NCAA West Preliminaries
Martin Punches Ticket to NCAA Championships in Hammer Throw
5/27/2026 11:00:00 PM | Track and Field
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Travis Martin punched his ticket to nationals for the second straight year and three Mustangs advanced to the 1,500-meter quarterfinals to highlight action for Cal Poly track and field during the first day of the NCAA West Prelims on Wednesday at John McDonnell Field.
Nine of the 13 entries for the Cal Poly men were in action on the opening day of the meet.
In the first event of the meet, Martin secured a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in dramatic fashion. After recording a foul on his first two attempts in the men’s hammer throw, the San Jose, Calif. native stepped in the ring for his third and final attempt, and thrived under the pressure. Martin recorded a mark of 223 feet, 3 inches (68.04 meters) to finish seventh overall in the West Prelims and earn one of the 12 qualifying spots in the hammer for the national championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 10-13.
By punching his ticket to NCAAs, Martin became the first two-time national qualifier in the men’s hammer throw in Division I program history. Last year, Martin placed fifth at West Prelims and went on to take 10th at the NCAA Championships to secure Second Team All-American honors.
About an hour after Martin locked up a spot to nationals, Chris Caudillo, Aidan McCarthy and Carson Smith took the track looking to advance to the quarterfinals in the men’s 1,500-meter. The top five finishers in each of the four heats along with the next four fastest times secured a spot in the 1,500 quarterfinals at 3:15 p.m. PDT Friday. Caudillo advanced to Friday by running the fastest time by a non-automatic qualifier (3:40.15), taking sixth in the first heat and 10th overall in the first round.
McCarthy and Smith both earned a spot in the 1,500 quarterfinals after a protest by the Mustangs. In the final 200 meters of the second heat, Smith was pushed off the track and that runner was disqualified. That allowed McCarthy, a three-time First Team All-American in the 800, to grab the final qualifying spot for the 1,500 quarterfinals based on time (3:41.61). And because Smith was in a qualifying position when he was impeded with, he received a spot in the quarterfinals, allowing 25 runners to make it to Friday in the 1,500.
Caudillo, McCarthy and Smith will all be fighting for a ticket to nationals when the 1,500 quarterfinals take place on Friday in Fayetteville. The top five finishers in each of the two heats along with the next two fastest times will secure a trip to NCAAs.
Conrad Bernstein nearly gave Cal Poly two national qualifiers on the opening day of the meet. Competing under the lights in the rain, Bernstein captured 14th in the men’s javelin with a mark of 221 feet, 9 inches (67.59 meters), finishing two places short of earning a ticket to NCAAs. It was the second West Prelims appearance for the 2026 Big West champion, who took 30th in the meet in 2024 while competing for Long Beach State. Earlier this season, Bernstein recorded a lifetime best of 229 feet, 2 inches (69.84 meters) in the javelin — the fourth best mark in school history. The men’s javelin, originally scheduled for noon PDT, was moved to 6:30 p.m. PDT on Wednesday due to weather.
Aiden Pastorian capped off a stellar first season as a Mustang on Wednesday by placing 30th in the men’s shot put at the West Prelims. A Long Beach State transfer, Pastorian recorded the second best mark in school history (60-8, 18.49m) at the Mark Conover Classic this season.
Vincent Atilano finished 33rd in the first round of the men’s 400 hurdles (51.46 seconds) to end his sophomore campaign. The Carlsbad, Calif. native ran the fastest 400 hurdles time by a Mustang in 48 years at this year’s Mt. SAC Relays (50.52 seconds), the second fastest time in school history.
Colby Neron and Lucas Scott took 42nd and 48th respectively in the javelin to round out the Mustangs that competed on the opening day of the meet.
Ben Feyrer was scheduled to compete in the men’s pole vault on Wednesday, but due to weather the event was moved to 12:40 p.m. PDT Thursday. In addition to Feyrer, four Cal Poly women will be in action on Day 2 of the meet Thursday (Lexi Evans, Kelli Gaffney, Camrenne Genilla and Astrid Teran) with competition starting at noon PDT for the Mustangs. Follow the live results HERE and watch the meet live on ESPN+.
Cal Poly Results
NCAA West Prelims Day 1
Men’s 400-meter hurdles First Round: 33, Vincent Atilano, 51.46.
Men’s 1,500-meter First Round: 10, Chris Caudillo, 3:40.15 (q). 20, Aidan McCarthy, 3:41.61 (q). 27, Carson Smith, 3:43.67 (qR).
Men’s shot put First Round: 30, Aiden Pastorian, 58-3.25 (17.76m).
Men’s hammer throw First Round: 7, Travis Martin, 223-3 (68.04m).
Men’s javelin First Round: 14, Conrad Bernstein, 221-9 (67.59m). 42, Colby Neron, 189-0 (57.62m). 48, Lucas Scott, 178-2 (54.31m).
