WILMINGTON, N.C. – Carolina University Track & Field opened its 2026 outdoor season this past weekend at the Seahawk Invite hosted by UNC Wilmington, turning in several personal bests and historic program milestones in the team's first outdoor competition of the year.

The Bruins showed strong early-season form on the track, highlighted by standout sprint performances from Jakori Taylor and Jerrod McClain.

Taylor delivered a pair of impressive races, posting a personal record of 23.03 in the 200 meters while also running 11.31 in the 100 meters, continuing his strong progression from the indoor season into outdoor competition.

McClain also competed in both sprint events, recording times of 11.62 in the 100 meters and 23.75 in the 200 meters, adding valuable points and depth to Carolina's sprint group.

In the distance events, Jose Gomez Baltazar represented the Bruins in the 1,500 meters, finishing with a time of 4:37 in his outdoor debut this season.

The meet also marked a historic milestone for the Carolina University Track & Field program. Selah Hampton became the first female athlete in program history to compete for the Bruins, competing in both the 400 meters (1:08) and the 200 meters (30.76).

Head Coach Caleb Thornburg praised the team's effort and growth in the season-opening meet.

"This was a great way to start our outdoor season," said Thornburg. "We saw multiple personal bests and a lot of competitive performances across the board. I'm especially proud of Jakori for his PR in the 200 and the consistency from Jerrod in the sprints. It was also a historic day for our program with Selah becoming the first woman to compete for Carolina Track & Field. That's a big step forward for us as a program, and we're excited to keep building from here."

The Bruins will continue their outdoor season in the coming weeks as they look to build momentum and improve on their early-season performances.