Photo: Chris Langford/MileSplit Texas

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March 6-7, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. CST

My oh my, the outdoor season is already upon us, and College Station is kicking it off with a bang.

The 2026 Texas A&M Bluebonnet Invitational is bringing some of the best athletes in the country to E.B. Cushing Stadium for the unofficial start of the outdoor campaign.

National champions, national record holders, and some of the sport’s biggest stars will be shaking off the rust, if they haven’t already, and we couldn’t be more excited to watch it happen.

Here are eight of the top athletes to watch this weekend at the Texas A&M Bluebonnet Invitational.

Humble Summer Creek (Texas)

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A year ago, the senior and the soon-to-be Florida Gator broke the 400m meet record, running 52.95. She eventually lowered her PB down to 52.23, the 13th-fastest performance ever run by a high school junior. In her one 400m so far this indoor campaign, Lloyd has already clocked 53.43, doing so in January at the Texas Tech Wes Kittley High School Invitational. Dating back to her sophomore year, she’s posted a 29-7 record in the event, and has lost just three times outdoors in that same span. She’ll also run a leg on the Bulldog 4x400m relay, the top seed in the event. 

Sheldon King (Texas)

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In case you’ve been living under a rock the past year, Mitchell has established himself as one of the premier sprinters in Texas, and one of the best in the nation. Entered in the 100m, 200m, and set to run on Sheldon King’s 4x100m squad, Mitchell is looking to continue making waves in his sophomore year. During his 2025 campaign, he became the No. 2 and No. 4 fastest freshman ever, as well as the national class record holder in the 60m. Having already thrown down a 6.63 (All-Time Soph. No. 2) and 20.97 (All-Time Soph. No. 2) in the 60m and 200m during indoors, only time will tell how fast he opens up his outdoor season. 

Humble Atascocita (Texas)

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Over the course of her penultimate high school track and field season, Booker won UIL State titles in the 100mH and 300mH, while casually going 20-6 combined in both events, notching PBs of 13.23 and 41.30, the fourth and seventh-fastest marks in Texas junior history. At the Tomball Cougar Relays, Booker made her outdoor debut in the 100mH, stopping the clock at 13.69, over four-tenths of a second quicker than she opened up her season a year ago. This afternoon, she’ll have a chance to put on a show on the same track she’ll spend the next four years competing on.

Lake Belton (Texas)

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As the senior prepares for his first outdoor races since last April, it’s worth noting that even though it’s been a while, he’s the real deal. Slated to compete in the 200m, 400m, as well as both the 4x100m and 4x400m, Jones Jr. has a rather busy schedule on deck this weekend. For someone of his caliber, the amount of racing isn’t a factor, and you can expect him to be springing out of the blocks. His PBs of 20.57 and 45.27 (Meet Record) are intimidating enough on paper, but when you realize he’s the third-fastest Texan and 16th-fastest high schooler of all-time, it only adds to the lore.

Bridgeland (Texas)

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Since early December, Akpobassa had been at it both on the runway and on the track, competing at four different meets in four different events. With indoor bests of 20-5 and 41-1, her outdoor debuts in either event were as good as you can hope for in February, jumping 19-6.5 and 39-11, respectively. Both marks rank her No. 10 and No. 14 in Texas indoor history, and as the only athlete ranked in the top-five in both jumps this weekend, there’s a chance that she brings out the brooms on the runway. She’s also entered in the 100m and 200m, where she sits No. 11 and No. 6 in the entries, as well as Bridgeland’s 4x400m quartet.

The University of Texas commit is coming off a cross country season that saw him run sub-15 in the 5K four out of five times, with his fastest being a 14:40 at the Strake Jesuit XC Invitational. In his 2026 campaign, he’s run 9:08.66 for 2-mile (indoors) and 9:17.19 for 3200 (outdoors), each one ranking among the top times in the state this season. As a junior, Saacke ran 4:13.21 and 8:58.26 in the 1600 and 3200 outdoors and is hoping for a dominant showing at both distances this weekend, considering he’s ranked third and first among all entries.

Denton-Braswell (Texas)

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For the entirety of her high school career, Wingard has been a force to be reckoned with when it comes to distance running. The three-time defending UIL cross country state champion also has four more top-three UIL finishes to her name, along with three trips to NXN (2025 NXR South champ), and a trip to Foot Locker Nationals. Along with her accolades, she’s run 16:30 for 5k and 4:42 and 10:08 in the 1600m and 3200m, enough to be the No. 6, No. 10, and No. No. 11 in Texas history. This weekend she’s tackling just the 1600m, where she’s gunning for the meet record of 4:44.49.

Klein Collin (Texas)

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While a lot of athletes on this list and a majority of those entered this weekend are making their outdoor debut, Jones has been at it since early February, and he’s had a solid showing thus far. In five races across five different disciplines, he’s collected four PBs, including one in the 300mH (35.07), which is a Texas state record and the third-fastest time in high school history. Both his 300mH and 110mH (13.41) lifetime bests come in under the meet records, and star-studded fields and fresh legs could very well carry him to two more accolades before he starts his career at Texas A&M this fall.