Mean Green Prepped for NCAA West Preliminary Meet

Olu Williams at the American Outdoor Championships in Denton

5/21/2026 9:59:00 AM | Track & Field/XC

DENTON, Texas — A record-tying 19 UNT track and field student-athletes have earned berths to compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas, beginning Wednesday, May 27 and running through Saturday, May 30.

The Mean Green contingent ties the mark set in 2005, when 19 student-athletes went, but that included three relay teams compared to one this year. The meet consists of the first two rounds of the NCAA postseason. In order to qualify for the meet, individual athletes had to be ranked in the top 48 in their respective region.

Sophomore Oluwatimilehim Williams is the Mean Green's highest ranked entrant, as he enters the meet with the ninth-best throw in the country this year in discus (59.95 meters). That throw set a new program record at the American Conference Outdoor Championships last week in Denton, and he now has three of the top five marks in program history. Williams is also set to compete in the shot put as the 20th-ranked competitor with a season-best throw of 18.69 meters - also at last week's American Championships in Denton, giving him the top two throws in program history.

Sophomore Anthony Ward is the Mean Green's second-highest ranked competitor, as he'll enter the long jump competition ranked 14th nationally with a leap of 7.80 meters at last week's American Championships in Denton. He's followed by senior Hendrick Hundl, who's No. 17 ranking in the 110-meter hurdles puts him in position to qualify for the national finals. He'll be making his second appearance at the NCAA West Preliminary Round for UNT (went once for Sam Houston), as are Chase Lehr, Akeel Hanchard, Clarence McGill and Derrick Warren. Tyler Moore, who is ranked No. 20 in the 400 hurdles, competed as last year's Preliminary Round in College Station, Texas, for Little Rock.

Hanchard is ranked No. 22 in the javelin (68.22 meters), while Jason Patrick will compete in both the discus (No. 28) and hammer throw (No. 24). Marcus Kennedy will enter the meet ranked No. 34 in high jump, while Lehr will be ranked 33rd in the 800 (1:47.56) and Nehemiah Ray is ranked 48th in the 200. Dominique Hall will go in ranked 45th in triple jump (15.48 meters), and McGill will be a part of the men's 4x400 relay team ranked 14th along with Lehr, Ray and Chris Johnson, with Tahj Hamm and Derrick Warren as alternates.

On the women's side, freshmen Olivia Hildebrand and Lailah Hudson will be making their first appearances at the meet, while Mackenzie Kuehl, Ava Roberts and Aariyana Williams will be making their second appearances.

Williams is the highest ranked female for UNT, entering the 400 ranked 20th nationally. She also qualified in the 200 but won't run it because of the tight schedule with the two races being run minutes apart from each other. Kuehl is ranked No. 27 in the javelin (50.30 meters), while Hildebrand will go in ranked No. 36 in the discus with a throw of 52.20 meters. Hudson will be ranked 42nd in the 400 hurdles, while Roberts will enter the meet ranked 45th in shot put (15.39 meters).

The NCAA West Preliminary Rounds will be streamed live on ESPN+ each day, while live results will be provided by the NCAA. Twelve competitors from each individual event will advance from the first-round site to the NCAA Championships hosted in Eugene, Oregon, June 10-13.

UNT NCAA West Preliminary Rounds Schedule (All Times CT)
Wednesday // First Round
9:30 a.m. – Men's Hammer Throw (Jason Patrick)
2 p.m. – Men's Javelin (Akeel Hanchard)
6:30 p.m. – Men's Long Jump (Anthony Ward)
6 p.m. – Men's 110-Meter Hurdles (Hendrick Hundl)
7 p.m. – Men's Shot Put (Olu Williams)
7:50 p.m. – Men's 800 Meters (Chase Lehr)
8:20 p.m. – Men's 400-Meter Hurdles (Tyler Moore)
8:45 p.m. – Men's 200 Meters (Nehemiah Ray)

Thursday // First Round
2 p.m. – Women's Javelin (Mackenzie Kuehl)
7 p.m. – Women's Shot Put (Ava Roberts)
6 p.m. – Women's 100-Meter Hurdles (Morgan Taylor)
7:25 p.m. – Women's 400 Meters (Aariyana Williams)
8:20 p.m. – Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (Lailah Hudson)
8:45 p.m. – Women's 200 Meters (Aariyana Williams)

Friday // Quarterfinals
1 p.m. – Men's Discus First Round (Olu Williams, Jason Patrick)
2 p.m. – Men's High Jump Semifinals (Marcus Kennedy)
6 p.m. – Men's Triple Jump First Round (Dominique Hall)
7:05 p.m. – Men's 800 Meters
7:25 p.m. – Men's 400-Meter Hurdles
7:50 p.m. – Men's 200 Meters
8:15 p.m. – Men's 4x400 Relay (Clarence McGill, Chase Lehr, Nehemiah Ray, Chris Johnson, Derrick Warren, Tahj Hamm)

Saturday // Quarterfinals
1 p.m. – Women's Discus First Round (Olivia Hildebrand)
6:50 p.m. – Women's 400 Meters
7:25 p.m. – Women's 400-Meter Hurdles
7:50 p.m. – Women's 200 Meters