The DI indoor track and field championships are almost here. Before they start, let’s recap some of the top performances from freshmen who could contend for titles.
Top women’s freshmen performances
Jane Hedengren, BYU
The only freshman to set a collegiate record this season is BYU’s Jane Hedengren. Hedengren opened her indoor season with a collegiate-record setting 14:44.79 in the 5000 meters. With that race, she became the second-fastest American woman.
WHAT TO KNOW: 2026 DI Indoor track and field championships
Adaejah Hodge, Georgia
The SEC is arguably the hardest conference championship to win in the sport. The 200 meters was even harder to win with a two-time defending conference champion running in the race. Yet, Georgia’s Adaejah Hodge did just that as a freshman, taking the 200 meter crown in 22.32 seconds, defeating last year’s champion in the process. Hodge’s time also made her the fifth-fastest woman in the indoor 200 meters all time.
Freshman Adaejah Hodge runs 22.32 to move to 5th in NCAA HISTORY to win SEC 200m final ahead of JaMeesia Ford (22.61)!
— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13)
Kemarah Howard, Kentucky
Kentucky’s Kemarah Howard is another freshman to win an SEC title, winning the high jump title with a 1.87-meter clearance. Howard won a tiebreaker after clearing 1.87m on her first attempt and missing only one jump during her series leading up to the winning height.
SELECTIONS: 2026 NCAA Division I men’s and women’s indoor track and field championships selections
Sadie Engelhardt, NC State
NC State’s Sadie Engelhardt is only a freshman, but she already has victories over professionals in her early career. She ran 4:23.84 at the ASICS Sound Invite, finishing second in a field with multiple pros.
JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, Illinois
It was a jam-packed weekend for Illinois’ JaiCieonna Gero-Holt at the Big Ten Championships. Gero-Holt competed in the open high jump and pentathlon during the championship meet. She finished fifth in the high jump and second in the pentathlon with a new PR of 4400 points.
B1G Silver for JaiCieonna 🥈
— Illinois Track & Field and Cross Country (@IlliniTrackXC)
Her 4,400 point pentathlon today is now the second-best mark in school history and the current NCAA No. 3 mark.
RECORD TRACKER: Every track and field record broken in 2026
Top men’s freshmen performances
Jonathan Simms, Georgia
Georgia’s Jonathan Simms started his collegiate career with a bang at the Clemson Invite. He ran 44.62 in his debut 400 meters, the No. 4 all-time mark in collegiate history and a world U20 record.
🚨WORLD RECORD ALERT🚨
— Georgia Track + Field (@UGATrack)
Freshman Jonathan Simms crosses the line at 44.62 in the men's 400m dash setting a 2026 World Record! 🤯
Simms' finish is also tied for No. 4 in Collegiate History, No. 2 in UGA History and a new Facility Record.😱
Luuk Pelkmans, Illinois
Illinois’ Luuk Pelkmans had another impressive debut, putting up the nation’s No. 3 regular season heptathlon in the first seven-event circuit of his career. Pelkmans scored 6127 points in late January at the Fighting Illini Challenge.
SLEEPERS: Sleeper teams to watch during the men's indoor track and field postseason
Alan Hanna, Kansas State
The standout debuts continue with Alan Hanna of Kansas State. He cleared 2.25 meters in the high jump at his first meet, the Thane Baker Invitational. It’s a mark that stood tied for the national lead until conference championship weekend.
Freshman Alan Hanna breaks the meet and facility records in the Mens high jump with a clearance of 2.25m (7’ 4.25”) 💪
— K-State T&F/XC (@KStateTFXC)
Tshephang Dankuru, Texas State
During the conference championship weekend, we saw Texas State’s Tshephang Dankuru win the Sun Belt title in the high jump. He cleared 2.22 meters in the win, a top-seven mark entering championships.
DEFENDING: Every returning champion for the 2026 DI indoor track and field season
Tayvon Kitchen, BYU
While BYU’s Tayvon Kitchen might not have won his 3000 meter race at the Valentine Invitational, he still had an all-time performance. He ran the 10th-fastest all-time mark in 7:36.23, finishing behind only the No. 3 and No. 4 all-time finishers in the 3K.
BOWERMAN: The 2026 Bowerman Watch List for men's and women's NCAA track and field
Kelvin Cheruiyot, Florida and Elsingi Kipruto, Louisville
The final performances comes from a head-to-head race between two freshmen in the 5000 meters at the Husky Classic. Florida’s Kelvin Cheruiyot outpaced Louisville’s Elsingi Kipruto by 0.17 seconds in a close 1-2 finish.
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Comparing indoor and outdoor seasons | Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms
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