Eight members of WVU Track and Field begin competition Thursday in the 2026 NCAA East First Round. Read more: WVU Track and Field set to compete in NCAA East First Round.
The NCAA East First Round is a regional competition that serves as a preliminary round to determine which individuals advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The meet kicks off on Wednesday with men’s events, while the women’s events will begin on Thursday. The meet will conclude on Saturday.
This year, the East regional is taking place at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, while the West regional is at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
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Mountaineer participants
Kishay Rowe – 800 meters
Kishay Rowe is a junior from Warsop, Trelawny, Jamaica, set to compete in the 800 meters.
The event is scheduled for 7:50 PM on Thursday.
Rowe competed in the event at the 2026 Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships, finishing in 13th place with a time of 2:05.98.
Rowe also competed in the event at five other meets this season. Her fastest time was 2:04.03 at the 2026 Bryan Clay Invitational (April 16-18).
In the 2025 NCAA East First Round, Rowe also competed in the 800 meters, finishing in 25th place with a time of 2:03.98.
In Rowe’s freshman season with WVU, she won first place at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in the distance medley relay. She was also named to the 2024 All-Big 12 First Team.
Joy Naukot, Anastasia Chepkorir, Lexi Lamb and Emily Bryce – 10,000 meters
Joy Naukot, Anastasia Chepkorir, Lexi Lamb and Emily Bryce are all set to compete in the 10,000 meters.
The event kicks off at 9:10 PM on Thursday.
Naukot is a sophomore from Kapenguria, Kenya; Chepkorir is a junior from Kericho, Kenya; Lamb is a redshirt sophomore from Salem, West Virginia; and Bryce is a redshirt senior from Paisley, Ontario.
Naukot finished runner-up in the event at the 2026 Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships with a time of 34:05.40. She competed in the event one other time this season, finishing with a time of 32:07.73 at the Raleigh Relays (March 26-28).
Bryce finished in seventh place with a time of 34:41.75 at the 2026 Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships, while Chepkorir finished right behind her in eighth place with a time of 34:47.26. Lamb also competed but did not finish.
Naukot, Bryce and Chepkorir received All-Big 12 honors at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.
Naukot was also recently named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week on May 18.
Mercy Kinyanjui and Ronis Chelangat – 3,000 meter steeplechase
Mercy Kinyanjui and Ronis Chelangat are both set to compete in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.
The event is set for 5:40 PM on Saturday.
Kinyanjui is a junior from Kiambu, Kenya and Chelangat is a freshman from Baringo, Kenya.
At the 2026 Big 12 Outdoor Championships, Kinyanjui competed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, finishing runner-up with a time of 9:54.27. Chelangat finished in 15th place with a time of 10:47.57.
Kinyanjui also received All-Big 12 honors at the 2026 Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Prior to WVU, she competed at Toledo and won the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the MAC Outdoor Championships in her freshman season.
Annishka McDonald – High jump
Annishka McDonald is a redshirt junior from St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, set to compete in the high jump.
The event takes place at 2:00 PM on Saturday.
McDonald competed in the high jump at the 2026 Big 12 Outdoor Championships, finishing in 10th place after jumping 1.78 meters.
McDonald frequently participated in the event this season, finishing in first place at seven meets. Her best jump was 1.87 meters at the 2026 George Mason Dalton Ebanks Invitational (April 3-4).
This season, McDonald broke the WVU indoor and outdoor records in high jump.
McDonald competed in the high jump at the 2025 NCAA East First Round as well, finishing in 38th place after jumping 1.69 meters.
More on WVU Track and Field
West Virginia finished the 2026 Big 12 Outdoor Championships as a team with 18 points, tying for 13th place with Colorado. Texas Tech was the team winner with 114.5 points.
If any of the eight Mountaineer participants qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, they will travel to Eugene, Oregon, with the championship meet running from June 10-13.
For a full schedule of the NCAA East First Round, click here.
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