By: Davis Barlow: Assistant Sports Information Director
NEED TO KNOW:
Top 3 Teams:
1. CUMBERLANDS - 79 pts
2. INDIANA TECH - 49.2
3. ST. THOMAS - 49
T9. LIFE U - 26
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The Life University men's track and field program placed tied-9th at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor National Championships. The Running Eagles return to Marietta with one Individual National Champion, four total All-Americans and a top-ten finish overall as a program.
DAY 1
Keondre Glover highlighted Day One for the Running Eagles, becoming the first National Champion of the week for the Life U program. In the men's high jump, the junior put on an electric show for the crowd. Jumping two personal-bests, Glover cleared 2.15m to claim the title. Teammate Braden Deal recorded no height in the event.
Hitting the track, Josh McKinlay placed 19th in the men's 1500m, running a 4:02.24. The Scottish freshman joined Abedelemejid Kerebo, Abedeleselam Kerebo and Gray McIntyre later in the day for the men's 4x800. The squad narrowly missed the final heat, placing 13th with a season-best time of 7:32.45. Sean Hewitt and Drew Pochylko competed in the men's 400m hurdle prelims, where Hewitt posted a personal-best time of 51.99, qualifying for the final heat. Pochylko ran a strong 53.42, placing 18th overall.
Darius Barge placed 19th in the men's hammer throw with a best distance of 49.20. Teammate Winston Sanders recorded no distance in the event.
DAY 2
Darius Barge kicked off Day Two in a big way for the Running Eagles. After a length lightning delay in the middle of the men's shot put, Barge responded out of the break with a 16.86m toss in his third attempt. The distance proved to be the deciding factor, earning him a 5th-place, All-American finish. Teammate Christian Dixon placed 23rd with a best toss of 14.99m.
Abedelemejid Kerebo took to the track for Life U later in the day, narrowly missing qualifying for the final heat of the men's 800m. The senior posted a 1:51.00, placing 12th in the event.
Capping off the long day, the team of Gray McIntyre, Roshawn Lee, Omar Bajo and Jeremiah Giddens took to the track for the men's 4x800m relay prelims at 11:15 PM. The group narrowly missed qualifying for the final heat, posting a combined time of 3:12.36 for 10th place.
DAY 3
Winston Sanders opened Day Three in a massive way, taking home the bronze medal in the men's discus. The junior launched a 53.10m toss on his fourth attempt to earn his third-place, All-American honors. Teammate Christian Dixon placed just outside the top-ten in 11th with a best distance of 46.16m.
Sean Hewitt followed in Barge's footsteps in the afternoon, taking home All-American honors of his own. Posting a 51.20 in men's 400m hurdles, the senior recorded a new personal-best and third-fastest time in the NAIA this season to take home the bronze.
UP NEXT:
--This marks the end of the 2025-26 Outdoor Season.
