TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's track & field team opened the 2026 outdoor season on Saturday at the Rose-Hulman Early Bird Invitational, highlighted by a national qualifying performance and multiple marks that rank among the program's all-time bests.

Jerahmia Smith led the way with a dominant performance in the shot put, winning the event with a throw of 16.31 meters to hit the NAIA 'B' standard and secure his place at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships in May. The mark sits just shy of his own school record and signals a strong return to national-level form. Smith's qualification marks his second consecutive outdoor nationals appearance and fourth straight national meet berth between indoor and outdoor seasons.

As a team, the Pomeroys finished sixth overall with 55.5 points in a competitive eight-team field featuring strong regional competition.

The Pomeroys' throwing group proved to be a major strength throughout the meet. Tristin Benskin placed second in the shot put with a throw of 14.80 meters, a mark that aligns with the program's all-time top performances, while Lane Milner and Eli Cox added depth with additional scoring efforts.

Milner contributed in both the discus (39.67m, fifth place) and hammer throw (44.76m, seventh place), while Cox added a personal-best effort in the discus and placed fifth in the javelin (42.31m).

In the jumps, Abbott Church continued to perform at a high level, placing fourth in the triple jump (12.20m), a mark that closely mirrors his position among the program's all-time leaders. Church also added points in the high jump and long jump, contributing across multiple events.

Jaryn Patterson delivered a strong showing in the pole vault, clearing 3.75 meters, just shy of the program record, while also contributing to the team's relay efforts.

On the track, Joseph Vaughn led the sprint group with a sixth-place finish in the 200 meters (22.46), a time that matches the program's top indoor standard, while also scoring in the 100 meters.

The Pomeroys' relay teams added key points, highlighted by a second-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay (43.85). The 4x400-meter relay placed fifth with a time of 3:37.78, a mark that ranks among the program's strongest performances across seasons.

In distance competition, Jayden Hickenbotham placed eighth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:37.02, a performance that compares favorably with the program's top historical marks and signals continued progress in the distance group.

Overall, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods opened the outdoor campaign with a balanced effort across all event groups, combining national-level performances with multiple marks approaching program-record standards.

Up Next: Saint Mary-of-the-Woods returns to action on Saturday, March 28 at the Fightin' Engineers Spring Classic in Terre Haute, Indiana. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.