FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sophomore
Elizabeth Khatevi of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi track & field team further etched her name into program history on Saturday evening, punching her ticket to the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a historic run in the 1500m quarterfinals at the NCAA West First Round.
After narrowly securing her spot in Saturday's finale with a time of 4:21.69 in the preliminary round on Thursday, Khatevi entered the quarterfinals needing to either finish in the top five of the 12-person field in Heat 1 or record one of the two next best times outside of the 10 automatic qualifiers across the two heats. In what was a tight race throughout, Khatevi hung around the front of the pack before making her move at the beginning of the final lap, kicking to draw level with the leaders and holding on to her qualifying spot the rest of the way. The Kenyan crossed the line with a time of 4:09.80, breaking her own school record in the event set back at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 18 and finishing behind only Kaiya Robertson of Boise State at 4:09.17 and Carlee Hansen and Carmen Elder of BYU at 4:09.46 and 4:09.77 respectively.
By punching her ticket, Khatevi became the eighth Islander to ever qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and just fourth on the woman's side. She joins an elite list of some of the best A&M-Corpus Christi track & field athletes to ever don the blue and green, which consists of two-time national champion and Hall of Honor inductee Shadrack Songok in the 5000m in 2005 and 2006 and the 10000m in 2007 and 2008, Hickel Woolery in the discus in 2007 through 2009, Kassandrea Son in the long jump in both 2010 and 2012, Hannah McWilliams in the pole vault in 2018, Sashane Hanson in the high jump in 2019, Leonardo Ledgister in the 400m hurdles in 2021, and Trpimir Siroki in the decathlon in 2022. Of this group, five later went on to earn All-American status, with those being Songok three times, Woolery, Son, Hanson and Ledgister.
The trip to Eugene will be Khatevi's second different trip to the national stage this school year, as she also qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships back in November, coincidentally securing her spot in Fayetteville as well by winning the South Central Regional. At those nationals, she secured a 46
th place finish in a field of 262 competitors, recording the best-ever placement for an A&M-Corpus Christi woman and third-best overall behind only Songok, who took home seventh in 2007 and 19
th in 2006.
"I am beyond proud of the week and season all six of our athletes had," Islanders head coach
Bryan Jackson said. "They came to this meet and competed so well. This is a tough stage, and they all handled it and outperformed their rankings. Obviously, the statement is Elizabeth punching her ticket to nationals. She had a phenomenal weekend. It is very hard to be at this meet for the first time and get it done, but she did and she did it emphatically."
Khatevi will now take the next week to prepare before then taking her shot at glory on the campus of the University of Oregon, with the Outdoor Championships currently scheduled to take place from June 10-13.
Full Results
Men's Javelin
Jordan Bowling: 27th, 62.76m
Chase Hight: 34th, 60.68m
Women's Hammer Throw
Breyunna Dowell: 38th, 55.68m
Women's 1500m First Round
Q -
Elizabeth Khatevi: 32nd, 4:21.69
Phylis Kibet: 42nd, 4:25.72
Women's Shot Put
Natalia Rankin-Chitar: 22nd, 15.78m
Women's 1500m Quarterfinals
Q -
Elizabeth Khatevi, 10th, 4:09.80
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