OUTDOOR NATIONALS: Day One Recap

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – South Atlantic Conference student-athletes opened competition at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday with multiple national final qualifications and strong preliminary performances.

South Atlantic Conference was highlighted by a dominant showing from Tusculum in the women's sprint events.

Tusculum's women's 4x100-meter relay team of Qitarah Castlin, Shanice Cox, Kori Moore and Jahzara Hart posted the fastest time in the preliminary round, clocking a 44.15 to win its heat and automatically qualify for the national championship final.

Castlin and Hart also advanced to the women's 100-meter final for the Pioneers. Castlin ran 11.52 to finish second in her heat, while Hart won her heat in 11.54 to earn an automatic qualifying position.

In the women's 1,500 meters, Wingate University standout Evie Brooks secured a spot in the national final after winning her preliminary heat with a time of 4:24.35. Brooks used a strong closing lap to automatically qualify for Saturday's championship race.

Carson-Newman was represented in the women's 400-meter preliminaries by Lovelyne Larrame, who recorded a time of 55.37.

The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships continue Friday with additional preliminary and championship events from Pueblo, Colorado.