BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Day one of the 2026 NCAA Div. III Indoor Track & Field National Championships is in the books, and the No. 7 Washington University in St. Louis men's track & field team is currently in second place with 19.5 points.
The Bears scored most of their points on the first day in the pole vault.
The Bears comprised one-quarter of all the entrants and finished with four in the top six. Junior
Peter Lichtenberger was the top Bear, finishing in third place with a clearance of 5.08m, scoring six team points. Graduate
Tommaso Maiocco and senior
George Bourdier also cleared 5.08m, but due to tiebreakers, Maiocco finished in fourth place, scoring five points, and Bourdier finished in fifth place, scoring four points.
Senior
Hayden Kunkel added 2.5 points to the team total with his sixth-place finish, clearing 5.03m.
WashU scored its other two points from the Distance Medley Relay as the team of senior
James Corbett, senior
Dayton Lasack, junior
William Frohling, and first-year
Max Sudrzynski finished in seventh place with a time of 9:52.06.
The 4x400m team of first-year
Logan Fairchild, senior
Brandon Brazil, junior
Alex Gardner, and first-year
Keon Preusser finished the prelims in 11th place with a time of 3:20.04, narrowly missing making Saturday's final.
The Bears will have to wait and see how the scores fill out on Saturday, Mar. 14 to determine their final standings.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
