Pitt Track & Field Sends 14 to NCAA East First Round in Lexington

Pitt Track & Field Sends 14 to NCAA East First Round in Lexington

5/21/2026 11:05:00 AM | Track & Field

Panthers carry ACC Outdoor momentum into four-day regional with a trip to Eugene on the line

PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh men's and women's track & field programs will send 14 student-athletes to the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field East First Round, set for Wednesday through Saturday, May 27-30, at the UK Track & Field Complex on the campus of host Kentucky in Lexington.

The Pitt contingent will contest 11 events across the four-day meet — four on the men's side, six on the women's — chasing one of 12 berths per event that punches a ticket to the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 10-13 at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

The trip to Lexington follows a productive showing at the 2026 ACC Outdoor Championships in Louisville, where the Panther men finished ninth in the team standings, the women tied for 14th, and the program added a school record, two podium finishes and a wave of PRs to the books. The women's 400 relay quartet of Maliah Edwards, Somiyah Braggs, Alma Evuna Eki and Faith Dennis erased a mark that had stood since 2011 with a 44.09 in Louisville, and that same group brings the new program standard with it to Lexington.

THE PANTHERS IN LEXINGTON

Men

Emeka Ugwu (SO, shot put) — The sophomore enters as the No. 17 seed in the East at 18.65m (61-2.5), a mark that ranks No. 2 on Pitt's all-time outdoor list and sits within six centimeters of the program record of 18.71m set in 2005. He took silver at the 2026 ACC Outdoor Championships on his way to the regional.
Uri Arnon (SR, triple jump) — The senior brings the No. 20 seed in the East at 15.71m (51-6.5) and ranks No. 4 on Pitt's all-time outdoor triple jump list with a career-best 15.46m.
Luke Simpson (SR, 1,500 meters) — Pitt's school-record holder brings his program-best 3:41.01 to the East field, a mark he set this spring to break a record that had stood since 2007. He is seeded No. 41.
Darren McQueen Jr. (SR, 100 meters) — The No. 2 100-meter sprinter in program history at 10.23 enters the East Regional as the No. 25 seed (10.16). McQueen Jr. has also anchored Pitt's all-time program-record 400 relay (39.12) and is a fixture across the top of the program's outdoor sprint relay history.
Jaden Shelton (SR, 110 hurdles) — The senior is seeded 37th in the East at 13.83 and ranks No. 5 on Pitt's all-time outdoor 110-hurdle list with a career-best 13.63.
Josiah Montgomery (FR, shot put) — The freshman enters as the No. 43 seed at 17.91m (58-9.25), the personal-best he threw at the ACC Outdoor Championships to finish sixth and move to No. 3 on Pitt's all-time outdoor list. He and Ugwu give the program two of its top three outdoor shot put marks of all time.

Women

Eva Baldursdottir (SR, high jump) — Pitt's most experienced postseason competitor enters as the No. 17 seed in the East at 1.80m. The Reykjavik, Iceland, native earned NCAA Second Team All-America honors at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships and ranks No. 2 on Pitt's all-time outdoor list at 1.84m, behind only the program record set in 1995.
Alexandria Scott (SO, 400 hurdles) — The sophomore arrives in Lexington seeded 16th in the East at 57.53, a personal-best she set in the 400 hurdles final at the ACC Outdoor Championships to finish fourth and move to No. 4 on Pitt's all-time outdoor list.
Niya Crawford (SR, shot put) — The senior enters as the No. 21 seed at 16.54m (54-3.25), a season-best that ranks No. 3 on Pitt's all-time outdoor list. She also sits No. 4 in program history in the discus at 48.96m.
Jana Bruses (SR, 400 hurdles) — The senior is seeded 29th in the East at 58.26, a mark that ranks No. 7 on Pitt's all-time outdoor 400-hurdle list and gives the Panthers two athletes among the program's all-time top seven in the event.
Somiyah Braggs (JR, 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100 relay) — The junior pulls triple duty in Lexington, contesting the 100 and 200 and contributing to the school-record 4x100. Braggs is seeded No. 48 at the 11.38 in the 100 and No. 40 at 23.26 in the 200, marks that rank No. 2 in program history in the 100 and No. 3 in the 200 (23.41).
Women's 400 Relay — The school-record holders enter the East at 44.09, the program standard the quartet set in Louisville to erase a mark that had stood since 2011. Seeded No. 18, junior Maliah Edwards, junior Somiyah Braggs, senior Alma Evuna Eki and sophomore Faith Dennis make up the running four, with freshman Gabrielle Layne as the alternate. Edwards also ranks No. 6 on Pitt's all-time outdoor 100-hurdle list at 13.74.

COMPETITION FORMAT

The East First Round runs four days, with men's events scheduled for Wednesday and Friday and women's events scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. The top 12 finishers in each individual event and the top 12 relay teams from each regional site (East and West) advance to Eugene. Combined-events athletes do not contest the first round and are selected directly into the NCAA Championships from the national descending-order list.

PITT'S SCHEDULE OF COMPETITION

(all times ET; subject to change)

Wednesday, May 27

6:00 p.m. — Men's 110 hurdles, First Round (Shelton)
6:30 p.m. — Men's 1,500, First Round (Simpson)
6:30 p.m. — Men's shot put, First Round (Ugwu, Montgomery)
7:00 p.m. — Men's 100, First Round (McQueen Jr.)

Thursday, May 28

6:30 p.m. — Women's shot put (Crawford)
7:00 p.m. — Women's 100, First Round (Braggs)
8:20 p.m. — Women's 400 hurdles, First Round (Scott, Bruses)
8:45 p.m. — Women's 200, First Round (Braggs)

Friday, May 29

5:15 p.m. — Men's 1,500, Quarterfinals (Simpson)
6:00 p.m. — Men's triple jump, First Round (Arnon)
6:15 p.m. — Men's 110 hurdles, Quarterfinals (Shelton)
6:35 p.m. — Men's 100, Quarterfinals (McQueen Jr.)

Saturday, May 30

2:00 p.m. — Women's high jump, Semifinals (Baldursdottir)
5:00 p.m. — Women's 4x100 relay, Quarterfinals (Edwards, Braggs, Eki, Dennis; alt. Layne)
6:35 p.m. — Women's 100, Quarterfinals (Braggs)
7:25 p.m. — Women's 400 hurdles, Quarterfinals (Scott, Bruses)
7:50 p.m. — Women's 200, Quarterfinals (Braggs)

HOW TO FOLLOW

All four days of the NCAA East First Round will stream on ESPN+. Live results will be available throughout the meet at FlashResults.com. For the latest from Lexington, follow @Pitt_TF_XC on X and Instagram.