Penn State Qualifies 13 Entries for NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
The meet is March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State qualified 13 entries to the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, as announced by the oversight committee on Tuesday. The men’s team qualified 10 entries across six events, while the women totaled three over a pair of events.
Highlighting the men’s qualifiers is the group of four Nittany Lions in the 16-runner field for the 800-meter run. Handal Roban has the fastest qualifying time of the field at 1:44.73, while Allon Clay is just two spots behind with the third-fastest time. The pair will be joined by teammates Yukichi Ishii and Niko Schultz. Roban, Clay, and Schultz finished 1-2-3 at the Big Ten Championships, while Ishii scored points with an eighth-place showing despite a fall down the final stretch.
Another Big Ten champion, Ryan Henry, will compete in the shot put and will be joined by teammate Dylan Lambrecht. Ajani Dwyer qualified for a pair of events (60m, 200m), while Jake Palermo enters the meet with the fifth-fastest time in the 400m. The Nittany Lions will also send a team for the distance medley relay.
The Penn State women will be represented by Hayley Kitching and Boh Ritchie in the 800-meter run and Maddie Pitts in the pentathlon. Kitching is fresh off a title in the event at the Big Ten Championships and enters the NCAA Championships with the second-fastest time (1:59.22).
The NCAA Indoor Championships are scheduled for March 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The meet will stream on ESPN+.
PENN STATE ENTRIES
M 60m
7. Ajani Dwyer, 6.52
M 200m
9. Ajani Dwyer, 20.51
M 400m
5. Jake Palermo, 45.33
M 800m
1. Handal Roban, 1:44.73
3. Allon Clay, 1:45.17
12. Yukichi Ishii, 1:46.37
16. Niko Schultz, 1:46.53
M Distance Medley Relay
10. Penn State, 9:18.58
M Shot Put
7. Ryan Henry, 19.94m
16. Dylan Lambrecht, 19.51m
W 800m
2. Hayley Kitching, 1:59.22
13. Boh Ritchie, 2:01.60
W Pentathlon
5. Maddie Pitts, 4,384