INDIANAPOLIS – NCAA Track and Field First Round declarations were announced Thursday afternoon, with Indiana State track and field qualifying an MVC-leading 13 entries and 11 student-athletes for the 2026 NCAA East First Round May 27-30 in Lexington, Kentucky.
 
To qualify, athletes must be among the top 48 in an individual event, or in the top 24 as a relay team. The top 12 finishers in each event at the East First Round will advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Each of Indiana State's 13 entries for the 2025 NCAA East First Round are in individual events. The Sycamores have double-digit entries in the NCAA East First Round for the fifth straight year, the Sycamores' best postseason stretch since a 10-year period from 2006-15 with double-digit qualifiers.
 
Among the Sycamore contingent selected to the NCAA East Preliminary Round, five athletes have prior NCAA First Round experience, with Sloan Cox, Collin Forrest, Aliseonna Garnett, Rachel Mehringer and Terrance O'Bannon all reaching the postseason for at least the second time in their careers. Six Sycamores – Kieran Barnewall, Jahnel Bowman, Janiya Bowman, Theo Thurmond, Cora Williams and Emma Yoder – qualified for the NCAA postseason for the first time in their careers.
 
Three Sycamore freshmen – Barnewall, Thurmond and Williams – are among the qualifiers for the Blue and White, marking the first time since 2024 (Jaden Smith and Lillian Gibbs) that Indiana State qualified first-year athletes for the postseason and the Sycamores' first time with three or more freshmen among its qualifiers since 2013.
 
2025 Second Team All-American Rachel Mehringer boasts the top mark among the Sycamores' 11 qualifying athletes, entering the postseason ranked third in the 100m hurdles. Mehringer clocked the fastest all-conditions time in the NCAA this season at 12.64 during her MVC Outdoor Championship run.
 
Mehringer won't be the only Sycamore hurdler competing in Lexington, as the Blue and White qualified a pair in the 110m hurdles. Three-time MVC champion Collin Forrest's 13.75 at the conference championships seeded him in the top 25, while freshman Kieran Barnewall ran a 13.80 to finish second in the conference and inside the top 30 in qualifying.
 
Indiana State qualified a pair of sprinters in the 100m, with Janiya Bowman and Terrance O'Bannon both using blistering MVC Championships performances to make the cut. O'Bannon's time of 10.19 placed him inside the top 40 in the field, while Bowman's 11.29 put her 35th to ensure her qualification in multiple events. Bowman will also compete in the long jump, an event which she owns the school record in at 6.27m (20-7).
 
Aliseonna Garnett will also be competing in multiple events at the NCAA East First Round following a standout season which saw her record top-10 program marks in three different events. Garnett qualified for the preliminary round in both the shot put (16.13m/52-11) and discus (53.71m/176-2) after earning podium finishes in both events at the conference championships.
 
A pair of Sycamore athletes will take part in the women's hammer throw at the NCAA East First Round, highlighting a year in which three different Indiana State athletes set program top-10 marks in the event. Emma Yoder, the conference champion in the hammer, will enter the postseason ranked in the top 25 in the field with her mark of 61.84m (202-11). Cora Williams will cap her inaugural season as a Sycamore with a postseason appearance following her mark of 58.81m (192-11).
 
Sloan Cox returns to the NCAA East First Round for the second straight year following another all-conference performance at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Cox, who ranks second in program history in the shot put, tallied a season-best performance of 18.42m (60-5.25) at the conference championships and is seeded in the top 25 in the field.
 
Freshman Theo Thurmond made his first outdoor conference championships one to remember, qualifying for the NCAA East First Round in the discus with his all-conference performance on home soil. Thurmond's career-best mark of 54.39m (178-5), which earned him runner-up honors at the conference championships, solidified his spot in the field.
 
Jahnel Bowman also qualified for the NCAA East First Round for the Blue and White with her triple jump mark of 12.72m (41-8.75) at the conference championships. Bowman is unfortunately unable to compete at next weekend's events in Lexington.
 
Start lists for each event will be made available prior to the start of the NCAA East First Round.
 
The 2026 NCAA East First Round is slated for May 27-30 at the UK Track and Field Complex in Lexington, Kentucky, with the 2025 NCAA Outdoor National Championships scheduled for June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The top 12 in each event at the NCAA East First Round will advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships.
 
Indiana State 2026 NCAA First Round Qualifiers (listed in order of qualifying ranking)

• Rachel Mehringer – 100m hurdles (third, 12.71)
• Sloan Cox – shot put (22nd, 18.42m/60-5.25)
• Emma Yoder – hammer throw (23rd, 61.84m/202-11)
• Collin Forrest – 110m hurdles (25th, 13.75)
• Janiya Bowman – long jump (27th, 6.27m/20-7), 100m (34th, 11.29)
• Kieran Barnewall – 110m hurdles (29th, 13.80)
• Aliseonna Garnett – shot put (29th, 16.13m/52-11), discus (32nd, 53.71m/176-2)
• Terrance O'Bannon – 100m (34th, 10.19)
• Theo Thurmond – discus (45th, 54.39m/178-5)
• Cora Williams – hammer throw (45th, 58.81m/192-11)
• Jahnel Bowman – triple jump (47th, 12.72m/41-8.75)

 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.