Cardinals Tie Program-Best with 14 Qualifications to NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Saturday, May 30

Lexington, KY

University of Louisville

NCAA East First Round

Alba Cuns Iglesias punches her ticket to the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships

Cardinals Tie Program-Best with 14 Qualifications to NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

May 30, 2026 | Track & Field

Results

Alba Cuns Iglesias punched the final ticket of the NCAA East First Round for the Cards in the women’s triple jump.

By: Sam Gercak

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Louisville track & field teams concluded competition at the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field East First Round on Saturday, finishing the meet with a total of 14 qualifications to next month's NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The 14 qualifications matches the 2009 team for the most in program history, while also standing as the highest total for the program since the NCAA moved to the current two-regional qualification system in 2010.

Alba Cuns Iglesias punched the final ticket of the week for the Cardinals in the women's triple jump, adding another chapter to her incredible comeback from a serious spinal injury that kept her out of competition for the entire 2024-25 season. The redshirt junior finished seventh in the East to secure her spot at NCAAs, putting down a wind-legal personal best mark of 13.27m (43-6.5) that improves on her No. 3 mark in program history.

Sharvari Parulekar also contested the women's triple jump, placing 28^th with a mark of 12.69m (41-7.75), while Athena Peterson closed her freshman season with a leap of 12.35m (40-6.25) to place 38^th.

A trio of Cardinals toed the line in the women's 5000m, with Nancy Chepleting leading the way and coming agonizingly close to her first career NCAAs qualification, finishing one spot away in 13^th with a time of 15:54.72. Emma McGill crossed the line in 16:07.97 to place 23^rd, while Eliza Nicholson finished 33^rd in 16:15.19.

Kaia Tupu-South narrowly missed out on her second NCAAs qualification of the week, placing 15^th in the women's discus throw with a mark of 53.80m (176-6) after punching her ticket in the women's shot put on Thursday afternoon.

The Cardinals will now turn their attention to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will take place from Jun. 10-13 in Eugene, Ore. at Hayward Field. The full list of Louisville's national qualifiers can be found below.

Louisville Qualifications to NCAA Outdoor Championships
KJ Byrd – Men's Decathlon
Ashley Callahan – Women's Pole Vault
Alba Cuns Iglesias – Women's Triple Jump
Eve Divinity – Women's Long Jump
Ryan Farrell – Men's 800m
Miller Jones – Men's Triple Jump
Elsingi Kipruto – Men's 5000m, Men's 10000m
Geoffrey Kirwa – Men's 3000m Steeplechase
Roman Kuleshov – Men's Long Jump, Men's Triple Jump
Ty McPhail – Men's Pole vault
Iliana Triantafyllou – Women's Pole Vault
Kaia Tupu-South – Women's Shot Put

NCAA East First Round – Day Four
May 30, 2026
Lexington, Ky. | University of Kentucky Outdoor Track & Field Facility

* = Personal Record
DNS = Did Not Start

Women's 5000m
Nancy Chepleting – 15:54.72
Emma McGill – 16:07.97
Eliza Nicholson – 16:15.19

Women's Triple Jump
Alba Cuns Iglesias – 13.27m (43-6.5) *
Sharvari Parulekar – 12.69m (41-7.75)
Athena Peterson – 12.35m (40-6.25)
Anna Panenko – DNS

Women's Discus Throw
Kaia Tupu-South – 53.80m (176-6)

For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagramand X account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.