The Tulane University track and field teams are nearing the end of their 2025-2026 season with a series of competitive performances across both the indoor and outdoor campaigns.
With strong performances from key players, the program gained momentum throughout the season.
The season began in December 2025 with the Birmingham Icebreaker in Alabama. An indoor campaign, both teams held their own.
Sophomore Charlotte Elliston was the winner of the women’s pole vault, reaching 3.85 meters, while senior Zander Dunbar won the men’s 1000-meter, setting a meet record at 2:28:20. Both set career best records.
The next two invitationals were back-to-back in January.
The Rod McCravy Memorial at the University of Kentucky in Louisville saw the women’s team secure strong results. The highlight was Elena Liano-Rengel, a junior who scored fourth in the mile and secured the best performance of the team against fierce competition.
At the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee, field athletes proved to be some of the toughest competitors. Junior Sofie Groeninger threw a 13.98 meter in the shot put, one of the strongest results in Tulane’s history. On the track side, junior Petra Dos Santos ran the 3000- meter at a record time of 9:28:88, finishing third overall.
The teams ended January with the Lenny Lyles Invitational in Louisville and the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, Massachusetts. In Louisville, sophomore Presley Wolfe finished second in the pole vault and broke another program history record.
In Boston, sophomores Bernard Cheruiyot and Silas Kiptanui achieved personal bests in the 3000-meter.
February proved to be the busiest month of the season with five matches.
One standout was the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University. Liano-Rengel continued to break program records in the mile, while first-year Dana Rojas Vazquez ran 9:34:45 and earned the seventh-best mark in program history.
The team had disappointing results in the American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship in Birmingham, with most players ranking below the top five in their events and Tulane ultimately ranking fifth.
In March, Cheruiyot and Kiptanui showed outstanding performances in the NCAA Indoor Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Both athletes were awarded All-American honors, Cheruiyot receiving an honorable mention in the 10,000-meter and Kiptanui earning Second-Team honors in the 3000-meter.
The Louisiana Classics in Lafayette yielded stronger results, with graduate student Cara Salsberry earning a win in the hammer throw and sophomore Nahema Dumonteil Cabanas winning in the 400-meter hurdle race. Salsberry also broke a program record in the discus.
The team lost some momentum during the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, North Carolina. The only top-five result came from Wolfe, who placed fifth in the pole vault with a mark of 3.72-meter.
The most recent invitational took place at College Station, Texas. The 44 Farms Team Invitational seemed to indicate a gradual comeback. Graduate student Aiden Yang finished eighth in men’s javelin, and sophomore Jasper Newton earned ninth place in the women’s 800-meter.
Despite some setbacks, Tulane’s track and field program is beginning to wind down from one of its strongest seasons in history. The combination of returning athletes and developing talent positions the program to continue building momentum toward the end of a triumphant season.