FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (May 26, 2026) – Northern Arizona will send 18 athletes to the NCAA West First Round this week in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as the Lumberjacks continue postseason competition following the program's Big Sky Outdoor Championships performances earlier this month.
The NCAA West First Round will be held May 27-30 at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The top 12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, scheduled for June 10-13.
NAU qualified nine men and nine women across distance, hurdles and field events.
The men's distance group features Colin Sahlman in the 800 meters along with Rheinhardt Harrison, Tor Hotung-Davidsen and Clay Shively in the 1,500 meters. Randy Espinoza qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Cael Grotenhuis earned a berth in the 5,000 meters.
Josiah Johnson and Nicolas Martinez will compete in the 400-meter hurdles after both posted qualifying marks during the outdoor season. Johnson enters the regional after breaking the NAU school record earlier this spring with a time of 49.56.
Christian Mutengela will represent the Lumberjacks in the high jump following a breakout outdoor campaign. Earlier this month, Mutengela captured the Big Sky high jump title before clearing a personal-best 2.08 meters during the regular season.
On the women's side, Hayley Burns qualified in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meters after a historic outdoor season that included breaking the NAU and Big Sky records in the 5,000 meters. Ali Upshaw and Addie Engel each qualified in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, while Ava Mitchell, Grace Copeland and Agnes McTighe also earned bids in the 5,000 meters.
Nikita Moore and Tess Hannigan qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Sariyah Horne-Kemp earned a regional berth in the hammer throw.
Competition begins Wednesday at 11Â a.m. MST with the opening round of the men's 110-meter hurdles before the men's 1,500 meters at 11:30 p.m. MST and the men's 800 meters at 12:50 p.m. MST.
Women's competition begins Thursday at 9:30 a.m. MST with the women's hammer throw. Track events begin at 6 p.m. MST with the women's 110-meter hurdles, while Burns will race in the women's 1,500 meters at 6:30 p.m. MST. Engel and Upshaw are scheduled to compete in the women's 10,000 meters at 9:10 p.m. MST.
Friday's schedule includes Mutengela in the men's high jump at 2 p.m. MST, Espinoza in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. MST and Grotenhuis in the men's 5,000 meters at 8:10 p.m. MST.
The meet concludes Saturday with Moore and Hannigan competing in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. MST and six Lumberjacks entered in the women's 5,000 meters at 8:10 p.m. MST.
Live results and streaming information for the NCAA West First Round will be available here.
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