INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA has announced the field of competitors for the 2026 Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships and two UMass Dartmouth student-athletes have qualified for this year's meet. Sophomore
Ancil Alexander will compete in the discus throw and the shot put competition, while rookie
Ewan McLeod is set to make his nationals debut in the high jump.
It marks the third straight championship appearance for Alexander, who earned First Team All-America status as a freshman at the 2025 outdoor championships in the discus throw, and was a Second Team All-American honoree in the shot put during the 2026 indoor championships.
This year's championship gets underway on Thursday, May 21 at the Veteran's Memorial Fields Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Alexander will compete in the discus throw at 2:00pm on Thursday, followed by shot put on Friday, May 22 at 3:00pm. McLeod will be in action in the high jump on Friday at 11:00am.
Alexander, who hails from Taunton, Mass., heads to his third straight championship meet after another incredible outdoor season as a sophomore. In addition to breaking his own school record in the discus, Alexander also broke the outdoor shot put record on May 14 as he posted a throw of 17.99 meters (59' 0.25") at the MIT Final Qualifier.
The 2026 Little East Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year for the second straight season, Alexander is currently ranked fourth in Division III in the discus throw with a mark of 54.90 meters (180' 1"), which he posted in a victory at the Corsair Classic on March 27. His throw at MIT propelled Alexander to the seventh overall spot in the national rankings as he will compete for the first time in multiple events at the NCAA Championships.
The sophomore won the discus throw at the 2026 Division III New England Outdoor Championships, defending his title with a mark of 50.41 meters (165' 5"). He also posted second overall in the shot put with a mark of 16.37 meters (53' 8.5". Alexander also had a stellar effort at the Little East Championships, defending his titles in both the discus throw (51.26m; 168' 2") and the shot put (16.73m; 54' 10.75") to garner All-LEC First Team.
On the season, Alexander has recorded eight victories over nine meets in the shot put, while claiming wins in the discus throw seven times. Currently, Alexander is the top-ranked shot put and discus throw athlete in the conference. He will be one of two conference competitors to compete in the shot put at Nationals and the only athlete to represent the Little East in the discus.
McLeod, who hails from Raynham, Mass., earned his spot at Nationals after recording a height of 2.07 meters (6' 9.5") – a personal best mark – to win at the MIT Final Qualifier on Thursday. His mark moved him to 12th overall amongst Division III's high jumpers.
It has been a solid rookie outdoor season for McLeod, who has competed in eight meets so far. He opened the campaign with a height of 2.03 meters (6' 7.75") at the Wesleyan J. Elmer Swanson Invite, claiming victory in the event. He went on to post back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Corsair Classic and the Coast Guard Invitational, before finishing fifth at the Tufts Spring Stampede.
After powering his way to second at the Bridgewater Bears Invite, McLeod earned fourth overall at the Little East Championships before making it a 1-2-3 sweep for the Corsairs in the high jump at the Division III New England Championships – as he placed third overall.
