UC San Diego’s track and field team began its 2026 indoor season at the Nevada Invitational in Reno, held at the Reno Sparks Convention Center. The event took place over two days, Friday and Saturday.
Makena Bailey set a new program record in the high jump, clearing 1.75 meters on her third attempt after being one of two athletes to clear 1.72 meters on her first try. “That won her the event and cleared the school record, which was previously at 1.71m,” according to UC San Diego Athletics.
Freshman Keani Neuhs also broke a program record in the 800-meter race during her collegiate debut, finishing tenth with a time of 2:18.39. Jayla Addison, another freshman making her debut in the same race, finished thirteenth with a time of 2:21.11 and is now second all-time on the school’s leaderboard for that event.
Miles Bennett placed second in the high jump after a jump-off, recording a final mark of 2.09 meters—just below his own program record from last season.
Other notable performances included Chinanu Agunanne moving to second all-time for UC San Diego in the triple jump with a mark of 12.05 meters; Zach Lewis achieving second place on the school’s shot put list with a throw of 16.79 meters; and Gabriella Lopez reaching second all-time for both shot put (10.68 meters) and weight throw (14.19 meters).
The Tritons brought 21 scholar-athletes to their season opener, marking only their second year sponsoring an indoor track and field program as part of their transition into NCAA Division I competition.
Seven Tritons made their collegiate debuts during this meet: Jayla Addison, Toni Chambers, Obioma Emechete, Eden Enoru, Keani Neuhs, Alana Ortiz and Brooke White.
The team’s next competition will be at Riverfront Multis in Spokane, Washington from February 5-7.
“After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I,” stated UC San Diego Athletics.
For more information about UC San Diego Athletics or to follow updates about upcoming events and results visit https://ucsdtritons.com or follow @UCSDtritons on social media.
