Duke Track and Field Gears Up for NCAA Outdoor Championships

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke track and field will enjoy West Coast vibes this weekend as the Blue Devils are in TrackTown USA to compete at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships, slated for June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
 
Fourteen student-athletes are set to represent the Blue Devils across 10 different track and field events at the four-day national meet, with each vying for All-America honors and a chance at an NCAA event title.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW:

WHAT TO KNOW:

• Duke’s contingent in Eugene features Taylor Aska, Braelyn Baker, Aden Bandukwala, Michael Bennett, Maya Collins, Mia Edim, Max Forte, Bailey Goggans, Julia Jackson, Andres Langston, Gianna Locci, Lauren Tolbert, Christian Toro and Gemma Tutton. Aska will serve as an alternate for both the women’s 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays.
• The Blue Devils will feature entries in 10 events: women’s 200, women’s 400, men’s 400-meter hurdles, men’s and women’s 800, women’s 4×100 and 4×400 relays, men’s decathlon, men’s hammer throw and women’s pole vault.
• Duke enters the NCAA Outdoor Championships with three qualifiers seeded in the top 10 of their respective event fields: Aden Bandukwala (7th – 800m), Andres Langston (4th – 400mH) and Lauren Tolbert (6th – 800m). Duke’s women’s 4×400 is also seeded at No. 3 entering the competition.
• Men’s events will be contested Wednesday (June 10) and Friday (June 12), while women’s action is set for Thursday (June 11) and Saturday (June 13). The decathlon will take place the first two days, with the heptathlon closing out the final two days of competition.

 
DUKE COMPETITION SCHEDULE (all times listed are Eastern)

• Wednesday, June 10:
  

  • Decathlon – 4 p.m.
  • Hammer Throw (Final) – 5:30 p.m.
  • 800 (Semifinal) – 9:58 p.m.
  • 400 hurdles (Semifinal) – 10:14 p.m.

• Thursday, June 11:

  • Decathlon – 1:45 p.m.
  • 4×100 (Semifinal) – 8:05 p.m.
  • Pole Vault (Final) – 8:35 p.m.
  • 400 (Semifinal) – 9:41 p.m.
  • 800 (Semifinal) – 9:58 p.m.
  • 200 (Semifinal) – 10:29 p.m.
  • 4×400 (Semifinal) – 11:35 p.m.

HOW THEY PUNCHED THEIR TICKET TO EUGENE:

• Graduate students Michael Bennett and Max Forte secured their respective spots in the decathlon after finishing among the top-24 performers nationally in the multi-event. Bennett tallied a career-best 7616 points (23rd) at the Mt. SAC Relays, while Forte totaled 7686 points (20th) at the ACC Outdoor Championships.
• Junior Christian Toro punched his ticket in the men’s hammer throw following a toss of 66.44 meters (218 feet) at the NCAA East Regional – good for ninth overall.
• Gemma Tutton registered the seventh-best mark among the overall field in the women’s pole vault, clearing 4.27 meters (14-0 feet) to advance to the national meet.
• The sophomore duo of Aden Bandukwala and Andres Langston delivered heroic performances en route to earning a berth in Eugene in the 800 and 400 hurdles, respectively. Bandukwala clocked 1:45.40 and became the first Duke man to shatter the 1:46 mark in the outdoor 800, while Langston cemented himself as the first Duke male to break the 49-second barrier in the 400 hurdles with a blazing time of 48.86.
• Sophomore Braelyn Baker, junior Mia Edim, graduate student Bailey Goggans and senior Lauren Tolbert locked down individual bids to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with strong showings in their respective events. Baker finished her 400 in 50.89, while Edim dashed 22.86 in the 200. Over in the 800, Tolbert hit the tape in 2:00.49 to secure a spot, with Goggans running 2:01.34 to claim one of the last qualifying spots.
• The Duke women went two-for-twp on relays as both the 4×100 and 4×400 posted top-three finishes in their heat to lock down their place at nationals. The 4×100 quartet of senior Gianna Locci, sophomore Maya Collins, Edim and Baker clocked 43.50, while the foursome of senior Julia Jackson, Baker, Collins and Tolbert posted a blistering mark of 3:26.33.
• Full NCAA East Regional Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

 
COMPETING ATHLETES & EVENTS

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