Saturday, March 14
Fayetteville, AR
University of Louisville
at
NCAA Indoor Championships
Byrd, Callahan Earn All-American Honors to Close NCAA Indoor Championships
March 14, 2026 | Track & Field
KJ Byrd finished as the national runner-up in the men’s heptathlon, and Ashley Callahan placed sixth in the women’s pole vault.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Louisville track & field teams concluded their indoor season on Saturday with the second and final day of the 2026 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.
KJ Byrd finished as the national runner-up in the men's heptathlon, finishing with a total of 6,132 points as he improved five spots from his seventh-place finish in the event as a freshman at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships.
In the process, the sophomore from Connelly Springs, N.C. posted an unbelievable mark of 5.57m (18-3.25) in the pole vault that set a new American record and broke his own collegiate record for pole vault in a heptathlon while also ranking as the third-best heptathlon pole vault mark in world history.
The clearance also bettered his own Louisville program record in the open pole vault of 5.55m (18-2.5) that he set at the ACC Indoor Championships on Feb. 26.
Over the course of the seven events, Byrd also posted personal bests of 7.46m (24-5.75) in the long jump and 2:43.36 in the 1000m to claim the silver, the best finish for a Louisville male in any event at the indoor national championship meet since 2007, when Tone Belt (long jump) and Andre Black (triple jump) both won NCAA titles.
With Byrd's runner-up finish and Elsingi Kipruto's fourth-place showing in the men's 5000m on Friday night, the Louisville men finished the meet in a tie for 19th in the team standings with a total of 13 points, the second-best finish for the men in program history.
In the women's pole vault, Ashley Callahan made the most of her NCAA Indoor Championships debut, clearing a pair of personal-best marks to place sixth and earn First Team All-American distinction with a final bar of 4.56m (14-11.5).
The redshirt senior bettered the previous record of 4.50m (14-9) twice with clearances at 4.51m (14-9.5) and 4.56m (14-11.5) on Saturday to match the best finish for a Louisville pole vaulter at the indoor national championships.
Iliana Triantafyllou also contested the women's pole vault in Fayetteville, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors to cap a breakout indoor season that saw her improve her personal record on four different occasions throughout the year on her way to her first NCAA Championships qualification.
The Louisville women finished tied for 43rd with Callahan's three points, continuing a streak of six straight years where the women's team has scored at the indoor national championship meet.
Additionally, the 16 combined points between the men's and women's teams marks the second-best combined performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships in program history, trailing only the 21 points that the men's team scored in 2007.
The Cardinals will now turn their attention to the outdoor oval, as the squads are set to open the 2026 outdoor campaign next weekend on Mar. 20-21. Louisville will field athletes at both the USF Alumni Invitational in Tampa, Fla. and the Black and Gold Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships – Day Two
March 14, 2026
Fayetteville, Ark. | Randal Tyson Track Center
* = Personal Record
(sr) = School Record
(cr) = Collegiate Record
(ar) = American Record
NH = No Height
Women's Pole Vault
Ashley Callahan – 4.56m (14-11.5) * (sr)
Iliana Triantafyllou – NH
Men's Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 6,132 points
Men's 1000m – Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 2:43.36 *
Men's 60m Hurdles – Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 8.22
Men's Pole Vault – Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 5.57m (18-3.25) * (sr) (cr) (ar)
For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram and X account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.
KJ Byrd finished as the national runner-up in the men's heptathlon, finishing with a total of 6,132 points as he improved five spots from his seventh-place finish in the event as a freshman at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships.
In the process, the sophomore from Connelly Springs, N.C. posted an unbelievable mark of 5.57m (18-3.25) in the pole vault that set a new American record and broke his own collegiate record for pole vault in a heptathlon while also ranking as the third-best heptathlon pole vault mark in world history.
The clearance also bettered his own Louisville program record in the open pole vault of 5.55m (18-2.5) that he set at the ACC Indoor Championships on Feb. 26.
Over the course of the seven events, Byrd also posted personal bests of 7.46m (24-5.75) in the long jump and 2:43.36 in the 1000m to claim the silver, the best finish for a Louisville male in any event at the indoor national championship meet since 2007, when Tone Belt (long jump) and Andre Black (triple jump) both won NCAA titles.
With Byrd's runner-up finish and Elsingi Kipruto's fourth-place showing in the men's 5000m on Friday night, the Louisville men finished the meet in a tie for 19th in the team standings with a total of 13 points, the second-best finish for the men in program history.
In the women's pole vault, Ashley Callahan made the most of her NCAA Indoor Championships debut, clearing a pair of personal-best marks to place sixth and earn First Team All-American distinction with a final bar of 4.56m (14-11.5).
The redshirt senior bettered the previous record of 4.50m (14-9) twice with clearances at 4.51m (14-9.5) and 4.56m (14-11.5) on Saturday to match the best finish for a Louisville pole vaulter at the indoor national championships.
Iliana Triantafyllou also contested the women's pole vault in Fayetteville, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors to cap a breakout indoor season that saw her improve her personal record on four different occasions throughout the year on her way to her first NCAA Championships qualification.
The Louisville women finished tied for 43rd with Callahan's three points, continuing a streak of six straight years where the women's team has scored at the indoor national championship meet.
Additionally, the 16 combined points between the men's and women's teams marks the second-best combined performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships in program history, trailing only the 21 points that the men's team scored in 2007.
The Cardinals will now turn their attention to the outdoor oval, as the squads are set to open the 2026 outdoor campaign next weekend on Mar. 20-21. Louisville will field athletes at both the USF Alumni Invitational in Tampa, Fla. and the Black and Gold Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships – Day Two
March 14, 2026
Fayetteville, Ark. | Randal Tyson Track Center
* = Personal Record
(sr) = School Record
(cr) = Collegiate Record
(ar) = American Record
NH = No Height
Women's Pole Vault
Ashley Callahan – 4.56m (14-11.5) * (sr)
Iliana Triantafyllou – NH
Men's Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 6,132 points
Men's 1000m – Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 2:43.36 *
Men's 60m Hurdles – Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 8.22
Men's Pole Vault – Heptathlon
KJ Byrd – 5.57m (18-3.25) * (sr) (cr) (ar)
For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram and X account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.
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