The Nebraska Kearney track and field team has qualified four women and four men for the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach.
The list of qualifiers was announced today, and the field includes the top 18 in individual events, top 16 in multi-events and top 12 relays; the next best time/marks was the tiebreaker.
UNK will have three high jumpers in Stamford senior Brianna Russell, Hastings junior Nolan Studley and Kearney freshman Luke Brachle, two in the women’s weight throw in Kearney senior Lily Novacek and Kansas sophomore McKenzie Campbell and then one each in the triple jump (Gretna senior Clayton Kelly), 800-meters (St. Paul senior Conner Wells) and mile (McCool Junction sophomore Kassidy Stuckey).
The meet is March 13-14 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. The women’s high jump and weight throw, and prelims for the men’s mile and women’s 800, are held on Friday with Kelly and the men’s high jumpers competing on Saturday. Wells and Stuckey will hopefully run in their event finals that day as well.
This is the second NCAA indoor meet for both Russell (2024) and Novacek (2025) with everyone else qualifying for the first time. Studley has earned All-American honors at both 2024 and 2025 NCAA outdoor championships.
Live results and live video will be available throughout the meet. A top 12 finish is good for All-American honors; in addition to Studley, Russell (once) and Novacek (twice) have earned AA accolades.
Women
Campbell (Weight Throw, 15th, 61-0)
Novacek (Weight Throw, 12th, 62-1)
Russell (High Jump, 14th, 5-8.50)
Stuckey (Mile, 13th, school-record 4:46.55)
Men
Brachle (High Jump, 3rd, 7-1.50)
Kelly (Triple Jump, 12th, 49-10)
Studley (Hight Jump, 4th, 7-1)
Wells (800, 18th, 1:49.80)
