LA CROSSE, Wisc. – UMass Dartmouth sophomore
Ancil Alexander earned All-American honors for the third time in his young career – and second straight in the discus throw – on Thursday at the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships – hosted at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
Alexander, who hails from Taunton, Mass., garnered First Team honors in the discus throw, finishing seventh overall with a throw of 51.04 meters (167' 5"). It marks the second career All-America in the discus throw after finishing sixth overall during his freshman season. He remains the only Corsair student-athlete to earn All-America honors in the discus and is the 63rd overall All-America recognition earned by the UMass Dartmouth Track & Field program.
It has been another incredible season for the sophomore, who not only broke his own record in the discus throw in March (54.90 meters; 180' 1"), but 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 entered this year's Nationals 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 in the shot put at Nationals on Friday at 3pm (4pm ET).
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.
