Seven members of the Middlebury men's track and field team have been selected to compete at the NCAA Championship. Lachlan Bishop, Joey Caspar, Benjamin Hughes, Owen Johnson, Emerson Kington, Wyatt Lawton and Caleb Smith will represent the navy and white. The top 22 athletes in each respective event grabbed a spot in the outdoor meet. Action kicks off on Thursday, May 21 at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

CASPAR'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Caspar makes his first spring appearance on the national stage, competing in the 400-meter hurdles.
• The sophomore logged his personal best in the event during the NESCAC Championship, finishing third in the championship final with a clocking of 52.32 seconds. He is seeded ninth in the national preliminary race.
• In each of his five appearances, Caspar has finished third or better in the event. He claimed crowns at the Amherst Spring Fling (53.67) and Middlebury Invitational (52.97), while earning runner-up honors on two occasions.
• The Panther earned all-conference recognition in the 400, 400 hurdles and 4x400 relay.

HUGHES' HIGHLIGHTS

• Hughes earns his first selection to the outdoor championship in the 1,500. He has competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in each of his three fall campaigns.
• The junior posted a program-record time of 3:47.94 in a second-place finish at Williams' Farley Inter Regional Extravaganza (FIRE). He is slotted 17th in the initial race and sits five-hundredths of a second out of 15th.
• Hughes has contested the event four times, finishing fourth or better in each attempt. He also secured second (3:56.84) at the UMass Commonwealth Invitational.

JOHNSON'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Johnson makes his NCAA Track and Field debut in the 3,000 steeplechase. He has appeared in a pair of national cross country events.
• The senior recorded a personal best in the event during the NESCAC Championship, stopping the clock at 9:06.00 to claim the runner-up spot. He was the penultimate athlete included in the event, meeting the qualifying threshold by 0.12 seconds.
• He shaved over 12 seconds off his prior high mark of 9:18.09 at the UMass Commonwealth Invitational.

SMITH'S HIGHLIGHTS

• Smith returns to the national fold in the decathlon after competing at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
• Seeded 12th, the junior logged a personal-best score of 6,680 points across the 10 events to finish second at the Tufts Spring Invitational.
• During his effort in Massachusetts, Smith prevailed in the long jump (6.98m) and high jump (1.88m). He also placed second in the 100 (11.06 seconds), pole vault (4.20m) and javelin (48.83m).
• Smith amassed 6,599 points at the postseason event two years ago to place 11th and earn an All-American Second Team nod.

4X400 RELAY HIGHLIGHTS

• The relay quartet of Bishop, Caspar, Kington and Lawton owns the 15th-fastest clocking of 3:11.79 entering the national meet.
• The grouping set the time at Williams' FIRE Meet, crossing the line second and trailing Colby's group by just 0.17 seconds.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

• Levi Biery looks to defend his title in the 400 hurdles after claiming the crown in 52.26 seconds a season ago. Six of the nine finalists from the 2025 installment have graduated, leaving University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Blake Postler (52.71) and Beloit's Nathaniel Otis (53.01) as the lone returners from the field. Postler owns the top seed time at 50.85, while Biery sits fifth (51.80) and Otis is seeded 19th (52.74).
• A new champion will be crowned in the 1,500 after Lynchburg's Sam Llaneza and Tor Hotung-Davidsen gathered gold in consecutive seasons. After placing third last year, SUNY Geneseo's Ryan Hagan holds the top time of 3:37.19 to lead the field by over four seconds. He is the lone qualifier who competed in the 2025 championship.
• In the 3,000 steeplechase, Joey Sullivan represents Wisconsin-La Crosse as the reigning champion. His time of 8:41.53 ranks second nationally. Caden Schneider owns the 12th-seeded time of 9:01.54 after placing third a year ago. Wartburg's Lance Sobaski sits atop the qualifiers at 8:40.85.
• Bethel's Grant Nelson is the lone returner from a Royals championship squad that set a Division III and meet record (3:06.52) in the 4x400 relay. The host Eagles, who are seeded third with their time of 3:09.61, return two athletes to the field in Andrew Hackbarth and Collin Conzemius.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFO

• Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Host Site: Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex
• Schedule (Event times are approximate and subject to change)
  • Thursday, May 21
    • 10:00 a.m. - Decathlon 100
    • 10:45 a.m. - Decathlon Long Jump
    • 12:00 p.m. - Decathlon Shot Put
    • 1:45 p.m. - Decathlon High Jump
    • 3:45 p.m. - Decathlon 400
    • 4:50 p.m. - 1,500 (preliminary)
    • 5:25 p.m. - 400 Hurdles (preliminary)
    • 6:35 p.m. - Steeplechase (preliminary)
    • 7:15 p.m. - 4x400 Relay (preliminary)
  • Friday, May 22
    • 10:00 a.m. - Decathlon 110 Hurdles
    • 10:50 a.m. - Decathlon Discus
    • 12:30 p.m. - Decathlon Pole Vault
    • 4:00 p.m. - Decathlon Javelin
    • 5:45 p.m. - Decathlon 1,500
    • 6:10 p.m. - Steeplechase (final)
  • Saturday, May 23
    • 1:35 p.m. - 1,500 (final)
    • 3:25 p.m. - 400 Hurdles (final)
    • 5:00 p.m. - 4x400 Relay (final)
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