STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State Track and Field will send five athletes to the 2026 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships on March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark. at the Randal Tyson Track Center, as announced by the NCAA on Tuesday night.
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.
The Indoor Track and Field Championships only select the top 16 individuals in each of the events based on their season best performances. Individual and team conference champions do not receive an automatic bid, just the top 16 individuals with the best marks during the regular season or conference championships. In the track events, the 16 racers will compete in the semifinals on Friday with the top 8 advancing to the finals on Saturday. In the field events, it will only be competed once with the finals the only iteration of the event.
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.
“This program is built on standards, not moments,” said head coach Bobby Carter. “I am very excited for these athletes. I want people to know that this is arguably the toughest meet in the world to make, and we have five athletes competing. Earning these spots at the NCAA Championships is proof of who we are — disciplined, prepared, and relentless. This group of athletes will be ready to compete, score and finish what we have started! Greater is Coming.”
Victoria Cameron will return for her second NCAA Indoor Championships in as many seasons. 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.
Freshman 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 Texans will open at the Indoor Championships on Friday with the women’s long jump. All five athletes will compete on the first day, with the track events featuring the semifinals and both the men’s and women’s long jump finals. The track athletes will race in the finals on Saturday with a top eight performance in Friday’s semifinals.
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