The Winthrop University Eagles track and field teams are set to compete at the 2026 Big South Outdoor Championships at High Point University, with athletes coming off a strong showing at the Duke Twilight invitational, according to the athletics department.
Competition at Dick Vert Stadium in High Point, North Carolina begins Monday, May 11, with preliminary rounds running through Tuesday and finals on Wednesday, May 13. Eight Big South programs are represented: Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, High Point, Longwood, Radford, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate, and Winthrop.
Eagles Enter on Strong Recent Results
At the Duke Twilight invitational, Winthrop athletes turned in several noteworthy performances. Tristen Patterson moved to No. 2 in Winthrop program history in the 400m with a personal-best time of 47.49 seconds. Jurnii Lucas ran the second-fastest time in school history in the 400-meter hurdles at 52.29, while Jade Reese set a new personal best in the women’s 100m at 12.08 seconds.
In the field, Faith Wood placed fourth in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 11.51 meters, and Maurion Jamison secured a top-10 finish in the men’s triple jump at 14.47 meters. The Winthrop men’s 4×100 relay team finished fourth with a time of 41.02 seconds.
New Coach, Rebuilt Rosters
Winthrop enters the championship meet under first-year head coach Raffael Craig. The men’s squad returns 25 athletes and added 10 newcomers this season, while the women’s team returns 16 and brought in 13 new competitors. The Eagles compete out of the Irwin Belk Complex on the Rock Hill campus.
The Big South Outdoor Championships mark the culmination of Winthrop’s regular-season track schedule. The meet at High Point’s Dick Vert Stadium determines individual and team conference champions across all field and running events. Winthrop athletes who qualify will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky, scheduled for May 27 through May 30.
Field events are contested as straight finals on their respective days, while running events go through preliminary rounds Monday and Tuesday before finals on Wednesday, May 13.
Source: winthropeagles.com, May 10, 2026.
