ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Colgate's outdoor track and field teams are set to travel to the 2026 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Annapolis, Md. The teams will compete at the U.S. Naval Academy's Ingram Field, beginning on Friday, May 15 through Saturday, May 16.
Colgate enters the competition with momentum after a season filled with several program records and personal bests across both the men's and women's teams. The Raiders will look to build on last season's outdoor championships, with several returning athletes proving themselves among the top competitors throughout the outdoor season.
Will Keiser claimed first in the 1500m at the UCF Black and Gold Invitational, while Dakin Ebmeyer followed with a victory in the same event at the UAlbany Spring Classic after scoring at last year's Patriot League meet.Â
John Griffith earned victories in both the 2000m and 3000m steeplechase during the outdoor campaign, while Owen DeMatt added another podium finish for Colgate in the 3000m steeplechase. Strong performances from Roman Steis, Andrew McGraw, Owen McMorrow and Dylan DeCicco have been shown throughout the season, proving how far their depth goes on the men's side.
The women's side has also had stellar athletes throughout the season. Nell Droege has been leading the charge for Colgate. Droege ran a personal best of 16:57.7 in the 5000m at the Raleigh Relays, before later setting a program record in the 10000m at the Virginia Challenge. Juliet Drury earned a runner-up finish in the 1500m at the UCF Black and Gold Invitational, while Ava Kletti and Lucia Pew have also each posted strong finishes in the 5000m during the outdoor season.
Senior captain, Sara Tabibian, will return after placing fourth in the 400m at last year's championships with a school record, 59.69s. Junior Kiran George also earned points for the Raiders last year, placing sixth in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.28s. George has continued her strong season in the field as well, earning silver in the high jump at the indoor Patriot League Championships before setting a program record of 1.72m at the UCF Black and Gold Invitational.
Senior Samuel Epstein has continued to raise the standard in the pole vault after setting a program record of 4.68m at the UCF Black and Gold Invitational. Epstein placed tenth at the last year's outdoor championships and enters his Patriot League meet looking to move into scoring position. In the throwing events, Jed Guenthner and Travis Rusak have posted strong finishes in the shot put and javelin, with Rusak finding second at both Big Red Invitational and the UAlbany Spring Classic.
Junior Melinda Haagensen has also emerged as one of the top vaulters in the conference, both indoors and outdoors. After earning a Patriot League silver medal during the indoor season, Haagensen cleared 3.90m at the Virginia Challenge after previously setting a personal best 3.72m at last year's outdoor championships. She has consistently finished near the top of the field throughout the outdoor season and will look to continue that momentum this weekend.
LIVE RESULTS | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Patriot League on ESPN+ Coverage
Track events for the 2026 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be streamed on ESPN+. Field events during the championship will not be streamed.
Patriot League Championship Awards:
Patriot League major awards will be distributed based on the student-athletes individual championship finishes. For both the men and the women, the first place finishers in each event will be named to the All-Patriot League First Team, while the second-place finishers will make the second-team.Â
The men's and women's Patriot League Coach of the Year awards will be voted on by the League's head coaches, as will the individual awards including Track Athlete, Field Athlete and Rookie of the Year at the completion of the events.
