NCAA Outdoor Championships Day 1
5 Mustangs Ready to Shine at NCAA Outdoor Championships
6/9/2026 5:00:00 PM | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. — After an impressive showing in Arkansas two weeks ago, the five Cal Poly track and field athletes that qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships will take center stage at the prestigious Hayward Field starting Wednesday.
Four of the five Mustangs that booked their trip to nationals are set to compete on Day 1 of the four-day NCAA Championship meet on Wednesday, with fifth-year Travis Martin getting things started at 2:30 p.m. in the men’s hammer throw final. Senior Carson Smith (Heat 1) and junior Chris Caudillo (Heat 2) will then hit the track at 5:21 p.m. Wednesday for the semifinals of the men’s 1,500-meter. The two five finishers in each of the two 1,500 semifinal heats along with the next two fastest times ran across the two heats (so 12 runners total) will advance to the 1,500 final at 5:12 p.m. Friday. Sophomore Ben Feyrer wraps up action for the Mustangs on Wednesday when he takes part in the men’s pole vault final at 5:35 p.m.
The sole female to qualify for this year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships, senior Lexi Evans is the only Mustang that will compete on Day 2 of the meet Thursday when she takes flight in the women’s pole vault final at 5:35 p.m.
Only Cal Poly’s 1,500 runners (Smith & Caudillo) would compete Friday if they advance to the final in the event, while no Mustangs will be in action during the fourth and final day of the meet Saturday.
Live coverage on the first day of the meet Wednesday for events on the track starts at 5 p.m. on ESPN. A livestream of the men’s hammer throw competition at 2:30 p.m. can be found on ESPN+ HERE, while live coverage of the men’s pole vault competition at 5:35 p.m. can be seen live on ESPN+ HERE.
The field for the NCAA Outdoor Championships is comprised of the 24 best times and marks in the country with the top 12 finishers in each event at the NCAA West Prelims and NCAA East Prelims respectively earning a ticket to the coveted meet less than two weeks ago.
The five NCAA qualifiers for the Mustangs are the most by the program since the current two regional format was adopted in 2010, and some of the most ever by the team in a single year in the Division I era.
By qualifying for the NCAA Championships, Caudillo, Evans, Feyrer, Martin and Smith have all earned the chance to grab All-American honors. At the NCAA Championships, the top eight finishers in an event secure First Team All-American status, ninth through 16th place garner Second Team All-American praise and 17th through 24th place receive Honorable Mention All-American recognition.
The potential five combined All-Americans between the men’s and women’s teams would be a new Division I program record for the Mustangs during a single outdoor season.
For Caudillo, Evans, Feyrer and Smith, this is their first appearance at outdoor nationals, while Martin is making his second straight trip to Eugene, placing 10th a year ago (224 feet, 1 inch; 68.31 meters) to capture Second Team All-American honors. Evans grabbed Second Team All-American honors in the women’s indoor pole vault this March, finishing 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championships to become Cal Poly’s first All-American in the women’s indoor pole vault in 26 years and just the third ever.
Martin secured seventh in the hammer throw at the West Prelims in Fayetteville two weeks ago to become the first two-time national qualifier in the men’s hammer throw in Division I program history. The school record holder owns the fifth best mark recorded in the NCAA this season (248 feet, 1 inch, 75.62 meters).
Smith and Caudillo made history at the West Prelims in Arkansas, both qualifying for nationals to mark the first time in program history the Mustangs have qualified multiple runners in the men’s 1,500 for the NCAA Championships during a season. Caudillo and Smith placed seventh and eighth respectively in the men’s 1,500 semifinals at West Prelims, both earning big Qs in their heats to punch their tickets to Eugene. Caudillo shattered the school record in the 1,500 at the Franson Last Chance this season (3:35.13), the eighth fastest time ran in the NCAA this season.
Feyrer cleared a lifetime best of 17 feet, 11.25 inches (5.47 meters) in the men’s pole vault at West Prelims to secure a spot at nationals, placing fourth overall with the No. 7 mark in school history. He is the first Mustang since John Prader in 2012 (14th, NCAAs) to qualify for NCAAs in the men’s pole vault.
The first Cal Poly female to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in nine years, Evans cleared an outdoor lifetime best of 14 feet, 6.25 inches (4.43 meters) at West Prelims to lock up a berth to NCAAs. She finished 10th at the meet and her mark surpassed her own outdoor school record and Big West conference record in the event.
Follow Cal Poly track and field on Twitter/X and Instagram for live updates on all five Mustangs throughout the NCAA Championships.
