ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Colgate track and field teams opened the 2026 Patriot League Outdoor Championships at the United States Naval Academy's Ingram Field on Friday, highlighted by a few top-10 finishes and Dakin Ebmeyer qualifying for the 1500m finals.

On the women's side, sophomore Nell Droege secured two points for Colgate with a seventh-place finish in the 10000m run, crossing the line in 35:54.57. For the men, senior Owen McMorrow battled to a ninth-place finish with a time of 30:58.06.

In the middle-distance preliminaries, junior Dakin Ebmeyer delivered a strong performance in the men's 1500m. Ebmeyer clocked a time of 3:52.44 to finish 6th in the prelims, safely securing his spot in the upcoming finals. He was joined in the event by teammates Nicholas Larson (3:56.58), Jackson Vogel (4:00.18), and John Shapiro (4:00.36).

Sam Epstein placed seventh in the pole vault finals with a leap of 4.72m while Melinda Haagensen finished sixth in the same event with a vault of 3.88m.

Junior Kiran George kept the momentum going in the women's 100m hurdles, posting a time of 14.31 to qualify for the event finals. On the men's side, Samuel Heaven represented the Raiders in the 400m hurdles, finishing the prelims in 55.46.

The evening concluded with the 4x800m relays. The Colgate women's team consisting of Ashley Crane, Linden Cafcules, Audrey Luell, and Emma Bergfalk earned three points with a sixth-place finish, recording a time of 9:06.81. The men's quartet of Finn Kosich, Henry Gaylord, Tyler Robinson, and Dakin Ebmeyer finished eighth, adding another point to the team total.

At the conclusion of Friday's events, the Colgate women sit in 8th place with 8 points, while the men are in 9th place with 3 points.
Competition continues tomorrow at Ingram Field for the final day of the championships.