Kentucky T&F begins NCAA Championship run on Wednesday as first-round hosts

The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s & Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin Wednesday morning. Lexington is serving as the home for the East First Round.

The Kentucky track & field team will host the penultimate meet of the season at the UK Outdoor Track and Field Complex, which runs from May 27-30. This is the second time in three seasons that UK is hosting a first-round, and they’ll do so again in 2028. Events begin Wednesday morning. Tickets can be purchased through the link here. The weather in central Kentucky should turn around by Thursday, too.

Over the next four days, Kentucky will compete in 23 total events. The men’s events are set for Wednesday and Friday, with the women’s events taking place on Thursday and Saturday. Fayetteville, AR, is serving as the host of the West First Round.

The Kentucky women, ranked No. 9 nationally, lead the way with 22 Wildcats earning regional qualifying spots and the chance to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, OR, which run from June 10-13. SEC Gold medalists Emmi Scales and Kemarah Howard, both ranking No. 1 in the NCAA in the 100m hurdles and high jump events, are ones to watch for the Wildcats. As for the men, ranked No. 25 nationally, SEC medalists Collins Kiprop Kipngok, Denzel Simusialela, and Theo Mudzengerere make up Kentucky’s 14 representatives.

Below is the full schedule for Kentucky this week. Brock Conrad will get things started with the men’s hammer throw semifinal at 10:00 a.m. ET. You can watch it all on ESPN+.

NCAA East First Round: Wednesday, May 27: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME
Men’s Hammer	10:00 a.m.	SEMIFINAL	Brock Conrad
Men’s Long Jump	6:00 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Kingi McNair
Men’s 110m Hurdles	6:00 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Anthony Waterman
Men’s Shot Put	6:30 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Grayson Brashear
Men’s 100m	7:00 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Denzel Simusialela, Miles Jones
Men’s 400m	7:25 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	TK Pahuwa
Men’s 400m Hurdles	8:20 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Anthony Waterman
Men’s 200m	8:45 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Denzel Simusialela

NCAA East First Round: Thursday, May 28: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME
Women’s Hammer	10:00 a.m.	SEMIFINAL	Kate Powers, Meagan Ewers
Women’s 100m Hurdles	6:00 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Emmi Scales, Camden Bentley, Rukia Nusra Omulisia
Women’s 1500m	6:30 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Doricah Minsari Isoe, Ally Kruger
Women’s Pole Vault	6:30 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Kaylee Daniel, Annie Murphy, Chelsea Wetzel, Sarah Ferguson
Women’s 400m	7:25 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	A’Laji Bradley, Hannah Douglas
Women’s 800m	7:50 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Janet Jepkemboi Amimo, Lyric Olson
Women’s 400m Hurdles	8:20 p.m.	FIRST ROUND	Vanice Kerubo Nyagisera

NCAA East First Round: Friday, May 29: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME
Men’s Discus	1:00 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Grayson Brashear
Men’s 4x100m	5:00 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Kentucky
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase	5:40 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Collins Kiprop Kipngok
Men’s Triple Jump	6:00 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Theo Mudzengerere
Men’s 110m Hurdles	6:15 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Men’s 100m	6:25 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Men’s 400m	6:50 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Men’s 400m Hurdles	7:25 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Men’s 200m	7:50 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Men’s 5000m	8:10 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Ed Bird
Men’s 4x400m	8:45 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	Kentucky

NCAA East First Round: Saturday, May 30: ALL TIMES IN EASTERN TIME
Women’s High Jump	2:00 p.m.	SEMIFINAL	Kemarah Howard
Women’s 1500m	5:15 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Women’s 100m Hurdles	6:15 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Women’s 400m	6:50 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Women’s 800m	7:05 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Women’s 400m Hurdles	7:25 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	TBD
Women’s 5000m	8:10 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	Ann Lemirisho
Women’s 4x400m	8:45 p.m.	QUARTERFINAL	Kentucky