JONESBORO, Ark. (5/13/26) – Arkansas State track and field travels to Mobile, Alabama, for the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by South Alabama on May 14-16 at the Jaguar Track.
 
Action begins with the men’s decathlon at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday while the men’s triple jump opens competition at 12 p.m. on Saturday. All three days will be broadcasted live on ESPN+ beginning with the first track event, and highlights of field events will be shown throughout the broadcast.
 
TEAMS COMPETING – MEN
App State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, Marshall, South Alabama (host), Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy, ULM
 
TEAMS COMPETING – WOMEN
App State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, Marshall, South Alabama (host), Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy, ULM

THREE THINGS TO NOTE:
CONFERENCE LEADERS: The 2026 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships have arrived and six Red Wolves will enter with a conference best in an event. On the women’s side, Carly Pujol leads all women’s pole vaulters with a height of 4.21m (13-9.75). Kiara Strayhorn leads in the women’s long jump with a distance of 6.43m (21-1.25) and Selase Sampram holds a conference-best 16.25m (53-3.75) shot put throw. Erika Krueger ran to the top of the Sun Belt standings in the women’s 5000 meters on May 1 at the Outdoor Music City Challenge with a time of 16:54.48. Brandon Williams’ school-record time of 1:48.30 in the men’s 800 meters was set on April 30 at the Maroon and White Tune Up, and currently leads all conference runners by 1.3 seconds. Chris Boyd leads all throwers in the men’s shot put with a distance of 18.81m (61-8.50) while Menachem Chen and Omar Hussein make up the remainder of the top three.

TFRI STANDINGS UPDATE: The A-State men’s and women’s teams enter the conference championships at third place in the Sun Belt TFRI standings. On the men’s side, Texas State (911.61) and App State (821.66) are the only programs currently ahead of the Red Wolves (776.91) while Louisiana (752.47) is not far behind. Only five men’s teams in the conference hold a TFRI score of 700.00 or greater. On the women’s side, A-State ranks third with a point total of 630.95 while Louisiana (788.89) and Texas State (763.80) fill out the top three. The Red Wolves, Bobcats and Ragin’ Cajuns are the only Sun Belt programs hold a men’s and women’s national TFRI ranking.
 
SBC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY: A-State track and field holds nine women’s and six men’s Sun Belt outdoor championships since joining the league in 1992. The most recent championship for both sides was earned in 2023 when the men’s team posted 168.5 points while the women registered 144.0. Nine of the 15 combined championships have been won since the arrival of current Director of Track & Field/Cross Country, Dr. Jim Patchell, in 2011. The Red Wolves’ women’s teams won four consecutive conference titles from 2019-2023.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State track and field and cross country programs, follow @AStateTrack on X and @astatetfxc on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.