INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA announced on Tuesday afternoon the qualifiers for the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, set to take place May 21-23 at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas. The Black Hills State men's and women's teams will send a trio of athletes, the most since 2022, as Evan Smith qualified for the 800m run, Evie Boyd qualified for the 3,000m steeplechase, and Cassidy Goddard qualified for the discus. Additionally, the seven NCAA Provisional marks and times set this outdoor season were also the most since the 2022 outdoor season. Smith will look to add another All-American honor to his name as he was Second Team All-American in the indoor 800m run earlier this year, while for all three it will be their first appearance at the outdoor national championships.
 
Smith, a sophomore distance runner from Union, Kentucky, will enter the national championships with the No. 16 time in the nation in the 800m run, clocking a time of 1:48.96 for second place in the finals of the RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships that converted to 1:48.38. With the runner-up finish at the conference championship, he was recognized as First Team All-RMAC. He broke the school record in the event at the Bryan Clay Invitational, running to a career-best time of 1:48.58 for a 25^th place finish in a field of 118 athletes across all divisions. On three occasions this outdoor season he has crossed the line in a sub-1:50 time in the event. During the indoor season he also earned First Team All-RMAC honors in the 800m run and was Second Team All-American with a 13^th place finish at the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 1:50.20. He additionally holds school records in the indoor 400m dash with a time of 48.96 at the 2026 SDSU Indoor Classic and the indoor 800m run with a time of 1:49.89 at the 2026 WSC NCAA Showdown.
 
Boyd, a senior distance runner from Niwot, Colorado, will enter the national championships with the No. 15 time in the nation in the 3,000m steeplechase, running to a career-best and school record time of 10:29.85 to win the ULV Leopard Invitational in April. The event is one of two school records she holds in outdoor track & field, as she broke the school's all-time mark for the second time this season in the 5,000m run at the Franson Last Chance this past weekend with a time of 16:56.38. Additionally, this season she has posted top-10 all-time marks in the 1,500m run and the 10,000m run, recording time a time of 4:38.32 to rank fifth in the 1,500m run also at the Franson Last Chance and a time of 37:29.73 to rank sixth in the 10,000m run at the Dr. Dan Caprioglio Invitational.
 
Goddard, a sophomore thrower from Haxtun, Colorado, will enter the national championships with the No. 16 mark in the nation in the discus throw, recording a distance of 49.24m (161' 6") at the UMary Last Chance to secure her spot. The qualifying mark also ranks second all-time in school history and is the top mark in the Yellow Jackets DII era. While only qualifying in the discus for the national championships, she did also notch an NCAA Provisional mark in the hammer throw earlier this season, ranking 30^th nationally in the event with a mark of 53.84m (176' 8") at the Mines Midweek & Multi, which ties for fifth in school history. At the RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships she earned First Team All-RMAC honors in the hammer throw with a third place finish and mark of 53.05m (174' 0"), while also finishing 11^th in the discus throw with a mark of 40.38m (132' 6").