COLLEGE PARK, MD – A total of 10 Terps have qualified to compete in the NCAA Track & Field East First Round meet on May 28-31 at the Visit Jax Track At Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, FL.
The field for the NCAA First Round Sites (East and West) is determined by the top 48 declared individual athletes and the top 24 declared relay teams in each region. Qualifying to the NCAA Championships is then accomplished by finishing among the top 12 in individual and relay competitions in the First Round. The 2025 NCAA National Championship Meet will be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR – site of the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier this month.
The Terps who qualified for the NCAA Track & Field First Round include
Tolu Akinduro (Triple Jump),
Eric Albright (800 meters),
Jack Barchet (800 meters),
Morgan Graham (Discus & Hammer),
Chioma Njoku (Hammer), and
Maya Valmon (400 meters). Additionally, the 4x400 meters relay team of Samantha Payne,
Lydia Robling,
Kami Joi Hickson, and
Maya Mosley qualified as well.
Competition in Jacksonville will open on Wednesday, May 28 starting at 10 AM with men's field and track events.
Both Albright and Barchet will compete in the 800 meters first round which will start at 7:50 PM. The quarterfinals for the event will be held on Friday, May 30 at 7:05 PM.
The women will begin competition on Thursday, May 29 with the hammer throw at 10 AM and the 400 meters first round at 7:25 PM. On Saturday, May 31, the discus and triple jump first rounds will take place starting at 1 PM, while the 400 meters quarterfinals will begin at 6:50 PM. The 4x400 quarterfinals are set for 8:45 PM to conclude the meet.
Njoku holds the highest rankings among the Terps at No. 9 in the East region for the hammer throw (65.37m, Kehoe Twilight Meet). Graham ranks No. 16 in the discus (54.63m, Penn Relays) and No. 47 in the hammer (57.55m, Kehoe Twilight Meet). Albright is 20
th in the 800 meters (1:47.32, Florida Relays), while Valmon is ranked 23
rd in the 400 meters (52.50, Kehoe Twilight Meet). Barchet enters the meet ranked 61
st in the region (1:48.32, Kehoe Twilight Meet), but made the field due to event scratches to move up. The 4x400 relay team ranked 48
th with a time of 3:35.38 set at the Penn Relays.
Tickets for the East Regional are on sale now and all four days of the competition will be streamed on ESPN+.
