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| 2026 CUSA Outdoor Track & Field Championships | |
| Location | Dean A. Hayes Track & Soccer Stadium | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
| Date | May 14-16 |
| Meet Info | Event Schedule | Heat Sheet |
| Watch | ESPN+ //Â Day 1 | Day 2 |Â Day 3 |
| Live Results | AthleticLIVE x Delta Timing |
| Meet Central | Championship Central |
The full schedule of events for the outdoor championships can be viewed and downloaded HERE.
WATCH: Coverage of the CUSA Outdoor Championships will stream live on ESPN+.
Day 1 | Day 2 |Â Day 3
FOLLOW LIVE: Live results for the outdoor championships will be provided by the conference through Delta Timing on AthleticLIVE and are available HERE.
PARKING: A parking map for the event is included below.
ABOUT THE TOPS
WKU wrapped its regular season of outdoor competition earning 10 podium finishes at the Music City Challenge hosted by Vanderbilt. Sam Crenshaw highlighted the team's effort with a first-place finish in the men's pole vault, while Kinley Kunkel led the Hilltoppers' effort on the women's side with a second-place finish and new personal best in the women's 5000-meter run.
Kunkel took second in the women's 5000 meters with a time of 16:04.61, good for a PR in the event. Crenshaw cleared a height of 5.10m to take first in the men's pole vault, with freshman teammate Jackson Gray following in third place after recording a mark 4.85m. Sophomore Ella Cleveland added another podium finish on the women's side, taking third place in the women's pole vault after clearing a height of 3.61m.
WKU's men's 4x100 relay team of Kameron Horton, Leland Taylor, Brunel Desinor and Zachariah Taylor took second place in the event with a time of 40.10. Leland Taylor also participated in the men's 4x400 relay with teammates Landon Kempema, Ben Dunkle and Wade Balcom as the team earned a third-place finish with a time of 3:17.77, and recorded a third-place finish in the men's 400 meters with a time of 47.17.
Desinor added a third-place finish in the men's 200 meters with a time of 21.13, while Zachariah Taylor also took third in the men's 100 meters final with a time of 10.69 and fifth in the men's 200 meters with a time of 21.33.
Trevor Hudnall rounded out the Tops' podium finishers with a second-place finish in the men's 800-meter run, clocking a time of 1:51.10. Teammate Balcom followed in fifth place with a time of 1:51.47.
WKU recorded three podium finishes at LSU Alumni Gold on April 25. Natalie Papes took second place in the women's pole vault, while Gray and Crenshaw earned second and third place respectively in the men's pole vault.Â
WKU competed in its third weekend of outdoor competition at the Gibson Invitational hosted by Indiana State. A second-place finish by Parker Smith in the men's 800-meter run highlighted the meet for the Hilltoppers.
WKU competed at the Tennessee Invite hosted by the University of Tennessee on April 10-11. Four Hilltoppers recorded podium finishes at the meet, headlined by a first-place finish by Jayla Gilbert in the women's shot put and third-place finishes by Horton in the men's 100-meter dash and Hudnall in the men's 800-meter run.
Gilbert recorded a distance of 14.96m to secure a victory in the women's shot put, while Horton clocked a 10.38 finish in the men's 100-meter dash to secure third place and mark a second consecutive meet placing in an event. Hudnall finished with a new personal-best time of 1:49.65 in the men's 800-meter run to secure a third-place finish for WKU.Â
Carolina Bannach added a second-place finish in the women's pole vault open with a mark of 3.82m to round out the Hilltoppers' top-three finishers in Knoxville.
The Hilltoppers posted strong showings at the WashU Distance Carnival and Jim Vargo Invitational to open 2026 outdoor competition. Kunkel headlined the distance meet for the Tops, placing second in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:20.19, while Van Thrasher led the Tops' effort at the Jim Vargo Invitational, sweeping the hurdles and high jump. Thrasher posted a first-place finishing time of 14.38 seconds for the 110-meter hurdles before clearing 1.92 meters (6 feet, 3.5 inches) to take first in the high jump.
Myles Gentry added another win on the track at the Jim Vargo Invitational, capturing first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.89 seconds. WKU placed a total of four athletes inside the top seven of the men's 100-meter dash, including Desinor (10.98) in fourth, Zachariah Taylor (11.01) in sixth and Sterling Weldon (11.07) in seventh.
Devon Rogers claimed first in the men's javelin throw with a distance of 61.93 meters, while Hunter Coslow led a standout effort in the hammer throw, finishing first with a mark of 50.34 meters (165-2). Connor Owens followed with a runner-up finish and added a third-place finish in the shot put (15.80m) as well as a fourth-place finish in the discus (44.41m).
Horton turned in a runner-up finish in the 400 meters (49.36) and Crenshaw finished second in the pole vault (4.86m). The men's 4x400 relay team also finished in third place with a time of 3:27.59.
Leland Taylor placed third in the men's 200-meter dash at 21.85 and Joey Raybourne added another second-place effort in the 800 meters with a time of 1:56.53. The women's side was highlighted by a win from Tatum McGlynn in the javelin with a throw of 45.20 meters and a first-place finish for Gianna Huerta in the women's 100-meter hurdles. WKU also picked up a victory in the women's 4x100-meter relay, finishing in 47.18 seconds.
Gilbert charted a second-place finish in the shot put (14.02m) and Jas Hampton finished with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash (12.28). Huerta also posted a top-five finish in the 400-meter dash (58.22) and Hannah Glassmeyer placed fourth in the 800 meters (2:19.31).
FOLLOW THE TOPS: For more information on WKU Track and Field, follow the team on social media @WKUXCTF.
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