EMPORIA, Kan. – Battling through nasty weather conditions on the opening day of the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, the Colorado State University Pueblo men's and women's track and field teams saw all three of their athletes competing on Thursday advance through preliminary rounds and into the finals at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.
Rain, chilly temperatures, and overcast skies rolled through central Kansas throughout much of day one, but the ThunderWolves handled the difficult conditions with composure as it proved to be a successful opening day for the Pack.
Leading the way for the men was Caleb McLeod in the 1,500-meter run preliminaries. McLeod punched his ticket into the national finals after clocking a time of 3:50.51 in a tactical preliminary race to secure one of the qualifying spots for Saturday's championship final.
On the women's side, the ThunderWolves saw both Helen Braybrook and Jadyn Herron comfortably advance to the finals in the women's 1,500-meter run after competing in the same preliminary heat.
Braybrook crossed the line in 4:24.50, while Herron followed just behind in 4:24.53 as the duo appeared in full control throughout the race while conserving energy for the national championship final.
With all three runners advancing, the ThunderWolves closed out a perfect opening day at the national championships and now turn their attention toward the finals later this weekend in Emporia.
Tomorrow will be another light day for the ThunderWolves at the national championships, as just two CSU Pueblo athletes are scheduled to compete on day two.
Tim Anstett will be the first ThunderWolf on the track on Friday as he competes in the men's 800-meter preliminaries at 5 p.m. Central time.
He will be followed by Charlotte Young in the women's 800-meter preliminaries at 5:15 p.m. Central time as both runners look to punch their tickets into Saturday's national finals.
