Rankings crafted via Miguel Zacarias & Garrett Zatlin The 2026 NAIA outdoor track season is not only underway, but in certain cases, even in the postseason! Gosh, where has the time gone? The second edition of our top-25 distance rankings for the NAIA scene, which includes "Just Missed" and "Honorable Mention" names, is now on the site! After two big weeks of action, there has been a decent amount of movement as we prep for the final stretch of the spring months. Go check out our rankings by clicking on the below graphic! Have any interest in contributing to our NAIA team? Be sure to check out our OPEN ROLES page and apply!

Production via Wyatt Barnsley On this week’s episode of The Stride Report Podcast, Ben and Garrett break down a dramatic weekend at the Penn Relays headlined by the budding rivalry of Marco Langon vs Simeon Birnbaum. The guys react to Birnbaum’s clutch anchor leg to secure DMR gold for Oregon before Langon fires back with a 4xMile victory. They also highlight Raynier Galvez’s huge 1:44 (800) win over Rivaldo Marshall and Tyrice Taylor, North Carolina’s DMR gold on the women’s side, and NC State’s dominant 4x1500-meter relay performance. The episode continues with Michigan out-kicking Penn State for 4x800-meter relay gold, Penn State women responding with a win of their own, and Allie Zealand’s impressive 5k debut, wrapping up a weekend full of elite performances and relay drama. Be sure to listen, subscribe and review! (1:50) Raynier Galvez Runs 1:44, Beats Rivaldo Marshall & Tyrice Taylor (9:20) Simeon Birnbaum Unleashes Big Kick, Gives Oregon DMR Title at Penn Relays (19:37) Sjoberg & Scatchard Split 4:26 as UNC Wins DMR Gold at Penn Relays (22:03) Langon Gets Back at Birnbaum With 4xMile Gold at Penn Relays (40:29) NC State Women Win 4x1500 Gold in Four-Team Field at Penn Relays (45:45) McFarland & Michigan Out-Kick Penn State For 4x800m Gold at Penn Relays (52:02) Ritchie & Kitching Give Penn State 4x800m Gold at Penn Relays (54:22) Allie Zealand Runs 15:26 in First-Ever 5k You can listen to that episode (and others) on our PODCASTS page! You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud. If you like it, be sure to leave us a rating and a review! Note: If you're having issues loading the episode on the site via mobile, try refreshing the episode page. We will look into this issue for future episodes.

Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Earlier this month, Quinnipiac University announced an adjustment of their long-term strategy to expand male athletic opportunities. In doing so, the university will be adding men’s indoor track and field and men’s outdoor track and field to their athletic offerings. The Bobcats' athletic department specified a focus on the development of a distance-based track program. As a result, Quinnipiac has decided that women’s rugby will become a club sport effective at the end of their season. The university explained that their decision was based on resource allocation, national participation trends, competitive sustainability and gender equity impacts. Regarding their recent decision, Quinnipiac University stated... “The addition of men’s distance track was identified as a high impact opportunity that advances both competitive and gender equity objectives.” Quinnipiac determined that track and field's scalable roster capacity would allow greater potential to grow, and its’ addition would help balance Title IX compliance. The men’s track and field program is set to join the Bobcats' women’s programs in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The MAAC is home to a number of Northeast-based schools such as Iona, Sacred Heart, Mount St. Mary’s and Rider, among others. Quinnipiac's men’s cross country team produced an 8th place team finish in a 13-team field at the 2025 MAAC XC Championships, a three-position improvement from the prior year's conference meet. Bobcat sophomore Alex Saldana led the team in that race with a 32nd place finish. Nearly every member of the Bobcats' conference meet lineup was considered to be underclassman and are all men are expected to return in 2026. The Bobcats have yet to announce who will lead their men's track and field teams. However, the announcement implied that the program will leverage the current men’s cross country coaching staff, including head coach, David Scrivines.

Written by Aimee Morganti, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin Back in March, Minnesota Crookston announced that, at the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, the university will sponsor Division Two men’s and women's track and field programs. In turn, they will compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Minnesota Crookston’s head coach for cross country, Steven Krouse, is set to lead the new track and field programs after six years at the helm. Krouse will be supported by an assistant coach and the hiring search for the new position has already begun. In the press release, Minnesota Crookston’s Director of Athletics, Stephanie Helgeson, stated... “We are very excited to add men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field to our sport offerings at the University of Minnesota Crookston. We have seen tremendous growth and success in our cross country program in the last seven years, and we believe we can see the same type of trajectory in men’s and women’s track and field. It also allows us to offer the most competitive environment we can for our country and track and field student-athletes.” During the 2025 cross country season, the Golden Eagles set historic program bests on the grass, specifically in the postseason. At the NSIC XC Championships, the men’s cross country team took 5th place while the women’s cross country team earned a 7th place finish. At the NCAA D2 Central Regional XC Championships, both teams placed 18th out of 30 men’s teams and 35 women’s teams. The NSIC includes notable track and field programs such as Winona State, U-Mary, Minnesota State and Augustana (SD), among others.

Rankings crafted via Ellie Clark Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen! We've got another round of our NCAA D1 outdoor track sprint and hurdle rankings now on tap for you. Just like the winter months, we've crafted lists of our top-25 sprints and hurdles stars from around the NCAA (Division One). We also added a few "Just Missed" and "Honorable Mention" names as well. Go check out our new series of rankings by clicking the below graphic! Have any interest in contributing to our sprints and hurdles team? Be sure to check out our OPEN ROLES page and apply!