p.m. ET
Friday Streaming: 5 p.m. ET
Saturday Streaming: 5 p.m. ET

2026 Men's NCAA East Preliminary Qualifiers
100m	(26) Trenton Howard
200m	(23) Wanya McCoy
400m	(4) Justin Braun, (22) Nicholas Spikes
800m	(15) Miguel Pantojas, (21) Gavin Nelson, (35) Jonah Kirspel
1500m	(5) Oussama Allaoui, (22) Riley Smith
3000S	(11) Graham Myers
10,000m	(10) Kelvin Cheruiyot
400mH	(2) Vance Nilsson, (28) Daneil Wright
4x100m Relay	(5) Howard, Jaden Wiley, Almond Small, Ja'Neil Harris, Malique Smith-Band, Braun, Spikes
4x400m Relay	(2) Jayden Horton-Mims, Spikes, Smith-Band, Braun, Nilsson, Wright, Pantojas
Long Jump	(6) Temoso Masikane
Triple Jump	(9) Jaden Lippett
Shot Put	(3) Jarno van Daalen
Discus	(5) van Daalen
Hammer	(6) Basel Abosina
Javelin	(3) Leikel Cabrera Gay, (28) Ayden Campbell

2026 Women's NCAA East Preliminary Qualifiers
100m	(5) Gabrielle Matthews, (19) Jade Brown
200m	(5) Matthews
400m	(7) Quincy Penn, (25) Sydney Sutton
800m	(2) Layla Haynes
1500m	(3) Tia Wilson, (4) Claire Stegall
5000m	(1) Judy Chepkoech, (11) Hilda Olemomoi, (16) Wilson
10,000m	(2) Olemomoi, (35) Reagan Gilmore
400mH	(28) Marianna Wright
4x100m Relay	(7) Penn, Brown, Matthews, Sutton, Payton Payne, Pauline Bikembo
4x400m Relay	(5) Penn, Tyra Cox, Matthews, Sutton, Malia Campbell, Haynes, Payne
Triple Jump	(4) Asia Phillips, (21) Gabrielle Pierre
Shot Put	(5) Alida van Daalen, (6) Gracelyn Leiseth
Discus	(1) van Daalen, (12) Akari Isaac, (17) Leiseth
Hammer	(15) Imani Washington

HOLLOWAY: BY THE NUMBERS
NCAA East Regional Qualifiers by Year // Entries by Year
Qualifiers: 429 men, 327 women (756 athletes) // 529 men's, 409 women's (938 entries)
2026: 24 men, 21 women (45 athletes) // 22 men's, 24 women's (46 entries)
2025: 20 men, 16 women (36 athletes) // 23 men's, 20 women's (46 entries)
2024: 24 men, 17 women (41 athletes) // 23 men's, 22 women's (45 entries)
2023: 15 men, 21 women (36 athletes) // 19 men's, 30 women's (49 entries)
2022: 18 men, 16 women (34 athletes) // 23 men's, 23 women's (46 entries)
2021: 14 men, 15 women (29 athletes) // 19 men's, 17 women's (36 entries)
2020: No Regional, COVID-19
2019: 17 men, 15 women (32 athletes) // 26 men's, 18 women's (44 entries)
2018: 19 men, 15 women (34 athletes) // 27 men's, 20 women's (47 entries)
2017: 18 men, 20 women (38 athletes) // 26 men's, 26 women's (52 entries)
2016: 17 men, 20 women (37 athletes) // 21 men's, 25 women's (46 entries)
2015: 19 men, 17 women (36 athletes) // 25 men's, 22 women's (47 entries)
2014: 17 men, 20 women (37 athletes) // 20 men's, 23 women's (46 entries)
2013: 20 men, 21 women (41 athletes) // 21 men's, 26 women's (47 entries)
2012: 17 men, 21 women (38 athletes) // 21 men's, 24 women's (45 entries)
2011: 22 men, 17 women (39 athletes) // 28 men's, 22 women's (50 entries)
2010: 19 men, 16 women (35 athletes) // 33 men's, 21 women's (54 entries)^
2009: 21 men, 22 women (43 athletes) // 26 men's, 26 women's (52 entries)
2008: 19 men, 17 women (36 athletes) // 18 men's, 20 women's (38 entries)**
2007: 16 men // 17 men's entries
2006: 19 men // 21 men's entries
2005: 17 men // 23 men's entries
2004: 18 men // 24 men's entries
2003: 19 men // 23 men's entries

^ denotes change to two regional meets with top 48 athletes per event, instead of qualifying for one of four regional meets via specific entry marks
**denotes Holloway's first year as women's head coach