Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney track and field team has qualified two women and nine men for the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships May 21-23 in Emporia.
Defending national champion Lily Novacek (Kearney H.S.) enters the meet tops in the hammer (218-0) by nearly eight feet. She is aiming to join Janet Boettcher (1999/weight throw and 2000/hammer) as the only UNK women to be a two-time Division II national champ. Novacek also qualifies in the discus (15th/162-0) for the second time in her career.
On the women's side, sophomore Kassidy Stuckey (McCool Junction/York H.S.) is in her third NCAA Championship of the year after being 78th at the cross country meet in November and placing sixth in the mile during indoors. She ranks sixth in the 1,500 (school-record 4:24.92) and, like Novacek, competes on day one.
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On the men's side, UNK is ranked first (Nolan Studley), fifth (Luke Brachle) and 14th (Garett Novacek) in the high jump. Studley (Hastings H.S.) is looking for his fourth All-American honor, with Brachle joining Studley in the top 12 at this year's indoor meet.
Senior Clayton Kelly (Gretna H.S.) looks to be a two-time All-American in the triple jump, with senior Nick Abdalla (Omaha South) and Carter Hohlen (Lincoln Christian) running the steeplechase. Abdalla earned All-America cross country status in the fall and was 13th in the steeple last spring.
Both Rylan Basart (Stockton, Kan.) and Mitchell Deer (Sidney) are no strangers to the championships either. Basart hopes to be a three-time javelin All-American, with Deer previously cracking the top 12 as a member of the 2024 DMR team. He currently ranks ninth in the 400 hurdles (school-record 51.19).
In the NCAA's for the first time are Hohlen and Ord redshirt sophomore Sam Boettcher (hammer/school-record 204-1). Hohlen was a member of UNK's 26th-place cross country team in the fall.
UNK had four women and five men rank 23rd-31st in their event, including three in the men's javelin and two in the women's discus.
Thursday, May 21
12:30 p.m. (men's hammer finals) … Boettcher
3:30 p.m. (women's hammer finals) … L. Novacek
5:25 p.m. (women's 1,500-meter prelims) … Stuckey
6:40 p.m. (men's steeple prelims) … Abdalla and Hohlen
7:40 p.m. (men's 400-hurdle prelims) … Deer
Friday, May 22
3:30 p.m. (men's high jump finals) … Brachle, G. Novacek and Studley
4:30 p.m. (women's discus finals) … L. Novacek
7:15 p.m. (men's steeple finals) … potentially Abdalla and Hohlen
Saturday, May 23
12 p.m. (men's javelin finals) … Basart
2:15 p.m. (men's triple jump finals) … Kelly
4:05 p.m. (women's 1,500-meter finals) … potentially Stuckey
5:40 p.m. (men's 400-hurdle finals) … potentially Deer
