2026 NCAA East Prelims Schedule
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eight Eastern Kentucky University track and field student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminaries, which will be held May 27-30 at the UK Track and Field Complex in Lexington.
Miguel Baidal (10,000 meters),
Taha Er Raouy (5,000 meters),
Bradley Giblin (1,500 meters and 5,000 meters),
Kristian Imroth (3,000-meter steeplechase),
Mohammed Jouhari (10,000 meters), and
Mario Priego Montero (5,000 meters) qualified on the men's side.
Edna Chelulei (5,000 meters) and
Brighter Jepchumba (5,000 meters and 10,000 meters) will represent the EKU women's team.
To qualify for the NCAA First Rounds, athletes have to be ranked in the top 48 of their events in their respective regions.
The top-12 finishers in each event at the NCAA East Prelims will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, held June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon.
Baidal enters the meet ranked No. 19 in the men's 10,000 meters with a time of 28:33.38, which he ran at the Raleigh Relays on March 26. That is the third-fastest 10K time in EKU history. Baidal is the reigning ASUN champion in the indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters.
Jouhari will join Baidal in the 10,000-meter race. He comes in ranked No. 37 in the region with a time of 29:04.55, which was also recorded at the Raleigh Relays in late March. Jouhari owns a personal-best time of 28:29.56 in the 10K, which he ran in 2024. That is the second-fastest 10,000 meters time in EKU history.
The last EKU man to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 10,000 meters was
Nikodem Dworczak in 2024.
The men's 10,000 meters will be raced at 9:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 27.
Giblin, Er Raouy, and Priego Montero will race the 5,000 meters for the Colonel men at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May 29.
Giblin is ranked No. 24 in the field with a time of 13:41.41, which he clocked at the Raleigh Relays on March 26. Giblin won the mile at the ASUN Indoor Championships at the 800 meters at the ASUN Outdoor Championships.
Er Raouy comes in at No. 28 in the 5,000 meters field with a time of 13:42.54. He is a 2025 cross country All-American and competed in the 5,000 meters at this year's NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Priego Montero is currently ranked No. 35 in the field with a time of 13:43.81, which he ran at the Duke Twilight on May 3. Priego Montero was the ASUN silver medalist in the indoor 3,000 meters and the ASUN bronze medalist in the outdoor 1,500 meters.
The last EKU man to qualify for NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5,000 meters was Soufiane Bouchikhi in 2014.
Giblin will also race in the men's 1,500 meters in Lexington. The first round of that event will be held at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 27. The quarterfinals will take place on Friday, May 29 at 5:15 p.m. ET.
Giblin is ranked No. 9 in the 1,500 with a school-record time of 3:37.12, which he clocked at the Duke Twilight.
He is looking to become the first EKU man ever to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 meters.
Imroth will race in the quarterfinals of the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at 5:40 p.m. ET on Friday, May 29.
He comes into the field ranked No. 9 with a time of 8:33.32, which he ran at the Wake Forest Invitational on April 16. Imroth has qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the steeplechase the last two years. He finished 12
th in Eugene in 2025 and 21
st in 2024. He owns a personal-best time of 8:30.65 in the event.
EKU has had a man compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 12 of the last 13 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Chelulei and Jepchumba will race in the women's 5,000 meters at 8:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 30.
Jepchumba comes into the NCAA East Prelims ranked No. 2 in the 5K with a time of 15:28.09, which she ran at the Wake Forest Invitational. That time is the EKU outdoor 5,000 meters record. Jepchumba is the reigning ASUN indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters champion.
Chelulei is ranked No. 10 in the 5K field with a time of 15:36.70. She ran 15:05.16 in the event during the indoor season and finished sixth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in February, earning first team All-America honors. She also ran school-record 31:33.57 in the 10,000 meters this outdoor season.
Chelulei qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in 2025. She finished 12
th in the 10,000 meters and 24
th in the 5,000 meters last year in Eugene.
Jepchumba will compete in the women's 10,000 meters at 9:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 28.
She comes into that field ranked No. 6 with a time of 32:40.65, which she ran at the Raleigh Relays in March. That time puts her at No. 2 on EKU's all-time list.
