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 4×100-meter relay squad of Trenton Howard, Jaden Wiley, Almond Small and Wanya McCoy, and the 4×400-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 4×400-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