Five Vols Punch Tickets To Eugene, Six Advance To NCAA Quarterfinals

Zouhair Redouane - 2026 NCAA East Prelims

Five Vols Punch Tickets To Eugene, Six Advance To NCAA Quarterfinals

May 27, 2026 | Track & Field

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Tennessee men's track & field program opened the 2026 NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Wednesday with five athletes qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, set for June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon. Additionally, six Vol sprinters and hurdlers advanced to Friday's NCAA quarterfinal rounds in Lexington.

To advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, athletes must finish among the top 12 in their respective events at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.

Sophomore thrower Igor Olaru punched UT's first ticket to Eugene with a fifth-place finish in the men's hammer throw, recording a mark of 68.48 meters (224-8). The Moldovan international will make his second consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance and first as a Vol after qualifying out of the West Region last season while competing for Baylor.

JL Van Rensburg became the second Tennessee thrower to qualify for the national meet, winning the men's shot put with a toss of 19.63 meters (64-5). The Mossel Bay, South Africa, native secured his second NCAA appearance as a Vol after qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year.

Tennessee advanced two athletes to Eugene in the men's pole vault as Ismaila Sawaneh and Blake Sifferlin each earned top-12 finishes Wednesday. Sawaneh cleared 5.45 meters (17-10.5) to place fifth overall, while Sifferlin finished 12th with a clearance of 5.35 meters (17-6.5). UT has now qualified multiple men's pole vaulters for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in consecutive seasons, with both Sawaneh and Sifferlin set to make their first career appearances at the outdoor national meet.

Zouhair Redouane capped Wednesday's action in the men's 10,000-meter semifinal, placing fourth overall in 28:50.95. The performance secured his first trip to Eugene and marked his second NCAA qualification of the academic year after earning a berth to the NCAA Cross Country Championships this past fall.

Wednesday's action also saw six Tennessee sprinters and hurdlers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals by finishing among the top three in their respective heats during the opening rounds.

Junior Kalib Branch claimed his quarterfinal berth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.80 seconds, placing third in his heat for the automatic qualification spot.

Traunard Folson and Davonte Howell each advanced out of the men's 100-meter first round, clocking 10.07 and 10.09, respectively. Folson earned a heat victory with his performance, while Howell placed second in his race to automatically qualify for the quarterfinals.

In the 400-meter hurdles, Marc Anthony Ibrahim posted a season-best 49.17 to win his heat and record the top qualifying time of the day. His mark also moved him to sixth on Tennessee's all-time performance list. Calvin Wetzel joined Ibrahim in advancing after clocking a season-best 50.22 to place third in his heat.

Folson and T'Mars McCallum rounded out Tennessee's quarterfinal qualifiers in the 200-meter dash, finishing seventh and 14th overall with times of 20.36 and 20.50, respectively. Folson earned his second heat victory of the evening, while McCallum secured an automatic qualifying spot with a runner-up finish in his heat.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols open competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds on Thursday, beginning with Caley Sosnowski and Brett Jones in the women's javelin at approximately 1 p.m. ET. Day two in Lexington concludes with Ka'Myya Haywood competing in the first round of the women's 800-meter at approximately 7:50 p.m. ET.