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Tarleton State University Athletics

Tarleton State Track and Field begins 2026 Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday

Andrew Loewe

FAYETTEVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Track and Field is sending a program-record five athletes to the 2026 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships on starting on Friday in Fayetteville, Ark. at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

The two-day event will feature finals on both Friday and Saturday. The Texans will start the weekend on Friday with all five athletes competing. Prestina Ochonogor will be the first to compete in the women's long jump. Lokesh Sathyanathan will compete in the men's long jump at 7 p.m. The long jump competition will feature the prelims with the entire 16-athlete field each getting three jumps. The top nine jumpers will advance to the finals and receive three more jumps. The top eight will receive First Team All-American status.

Friday will also feature the prelims on the track. Victoria Cameron and Lauren Roy will open the track action at 5:35 pm on Friday night in the 60-meter prelims. JayBrion Jones will be on the track next at 5:45 pm in the men's 60-meter prelims. With just a two-hour break Lauren Roy will race in the 200 meters at 7:45 pm. The 16-athlete field will run each race in two heats. The top two in each heat and the next best four times will enter the eight-person finals on Saturday. 

Based on the results in the finals, team scoring is also part of the NCAA Indoor Championships. Similarly to the WAC Championships, each individual event champion receives ten points for their team, second place receives eight and third, six points, with a point down to each spot in the top eight. Even though the Texans only have three women and two men, they will score team points if they place in the top eight in the finals of their respective events.

The championships will be streamed on ESPN+ with two separate links for each day. The field stream will start at noon on Friday with the track stream starting at 5 pm. Live results will be available through flashresults. For live updates and highlights follow @tarletontrackxc on Instagram and X.

The Texans set a new program record with five student-athletes earning a selection to the indoor championships. This year, Tarleton State is the only WAC school to send any student athletes to the Indoor Championships. Last season in their first year eligible, Tarleton State sent four athletes. The Purple and White had their first First Team All-Americans in the Division I era with a pair of eighth place finishes as well as two Second Team All-American performances. 

Three of the five Texans heading to the championships this year were among the four Texans last year that qualified. Victoria Cameron, Prestina Ochonogor and Lokesh Sathyanathan will make their second indoor national championships appearances as a Texan. Freshman JayBrion Jones and senior Lauren Roy will head to the indoor championships for the first time.

Victoria Cameron will return for her second NCAA Indoor Championships in as many seasons. Cameron was named the WAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year last week. Last year she earned Second Team All-WAC in the 60 meters as a freshman. She returns as one of five from last year's field. Cameron enters tied for the top mark in the NCAA this season with a season-best of 7.08 seconds. The Stephenville, Texas, native, won back-to-back titles in the 60 meters in her first two appearances at the WAC Indoor Championships. She broke the all-time WAC record twice at the WAC Championships last weekend as well as the meet record. Cameron owns the school record as well as the top five individual times in the 60 in program history and nine of the top 10. The sophomore is tied for the 13th fastest time in the world this year.

WAC Men's Indoor Track Freshman of the Year, JayBrion Jones, will be in the men's 60 meters. Jones is one of just two non-Power four runners and one of two freshmen among the 16 men selected. Jones blasted into the top 16 in the prelims of the WAC Championships running 6.54 seconds, over two whole tenths of a second faster than his times earlier this season. He followed it up clocking in at 6.59 seconds to win the gold medal at the WAC Championships. Jones is the first men's track athlete to compete at a Division I Indoors or Outdoors NCAA Championship. The freshman enters the championships tied for the 10th fastest in the NCAA and is tied for the 33rd fastest in the world this year. Jones is tied for eighth among US born men this year.

Lauren Roy earned a bid in both the women's 60 meters and 200 meters. She is one of four women to be selected in both the 60 and 200 meters. Roy was the WAC Champion in the 200 meters and placed second in the 60 behind Cameron at the WAC Championships. She broke the all-time WAC record with a personal best and school record performance of 22.94 seconds in the prelims. The Northern Ireland, native posted a qualifying mark for her home country to earn an automatic bid to the World Indoor Championships in the 60 meters clocking in at 7.19 seconds in the prelims. She enters both the 60 and the 200 ranked 15th in the field.

Lokesh Sathyanathan makes his second appearance in the Indoor National Championships since joining the Texans last season. Sathyanathan placed 16th overall last year and earned Second Team All-American. He is one of six to return to the event in back-to-back years. This year, Sathyanathan owns the eighth best mark in the NCAA with a season-best of 8.01 meters. He became the first Indian born athlete to break the eight-meter barrier to claim the national record. He is also the school record holder and the first to break eight meters in program history indoors. He ranks in the top 30 in the world this year and is the top Indian-born jumper.

Prestina Ochonogor also returns for her second NCAA Indoor Championships last year as a freshman she placed eighth and earned First Team All-American. She is one of just four jumpers returning to the field in 2026. Ochonogor broke the All-time WAC record earlier this season with a 6.69-meter leap. She also broke her own school record with the second-best jump in the NCAA this season. The sophomore defended her indoor long jump title at the WAC Championships with a 6.29-meter jump. She has won the last three WAC long jump titles with two indoors and one outdoors.

The NCAA Championships will close the 2025-26 indoor slate for the Texans. The squad will open the outdoor season next weekend on March 20 at ACU for the ACU Wes Kittley Invitational. 
 
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