The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA West Preliminaries
Smallwood’s record hurdles run headlines No. 18 Men's Track & Field's NCAA Championships qualifiers on day three of West Prelims
05.29.2026 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Nation-leading 13.04 in the 110-meter hurdles for Smallwood highlighted Texas’ third day of competition as Blackwood, Brinkley, Daniel and Agbonkonkon also advance to the NCAA Championships.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Kenrick Smallwood broke his own school record with a nation-leading performance in the 110-meter hurdles to lead No. 18 Texas Men's Track & Field on Friday as the Longhorns secured seven NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifiers on the third day of the NCAA West Prelims at John McDonnell Field.
Smallwood clinched his spot in Eugene, Ore. for the national meet with a nation-leading time of 13.04 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles quarterfinals, eclipsing his previous Texas record of 13.12 set at the SEC Championships. The performance moved him to No. 5 on the all-time collegiate performers list.
In the 400-meter hurdles, Kody Blackwood and Chris Brinkley Jr. each advanced to the NCAA Championships. Blackwood won heat three in 49.09, the second-fastest time of the evening, while Brinkley clocked a personal-best 49.56 to finish third in heat one and record the sixth-fastest time of the night. Blackwood will make his fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships, while Brinkley's performance moved him to No. 8 on the Texas all-time performers list.
Kelsey Daniel earned a berth to the NCAA Championships in the triple jump, placing sixth with a mark of 16.57 meters (54-4.50) on his opening attempt. The jump is tied for the 11th-best performance in program history.
Osawese Agbonkonkon also secured a trip to Eugene, finishing 10th in the high jump after matching his career best with a clearance of 2.17 meters (7-1.50).
Texas also qualified both relay squads for the NCAA Championships, as the quartet of Smallwood, Xavier Butler, Jayden Jones and Gabriel Remy ran 39.23 in the 4x100-meter relay to advance on time. In the 4x400-meter relay, Brinkley, Blackwood, Popelka and Sihle Mahlangu finished second in heat three to secure the automatic qualifier with a season-best time of 3:02.12 to secure their spot in Eugene.
Elsewhere, Logan Popelka placed 19th in the 400 meters with a time of 45.98, while Hudson Bennett finished the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:11.51. In the discus, Shaiquan Dunn placed 24th with a throw of 54.49 meters (178-9).
The women's team will close out the competition on Saturday with events beginning on the track at 5 p.m. in the 4x100m, while Jeanne Le Goff is scheduled to compete in the triple jump beginning at 6 p.m.
Texas Longhorns NCAA Outdoor Championship Qualifiers
Men
Osawese Agbonkonkon – High Jump
Kody Blackwood – 400m Hurdles
Chris Brinkley Jr. – 400m Hurdles
Kelsey Daniel – Triple Jump
Shaiquan Dunn – Shot Put
Kendrick Smallwood – 110m Hurdles
Relays – 4x100m; 4x400m
Women
Giavonna Meeks – Hammer Throw
Schedule for Saturday, May 30
5:00 p.m. – Women's 4x100m Relay Quarterfinals (3 Heats)
12 Advance: Top 3 Each Heat Plus Next 3 Best Times
- Heat 2, Lane 7
6:00 p.m. – Women's Triple Jump First Round (4 Flights)
Top 12 Advance to Eugene
- Flight 3, Position 5: Jeanne Le Goff
6:35 p.m. – Women's 100m Quarterfinals (3 Heats)
12 Advance: Top 3 Each Heat Plus Next 3 Best Times
- Heat 1, Lane 3: Abigail Wolfe
- Heat 1, Lane 4: Carleta Bernard
- Heat 3, Lane 3: Naomi London
6:50 p.m. – Women's 400m Quarterfinals (3 Heats)
12 Advance: Top 3 Each Heat Plus Next 3 Best Times
- Heat 2, Lane 4: Elise Cooper
- Heat 2, Lane 7: Bayleigh Minor
7:25 p.m. – Women's 400m Hurdles Quarterfinals (3 Heats)
12 Advance: Top 3 Each Heat Plus Next 3 Best Times
- Heat 1, Lane 5: Anouk Krause-Jentsch
- Heat 2, Lane 9: Mackenzie Collins
- Heat 3, Lane 6: Amelliah Birdow
7:50 p.m. – Women's 200m Quarterfinals (3 Heats)
12 Advance: Top 3 Each Heat Plus Next 3 Best Times
- Heat 1, Lane 8: Holly Okuku
8:20 p.m. – Women's 5000m Semifinals (2 Heats)
12 Advance: Top 5 Each Heat Plus Next 2 Best Times
- Heat 2: Sophie Atkinson
8:45 p.m. – Women's 4x400m Relay Quarterfinals (3 Heats)
12 Advance: Top 3 Each Heat Plus Next 3 Best Times
- Heat 3, Lane 6
