Emporia State will defend Welch Stadium with 12 athletes as they host the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships beginning May 21 in Emporia. The Hornet men will be led by Brooks Lowe who is ranked eighth in the javelin. Also qualifying is the 4x400m relay team of Braden Lipgens, Israel Domeh, Andrew Holton, and Emmanuel Dukpe (ninth in the country), Connor Deters (10th, shot put), and Ezekiel Seamster (10th, 100m). Dukpe and Domeh also qualified individually in sprint races and Grayson Walburn will also be throwing the javelin for the Black & Gold.
The Lady Hornet contingent will be headlined by Stella Agbokpah, who is ranked third in the 200m dash and ninth in the 100m dash. Isabella Davie and Lou Dumas each qualified in the women’s heptathlon while Harper Schoendaller will throw the javelin. Emporia State had a contingent of 10 student athletes last year for the national championships, but just one in the women’s competition a year ago held in Pueblo, Colo. The 12-athlete delegation will be the largest for E-State since 2014.
