UCI Heads to Arkansas for NCAA West First Round

Wednesday, May 27

Fayetteville, AR

12:00 PM PT

UC Irvine

NCAA West First Round

UCI Heads to Arkansas for NCAA West First Round

May 25, 2026 | Men's Track & Field

Live Results Meet Notes

NCAA West First Round
Date: Wednesday, May 27 & Friday, May 29
Location: John McDonnell Field - Fayetteville, Ark.
Meet Information

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's track & field has five student-athletes set to compete in the NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas, May 27-30. All the men's events will be contested on Wednesday and Friday at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

QUICK HITS
• UC Irvine placed fourth as a team at the Big West Championships (May 15-16).
• It was the Anteaters' best conference showing since 1992.
• UCI had five podium finishes, led by Kenechukwu Okonkwo, who won the triple jump title.
• Two 'Eaters are returning to the regional meet, while three are making their NCAA First Round debuts.

DARRIN CAMPBELL // Javelin // Graduate Student // 6-1 // Salem, Ore. // Major: Certificate Program
• Darrin Campbell qualified for the NCAA West First Round in the javelin with a season-best 64.24m (210-9).
• That mark came at the Beach Opener (March 6), which was his first meet as an Anteater.
• Campbell was a conference champion and NCAA D3 Championship qualifier at George Fox University.
• He set a PR 65.14 meters (213-8), while earning all-conference and All-West Region honors in 2025.

JOE DUGGAN // Discus // Graduate Student // 5-7 // Sudbury, Mass. // Major: Certificate Program
• Joe Duggan will be making his NCAA regional debut this week.
• Duggan qualified in the discus where he set a PR 56.62m (185-9) at the Steve Scott Invite on May 2.
• He made his way onto the podium at the Big West Championships, finishing third at 56.46m (185-3).
• Duggan won the event at the Triton Invitational and Challenge Cup in April.
• He is a graduate transfer from UMass Amherst.

JUSTIN JOHNSON // 200m // Sophomore // 6-0 // Sacramento, Calif. // Major: Undeclared
• Justin Johnson returns to the NCAA West First Round in the 200m.
• Johnson was the Big West runner-up with a personal-record 20.53.
• He also scored in the 100m at the conference meet, placing eighth in a wind-aided PR 10.39.
• Johnson ranks second in program history in both the 100m (10.40) and 200m (20.53).
• In addition, he was a member of the 4x100 that broke a 45-year-old school record at 39.84 on March 28.
• He has placed among the top-10 in all five of his 200m races this year.
• In 2025, Johnson advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal where he placed 22nd overall.

LOGAN LYGHT // 110m Hurdles // Junior // 6-4 // Orange, Calif. // Major: Sociology
• Logan Lyght qualified for the NCAA West First Round in the 110m hurdles.
• Lyght ran a wind-aided personal-record 13.92 at the Pacific Coast Invitational on April 16.
• He was a Big West scorer, placing fourth overall at the conference championships.
• Lyght ranks fifth in program history with a wind-legal PR 13.96, which he set in his UCI debut on March 7.
• The Southern California native spent his first two years at the University of Houston.

KENECHUKWU OKONKWO // Triple Jump // Senior // 6-3 // Colton, Calif. // Major: Biological Sciences
• Kenechukwu Okonkwo qualified for the NCAA West First Round in the triple jump for the third year in a row.
• Okonkwo has placed among the top-two in all five of his triple jump competitions this year.
• He most recently took home gold at the Big West Championships with a leap of 15.62m (51-3).
• Okonkwo was UCI's second Big West men's triple jump champion and first since 1983.
• He set a season-best and NCAA qualifying mark of 15.65m (51-4.25) at the Steve Scott Invitational.
• Okonkwo ranks second in school history with a personal-record 15.83m (51-11.25).

UP NEXT
The top-12 in each event will qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 10-13.