JONESBORO, Ark. (4/8/26) – Arkansas State track and field enters the midway point of the 2026 outdoor regular season on April 9-11 at the Bryan Clay Multis hosted by Azusa Pacific and the Joe Walker Invitational hosted by Ole Miss.
 
The Red Wolves’ multi-event athletes will compete in the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon on April 9-10 in Azusa, California. The remainder of the roster begins action in Oxford, Mississippi, on April 10-11.

THREE THINGS TO NOTE:
NEW PROGRAM RECORD: Junior jumps athlete Kiara Strayhorn set a new program record for the women’s long jump on April 3 at the Bobcat Invitational. The Jefferson City, Missouri, native registered a distance of 6.43m (21-1.25) and finished at fourth place on April 3. She is tied with Georgia’s Chelsi Williams for the seventh best long jump in the nation and stands alone at third place in the South Central Region. She surpassed Sharika Nelvis’ previous A-State record of 6.40m (21-0.00) set at the 2013 Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships and claimed the fifth-best long jump in conference history. App State’s Ashlee Osaji (2024) and Georgia Southern’s Imani Moore (2025) hold the league record at 6.54m (21-5.50). Strayhorn was named Sun Belt Conference Women’s Field Athlete of the Week on April 8.
 
FRESHMAN STANDOUT: Finja Dziobek is the lone freshman on the Red Wolves roster to secure an event win in the 2026 indoor and outdoor season. The thrower won the women’s discus throw on April 4 at the Triton Invitational with a distance of 48.84m (160-3.00). It is the ninth-best distance in the program’s history for the event and stands as the fifth-best in the Sun Belt. Dziobek became the sixth Red Wolf to record multiple first-place finishes in the campaign. She won the women’s shot put at the Samford Invitational on Jan. 16.
 
SQUAD RANKINGS UPDATE: A-State track and field holds three top-five national standings in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad rankings as of April 8. The men’s shot put squad consisting of Menachem Chen, Chris Boyd, Jared Moore and Omar Hussein ranks second nationally with a total distance of 71.02m. The quartet also ranks fourth nationally in the men’s discus throw with a distance of 213.94m. The men’s pole vault team consisting of John Carswell, Gavin Schaer, Jacob Dorrell and Ben Carlile also holds a fourth-place ranking with a total height of 20.40m. The #EventSquad rankings evaluate team depth by combining performances of a team’s top athletes in individual events.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State track and field and cross country programs, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @astatetfxc on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.