NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men and the SFA Ladyjacks sit in first after day one of the 2026 Southland Conference Track & Field Championship on Thursday.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi leads the men with 35 points. SFA is in second place with 33 points, while UIW is in third with 13 points.
On the women’s side, the Ladyjacks lead with 34.50 points. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is second with 27 points and East Texas A&M rounds out the top three close behind with 26 points.
SFA had a first place finish in the both men’s and women’s 10,000 meter finals. Valentine Jemutai won her second-straight 10,000m outdoor title with a time of 35:26.55 . On the men’s side, SFA’s Paul Kiprotich and Ryan Binskin took the top two spots. Kiprotich brought home gold in the 10,000m with a finish of 31:02.47. The Islanders’ Mathayo Bundotich took home bronze (31:16.20).
There were five podium field events on Thursday. In the pole vault, the top three finishers all finished with a mark of 3.87m. However, East Texas A&M’s Peyton Berry, also this season’s indoor pole vault champion, took home gold by virtue of clearing at the first attempt. Her teammate Kira Van Den Ham placed second, while UIW’s Alaine Hernandez placed third.
In the women’s hammer throw, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Breyunna Dowell won gold with a mark of 59.11m. Northwestern State’s Margaret Mannering (55.62m) and McNeese’s Jaslyn Russell (54.15m) placed second and third, respectively.
The 2026 Indoor Track & Field long jump champion Samari Finney of Northwestern State also claimed the outdoor title in the event with a jump of 6.20m. Basia Mitchell of SFA placed second (6.07m) and Jai’Lin King of UIW placed third (5.95m).
On the men’s side, Lamar’s Anthony Oliver is the 2026 Southland Outdoor Track & Field Hammer Throw champion (63.70m). Southeastern’s Gerrit Visser took home silver after a 62.86m throw on his last attempt. Rounding out the top three is Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Samson Black (58.18m).
In the javelin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Chase Hight won gold (65.73m), UTRGV’s Matic Vidmar won silver (64.54m) and A&M-Corpus Christi’s Jordan Bowling win bronze (61.94m).
Day two of action begins tomorrow, May 15, at 9:30 a.m. CT with the Decathlon 110m hurdles. Day two will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 5 p.m.
DAY ONE TEAM STANDINGS
Men's
1. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi - 35
2. SFA - 33
3. UIW - 13
4. Lamar - 11
5. UTRGV - 8
6. Southeastern - 8
7. McNeese - 5
8. East Texas A&M - 4
T9. HCU - 0
T9. New Orleans - 0
T9. Northwestern State - 0
T9. Nicholls - 0
Women's
1. SFA - 34.50
2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - 27
3. East Texas A&M - 26
4. Northwestern State - 20.50
5. Lamar - 18
6. UIW - 12
7. McNeese - 11
8. UTRGV - 7
T9. HCU - 0
T9. New Orleans - 0
T9. Nicholls - 0
T9. Southeastern - 0