By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
EMPORIA, Kan. – The Western Washington University 4x400 relay teams put on a show to cap the second day of competition at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Zola Witten Track at Francis G. Welch Stadium.
The men's 4x400 relay team qualified for Saturday's final breaking its own school and GNAC record with at time of 3:07.32. The foursome of freshman Jackson Moffitt, sophomore Sam Foust, sophomore Evin Ford and senior Lucas Brenek placed 3rd in the opening of two heats to earn one of the eight qualifying spots with the fifth-fastest prelim time. Pittsburg State (3:06.00), Angelo State (3:06.33), Northwest Missouri State (3:06.55) and Oklahoma Baptist (3:07.28) were the four teams with faster prelim times than the Vikings. Friday's school record time bettered the 3:08.81 set by the Vikings while winning the relay at the GNAC Championships earlier this month. The 4x400 final will be held on Saturday at 7:20 pm CT/5:20 pm PT.
Not to be outdone, the women's 4x400 relay team also set the WWU and GNAC record while earning an automatic qualifying spot placing 2nd in the second heat in 3:35.92. The foursome of freshman Casie Kleine, sophomore Jayda Darroch, junior Kennedy Cook and senior Bec Bennett broke its own school record of 3:37.64 set at the GNAC Championships and bettered the 3:36.90 set by Central Washington at the same meet earlier this month. The Vikings were in 3rd place after a strong second leg by Darroch and remained in the third spot after Cook's strong third leg. Bennett moved into the automatic qualifying spot with the 2nd-place finish. WWU's speedy time narrowly trailed UT Tyler (3:35.79) in the second heat and was fourth-fastest overall among the 16 relay teams behind West Texas A&M (3:34.62), Northwest Missouri State (3:35.46) and UT Tyler. The women's 4x400 relay final will close out the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships on Saturday scheduled to start at 7:30 pm CT/5:30 pm PT.
Junior Liam Wall represented the Vikings in the men's discus competition, placing 19th out of 22 competitors. Wall's first throw went 49.93m/163-9, but the junior fouled on his next two attempts to fall short of a spot in the finals. Wall capped a great season that included setting the WWU and GNAC record (57.40m/188-4) and winning his second conference title in the discus.
Saturday's schedule features a full schedule of events to conclude the national meet, beginning with senior Jakob Braunstein competing in the men's javelin at 12:00 pm CT/10 am PT. Sophomore Jessica Polkinghorn will compete in the women's javelin and shot put, senior Emmy Kroontje in the women's 1500m final, senior Bec Bennett in the women's 400m final, junior Maurice Woodring in the men's 400m Hurdles final and both the men's and women's 4x400 relay teams.
The Vikings have a program-record 15 athletes competing at outdoor nationals, with the three-day meet continuing Friday and Saturday on the Emporia State University campus.
Here is a look at Saturday's schedule for the Vikings:
- Jakob Braunstein: Javelin (12:00 pm CT/10:00 am PT)
- Jessica Polkinghorn: Shot Put (12:30 pm CT/10:30 am PT) & Javelin (3:00 pm CT/1:00 pm PT)
- Emmy Kroontje: 1500m Final (4:05 pm CT/2:05 pm PT)
- Bec Bennett: 400m Final (4:45 pm CT/2:45 pm PT)
- Maurice Woodring: 400m Hurdles (5:40 pm/3:40 pm PT)
- Men's 4x400 Final (7:20 pm CT/5:20 pm PT)
- Women's 4x400 Final (7:30 pm CT/5:30 pm PT)
Fans can follow all the action from the NCAA II Outdoor Track & Field Championships via daily webcast and live results on NCAA.com.
The Vikings compete during the final day of the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday in Emporia, Kansas. The complete 2026 WWU Track & Field schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com.
