Five Athletes Set for NCAA Outdoor Track and field Championships in Eugene

EUGENE, Ore. – East Carolina track & field will be represented by five student-athletes at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships after a historic performance at the NCAA East First Round in Jacksonville, Fla. The Pirates qualified a men's 4x100-meter relay team and Kailey Elliott in the women's 100-meter hurdles for the national meet, which will be held June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

ECU's men's 4x100-meter relay squad, Jace Coleman, Ja'Darien Parker, Rashun Fountain and Tyson Tippett, turned in one of the most impressive performances in program history during the quarterfinal round, posting a season-best time of 38.71. The mark shattered the previous school record of 39.01 and marked the first sub-39-second performance by a Pirate relay team. The quartet's effort earned a fourth-place finish in the East Region and secured a berth to the NCAA Championships.

The relay team's qualification continues a strong season for the Pirate sprinters, who have consistently climbed the national rankings throughout the outdoor campaign. Their record-breaking performance places them among the top relay teams in the country heading into the season's final meet.

Joining the relay squad in Eugene will be Kailey Elliott, who punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Elliott clocked a personal-best 12.95 to finish 11th overall in the East Region, earning one of the final qualifying spots to the national meet.

The performance also rewrote the ECU record book, as Elliott's 12.95 established a new school record in the event and made her the first Pirate woman to break the 13-second barrier in the 100-meter hurdles. Her qualification caps a standout season that has seen her emerge as one of the premier hurdlers in the American Conference and the NCAA East Region.

The Men's 4x100 relays will start at 5:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 10, with the finals being on Friday, June 12.

The Women's 100m Hurdles semifinals will start on Thursday, June 11, at 6:08 p.m. ET, with the finals being on Saturday, June 13.

With five student-athletes advancing to Eugene, East Carolina has the second-largest pool of athletes in the American behind South Florida, representing the conference in Oregon.

Five Athletes Set for NCAA Outdoor Track and field Championships in Eugene

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jace Coleman

Kailey Elliott

Rashun Fountain

Tyson Tippet

Footer