The Colorado Buffaloes men’s distance medley relay team has qualified for the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, marking the first time since 1994 that a men’s DMR squad from Colorado will compete at the national event. The announcement was made on March 10.
This qualification is significant as it ends a more than three-decade absence for the men’s DMR at this level. The achievement highlights progress under head coach Sean Carlson, who now leads the program after Mark Wetmore’s tenure began in 1996.
The qualifying quartet—Justine Kipkoech, Danny Tragarz, Drew Costelow, and Isaiah Givens—secured their spot with a record-breaking run of 9:19 at the Colorado Last Chance meet, surpassing the previous school record. In addition to the relay team, five athletes from Colorado will participate in the championships, which is the most since six qualified in 2022. Avery Pearson will compete in the 800 meters, while both Givens and Kipkoech also earned spots in the mile event alongside their roles on the relay team.
The men’s distance medley relay is scheduled to take place in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time and will be streamed live on ESPN+. Other teams entered include Michigan (9:14.80), Oregon (9:14.88), Virginia Tech (9:15.05), Villanova (9:16.10), Virginia (9:16.75), Northern Arizona (9:16.98), Washington (9:17.03), Arkansas (9:17.30), Wisconsin (9:18.44), Penn State (9:18.58), and BYU (9:18.97).
For further details about schedules and results for Colorado track and field, fans are encouraged to visit CUBuffs.com or follow @CUBuffsTrack on social media.
