V-Hawks Qualify Three in Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA announced Wednesday the final list of qualifiers for the 2026 Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, and the Viterbo University Athletics Department is proud to have three V-Hawks advancing to the national stage.
Izzy Keck will make her first appearance at the 2026 Outdoor National Championships after a breakout spring season in the pole vault. Keck qualified with a 4.03m vault at the CCAC Championships on May 2, the second-best mark in the NAIA this year. Her rise follows a strong indoor campaign in which she finished ninth in the pole vault with a 3.65m performance, just one spot shy of All-American honors. Since then, Keck has continued to elevate her performance, surpassing the four-meter barrier and breaking program records. She climbed to #2 in the NAIA this season and #6 all-time in NAIA pole vault history.
Emily Ludwig will join Keck in the pole vault field, earning an outdoor national qualification after clearing 3.78m at the CCAC Championships. Her runner-up finish behind Keck secured an 'A' standard mark and capped a spring of steady improvement. Ludwig also competed at the 2026 Indoor National Championships, where she placed 16th out of 24 with a 3.55m vault. Since then, she has surpassed that height twice, including her new personal best at the CCAC Championships.
Avery Poppe returns to the national stage in the heptathlon after an exceptional freshman season in which she earned All-American honors with a score of 4557 points. Now a sophomore, Poppe has continued to build on that success. She narrowly missed All-American status in the indoor pentathlon this winter, scoring 3434 points, just 16 shy of All-American honors. Outdoors, she has had a breakthrough, posting a career-best 4811 points in the heptathlon and setting new personal records in both the 200m and the 100m hurdles. Poppe enters the national meet ranked 5th in the NAIA and is the top sophomore in the field, one of only three underclassmen competing in the event. Poppe is no stranger to competing against older athletes, having been the only freshman in last year's heptathlon and one of just five underclassmen in the 2026 indoor multi-event field.
The 2026 Outdoor National Championships will take place May 20-22 in Asheville, North Carolina. The heptathlon begins May 20 at 9:15 a.m. CT with the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200m, and concludes May 21 with the long jump, javelin, and 800m. Keck and Ludwig will compete in the pole vault at 10:30 a.m. CT on May 20.