Tulane enters the American Outdoor Track and Field Championships looking to build on last season's program-best finishes.
The Tulane Green Wave track and field team had a stellar 2025-26 campaign as they look to close out the season now with some momentum, top-100 national marks, and some program records. The team is heading to Denton, Tx. For the three-day American Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which begin on Thursday at Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium, hosted by the North Texas Mean Green.
The three-day event will stream on ESPN+. The Green Wave set a high bar last season in the conference meet, with the women playing fourth and the men placing seventh, and they’ll look to match or exceed both those marks.
There is a myriad of top performers who have seen national rankings, including Silas Kiptanui who placed fifth nationally in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 8:25.16. Blezzin Kimutai placed 57th in the 10,000m with a time of 33:28.35, and set the program record at the Bryan Clay Invitational placing 97th in the 5,000m with a time of 15:41.81. Cara Salsberry ranks 67th nationally in the hammer throw with a 59.54m program record set at the Tom Tellez Invitational. Sofie Groeninger is 60th in the heptathlon with a total of 5,264 points. Rogerio Amaral ranks 100th nationally in the 10,000m with a time of 29:10.35.
The slate will begin on Thursday with Groeninger opening in the heptathlon, Salsberry in hammer, and Aiden Yang in javelin. The women’s 1,500m prelims will feature Dana Rojas Vazquez, Jasper Newton and Elena Liano-Rengel). Illia Kunin, Rogerio Amaral, Paul James Pam, and Gilbert Rono will race in the men’s event. Marissa Gordon and Zaria Parker will hit the track on the women’s side in the 200m, while Alexander Montoro and Andrew Bamberg will compete for the men. Dumonteil Cabanas will compete in the 400m hurdles. To close out the day, Blezzin Kimutai is set to run for the women in the 10,000m, while Juan Giron and Tommy Rice will round out the men’s side.
The team will continue competing across the three-day event that will be covered here, and it will all build to their next competition as they eye the NCAA Championship First Round in Lexington, Ky. From May 27 to 30. Should Tulane have any national qualifiers who participate and potentially advance, they would finish off the season in the NCAA Outdoor Championship on June 10 to 13 in Eugene, Or – and strong national marks should position some Green Wave athletes to do just that.