FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For the second consecutive season, the UC San Diego track and field program was represented at the NCAA West First Round, sending a program-record 11 student-athletes to compete against the nation's top performers. The Tritons closed out the 2026 campaign with strong performances across the meet, highlighted by a school-record mark in the women's shot put.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego opened competition with a pair of men's shot put qualifiers as
Zach Lewis placed 33rd with a throw of 17.46m and
Cesar Salazar finished 35th at 17.41m.
Jaden Rucker added a 26th-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 7.13m, while
Kyle Wood placed 27th in the javelin at 62.11m.
On the women's side,
Allyson Abandonato represented the Tritons in the 800 meters, crossing the line in 2:13.04 to place 48th.
Feyi Olukanni delivered one of the top performances of the week, placing 16th in the shot put with a school-record throw of 16.03m.
The Tritons continued competition with
Marcus Harris finishing 41st in the triple jump (14.71m) and Lewis returning to place 35th in the discus with a throw of 52.84m.
Miles Bennett cleared 2.07m in the high jump to finish 31st overall.
Tamara Aimufia added a 31st-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 12.86m, while
Emma Dunmire clocked 11:21.43 in the steeplechase to place 47th.
Sylvana Northrop rounded out the Tritons' NCAA qualifiers with a time of 16:54.61 in the 5,000 meters, finishing 44th overall.
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego qualified a program-record 11 student-athletes for the NCAA West First Round.
- Feyi Olukanni set a new school record in the women's shot put with a mark of 16.03m.
- The Tritons conclude the 2026 season with nine school records and 38 event titles.
- UC San Diego has now competed at the NCAA West First Round in consecutive seasons.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit
UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media
@UCSDtritons.
