Track & Field Completes NCAA East First Round, Davis Qualified for NCAA Championships

Wednesday, May 27

Lexington, Ky.

Army West Point

NCAA East Preliminary Round

Nathan Davis running in the men's 3000m steeplechase at the 2026 NCAA East First Round at the University of Kentucky.

Track & Field Completes NCAA East First Round, Davis Qualified for NCAA Championships

May 31, 2026 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Army West Point track & field sent a slate of athletes to the Bluegrass State this week to compete in the 2026 NCAA East First Round to fight for a spot at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. in June.

The Black Knights saw a number of top-25 performances and firstie Nathan Davis secured a tenth-place finish in the men's 3000m steeplechase to punch his ticket to Eugene.

Coach Smith Quote Days One-Three | Coach Smith Quote Day Four

HOW IT HAPPENED
FULL NCAA EAST FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Day One
Army placed five athletes on the starting lists in the first day of competition. Robby Manse, Collin Torres, and Matt Palchak kicked things off in the field events.

Manse threw a 60.20m in the hammer throw to finish 42^nd overall while Torres logged a 64.09m in the javelin to finish 22^nd overall.

Matt Palchak then took to the circle for the shot put event where he logged a throw of 18.05 to finish 24^th overall.

Kasen Jeitz competed in the men's 800m for the Black Knights, clocking a time of 1:48.66 to finish 34^th in the event.

Army closed out its first day at the NCAA East First Round with Josh Duncan's run in the men's 200m where he logged a time of 21.04 to finish 38^th overall.

Day Two
Army's women stepped up to the plate on day two with four Black Knights in the competition field.

Kiana Emerson and Jordan Hecht competed first in the field events with a 53.49m throw for Emerson to finish 45^th overall in the hammer throw and a 16.06m throw for Hecht to finish 26^th overall in the shot put.

Mikayla Cheney next stepped up to the starting line for Army as she took on the women's 1500m.

Cheney clocked a personal best and program record-setting time of 4:11.25 to finish ninth overall to advance to Saturday's second round of the event.

Skye Chambers finished out Army's day two showing with a 26^th place finish in the women's 800m with a time of 2:05.00.

Day Three
Army returned for the third day of competition in Lexington with two events on the lineup for its Black Knights.

Jaxon Hammond, Owen Lang, Josh Duncan, and Trey McGinnis took on the men's 4x100m relay and combined for a 40.21 to finish 23^rd overall.

Firstie Nathan Davis finished tenth overall in the men's 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8:34.35 that saw him finish third in his heat to earn a spot at the 2026 NCAA National Championships, his second consecutive appearance at the national meet.

Day Four
Army's women returned to the UK Track & Field Complex for day four ready for action.

Mikayla Cheney returned to the starting line for the quarterfinals of the women's 1500m run where she clocked a 4:18.36 to finish 20^th overall in the event.

Claire Lewis next stepped onto the track for Army, logging a time of 10:47.27 to finish 44^th overall in the women's 3000m steeplechase.

Coming off an incredible firstie campaign, Charlotte Richman closed out Army's time at the 2026 NCAA East First Round with a 15:59.60 in the women's 5000m semifinals to finish 17^th overall in the event.