Day One Results 

BATON ROUGE, La.- The opening day of the 2026 Southwestern Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships featured several strong performances as athletes captured event titles on Sunday at A.W. Mumford Stadium.
 
In women’s competition, Alabama A&M’s Laura Avila claimed the 10,000-meter championship after posting a winning time of 37:54.58 while teammate Sanyae Gibson finished second to give the Bulldogs a strong start in the distance events.
 
Florida A&M’s Arayana Ladson earned the women’s long jump title with a leap of 6.29m (20-7.75). Bethune-Cookman’s Zion Harvey finished second while Southern’s Peyton Funderburk placed third.
 
Southern dominated the women’s hammer throw as Ariyonna Edmond captured the event crown with a throw of 54.43m (178-7). Jackson State’s Malayna Mallory finished second while Southern also received scoring performances from Layla Spann-McDonald and Ayanna Hunt.
 
Bethune-Cookman’s Kasie Ugeh secured the women’s javelin throw championship with a top mark of 40.05m (131-5). Southern’s Kinzli Zenon placed second while Texas Southern’s Jordan Flowers finished third.
 
In the women’s heptathlon, Prairie View A&M’s Sanai Kintchen posted victories in the 100-meter hurdles, shot put and 200-meter dash portions of the competition. Prairie View’s Kimora Maxey also earned a first-place finish in the high jump alongside Alabama A&M’s Amya Joy and Texas Southern’s Demaya Malone.
 
On the men’s side, Bethune-Cookman’s Andrew Kiplagat captured the men’s 10,000-meter title with a winning time of 31:15.05 while Jackson State’s Collins Kipruto and Duncan Koima finished second and third respectively.
 
Bethune-Cookman’s Michael Carter won the men’s long jump championship with a mark of 7.89m (25-10.75). Florida A&M’s Josiah Gaynor and Alabama State’s Anthony Woods rounded out the top three finishers.
 
Florida A&M’s Ezekiel Salama secured the men’s hammer throw title after recording a throw of 59.02m (193-8). Texas Southern’s Jalen Walker finished second while Jackson State’s Robert Salhab III placed third.
 
Grambling’s Carson Lowe won the men’s javelin throw championship with a top mark of 64.33m (211-1). Southern’s Everett Alberty and Bethune-Cookman’s Nehemiah Armstrong finished second and third respectively.
 
In the decathlon, Bethune-Cookman’s Christian Dozier captured victories in the 100-meter dash and 400-meter dash events while Alabama State’s Noel Asiedu won the high jump competition. Alabama State’s Kaden McKire earned the long jump title and Texas Southern’s Donovan Brooks claimed first place in the shot put portion of the decathlon.
 
Following four scored events, Southern led the women’s team standings with 37.5 points while Jackson State paced the men’s standings with 34 points.
 
Day two of competition will begin at 9:30 am CST with the Decathlon 110 meter hurdles.

The final day of competition (May 12) will be streamed live on SWAC TV beginning at 5:00 pm CST with the women’s 4x100 meter relay event.
  
2026 SWAC Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Champions (Day One) 
 
Women’s Hammer Throw
Ariyonna Edmond, Southern
 
Women’s Javelin
Kasie Ugeh, Bethune-Cookman

Women’s Long Jump
Arayana Ladson, Florida A&M

Women’s 10,000 Meters
Laura Avila, Alabama A&M
 
Men’s Hammer Throw
Ezekiel Salama, Florida A&M
 
Men’s Long Jump
Michael Carter, Bethune-Cookman

Men’s Javelin
Carson Lowe, Grambling State
 
Men’s 10,000 Meters
Andrew Kiplagat, Bethune-Cookman

About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
 
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.

Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
 
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.