Aggie Men Punch Four Tickets to National Championships on Opening Day of NCAA West First Round

Wednesday, May 27

Fayetteville, Ark.

1:00 PM

Texas A&M

NCAA West First Round

May 28, 2026 | Track and Field

By: Sam Thornton, Athletics Communications

FAYETTEVILLE – The Texas A&M track & field team punched four tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on the opening day of the NCAA West First Round Wednesday at the John McDonnell Field.

The Aggie men impressed on the first day of action at the west regional, as they went four-for-four on tickets punched to the national championships in the field, while advancing 11 athletes to Friday's quarterfinals on the track.

Henry Zimmerman set the tone for the meet in the first event, booking his ticket to Eugene in the men's hammer throw. The senior was outside of the advancing positions entering the ring on his final throw and saved his best for last, recording a toss of 66.05m/216-8 to place 10^th which advanced him to the national championships.

Khybah Dawson booked the second flight to Oregon of the afternoon in the men's long jump. He delivered three competitive jumps, culminating in a leap of 7.72m/25-4 on his final attempt to ensure 11^th overall.

Rounding out the athletes who claimed their spot at the national championships was the javelin tandem of Zaza Nnamdi and Sam Hankins. Facing a weather delay, the pair took to the runway approaching midnight and put on a show for the fans in Fayetteville. Nnamdi continued to dominate the event this season, as the SEC champion won the event with a mark of 79.41m/260-6. Hankins joined his teammate thanks to a toss of 70.38m/230-11 which came in the opening round and was good for 11^th.

Taking the momentum to the track, the Aggies advanced a pair into the 110m hurdles quarterfinals. Ja'Qualon Scott topped the A&M duo, winning the fifth heat of the event in 13.32 which secured him fourth overall. DJ Taylor ran a personal-best time when needed, clocking 13.62 which debuted him at No. 10 in the Maroon & White record book and was good for third in his heat and 14^th overall.

David Foster was the third member of the men's team to advance on the track after running 10.18 in the second heat of the 100m which earned him an automatic qualification slot.

Continuing to book spots in Friday's quarterfinals was the men's 400m group, headlined by Kimar Farquharson who was the top qualifier after recording a personal-best time of 45.18. Musa Isah followed suit with a career-best 45.93 to rank 15^th, while Eric Hemphill III ran 46.03 to ensure his spot after placing 17^th.

Texas A&M's domination on the track spanned to the 800m, as the event squad landed four in the quarterfinal round. Peter Narumbe continued to show why he's one of the nation's elite, winning the third heat in 1:47.01 which was the No. 2 overall of the first round. Stefon Dodoo, the second half of the Maroon & White's 1-2 freshmen punch, qualified fifth overall in 1:47.21 and was followed by Reece Sharman-Newell in seventh (1:47.27) and Grant Ashby in 16^th (1:47.97).

Scott captured his second and the team's final quarterfinals slot of the opening day, taking heat two in 50.10 which was good for third overall in the contest.

Next Up
The Aggies return to John McDonnell Field tomorrow for the second day of the NCAA West First Round where the women open their campaign.

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