University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Trio of Individuals, One Relay Qualify for 2026 NCAA Indoors
March 04, 2026 | Track & Field
The UCLA track & field team has earned three individual selections, and one relay selection, to compete at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships, it was announced by the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross Country Committee on Tuesday night.
Three Bruins, two on the women's side and one on the men's side, were individual qualifiers. Graduate sprinter/hurdler Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck (women's 60m hurdles) will be making her third trip to NCAA Indoors, while senior Michael Pinckney (men's weight throw) and sophomore Valentina Fakrogha (women's high jump) booked their first-ever trip to NCAA Indoors.
In addition, the quartet of Ava Simms, Taylor Snaer, Kayla McBride, and Naomi Johnson earned qualification in the women's 4x400 relay.
Ndjip-Nyemeck earned the Bruins' top seed at No. 8 in the women's 60mH. Her season-best time of 7.96, accomplished in the finals of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invite in Albuquerque, N.M., was a school record. She was the runner-up in the 60mH at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, and was ranked as high as No. 1 in the country in that event earlier in the 2026 campaign.
Pinckney enters NCAAs as the No. 10 seed in the weight throw. His best mark of 22.72m, accomplished at the Big Ten Championships en route to a silver medal, is a school record. It marked the third time this year that Pinckney broke his own school record in the WT.
Fakrogha secured the No. 14 seed in the HJ after reaching a clearance of 1.86m (6-1.25) at the Arkansas Qualifier in mid-February. That mark is good for No. 2 in school history. Fakrogha was a medalist at the Big Ten Indoor Championships after finishing third with a mark of 1.81m (5-11.25).
UCLA's women's 4x400 relay is coming off a strong showing at the Big Ten Championships, coming in third at 3:30.93. The Bruins received the No. 11 seed in that race.
The 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships will be held on Mar. 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
Players Mentioned
