CANTON, Ga. - The official qualifying list for the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field & Field Championships was released on Friday evening which boasted eleven men and women from the Southern Athletic Association along with one relay team.
On the men's side, Centre places two on the qualifying list with Jackson Heim and Cree Ross.
Heim will be participating in the men's 400m after setting a new school record in the event, clocking in at 47.16 in his indoor debut at the Emory Spring Break Classic on Mar. 21, good enough to rank him 17th nationally at the end of the regular season.
All-American Cree Ross will be looking to add to his trophy case after qualifying in two events. Ross jumped 24-3.75 (7.41m) for a seasonal best long jump mark to win the SAA championship in late April. In the triple jump, Ross posted a mark of 49-11.25 (15.22m) for his best distance of the year at the Centre Invite on Easter weekend. Ross is currently ranked fourth nationally in the triple jump and ninth in the long jump.
From Oglethorpe, Zeno Goss makes an appearance and will compete in the 800m as the freshman leads the conference in the event with a time of 1:50.19.
The final two competitors for the SAA on the men's side will be Lukas Nowlin of Southwestern competing in the high jump and Bocar Diagana of Trinity taking on the triple jump.
On the women's side, Berry sends two athletes - Macy Murdock and Onoyeme Egure.
Murdock qualifies for her third NCAA Championships as a three time SAA Champion in the 400M Hurdles. The 2026 SAA Champion Murdock qualified with the 13 fastest time in the country with a time of 1:01.30. Murdock will compete on Thursday, May 21 at 5:10 PM and will look to improve on her 17th place finish from last season.
Egure qualifies for her second NCAA Outdoor Championship and fourth powerball NCAA Championship appearance. The 2026 SAA Champion Egure qualified with the 11th farthest throw in the country with a throw of 13.84 meters. Egure will compete of Friday, May 22 at 1:00 PM and will look to improve upon her 8th place finish at the Indoor Champions where she became the Vikings first women's Indoor First Team All-American.
The duo of Centre make a return to the outdoor championships, Chloe Hein and Serena McNeilly, with one more qualifying individual in Zoey Shahid-Scott.
national champion Hein made the cut in three events, qualifying in the 100m, long jump and triple jump. Hein owns a time of 11.63 in the 100m, set during prelims at the SAA Finals and good for third in the nation. In the long jump, Hein leads the country with a school record mark of 20-10.75 (6.37m), set at the SAA Championships. She also ranks 12th in the triple jump with a mark of 39-5.25 (12.02m) set at the Berry Field Day. She is the defending national champion in the long jump from indoor season.
Fellow national title winner McNeilly also qualified in three events, making it in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. McNeilly owns the top mark in the country in the high jump, clearing 5-10.75 (1.80m) at the Outdoor Music City Challenge at Vanderbilt on May 2. Her triple jump mark of 41-0.25 (12.5m), set at the Centre Twilight, was a school record and good for second nationally. In the long jump, McNeilly posted a mark of 19-2 (5.84m) at the SAA Championships and ranks 12th nationally. McNeilly is the defending national champion in the high jump from indoor season.
Finally, Shahid-Scott will be making her NCAA Championship debut in the shot put. The SAA Women's Athlete of the Year in throws, Shahid-Scott posted a mark of 44-7 (13.59m) in her 2026 outdoor debut at the Emory Spring Break Classic, breaking a long-standing program record and vaulting her into qualifying status, where she remained through the rest of the regular season.
Trinity holds the last two qualifiers for the conference, Annabelle Lanik who will compete in the long jump and join her relay team in the 4x100. Also on the fast relay will be Nia Scott, Shifa Daredia, Isabella Gaylor, and Brightly Thoning as the alternate.
The 2026 Division III outdoor track and field championships run from May 21-23 at Veteran's Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the SAA's home on the internet at
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