Saturday, May 23
La Crosse, WI
UC Santa Cruz Athletics
at
NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Hofstetter and Kim Headline 2026 NCAA Championships
5/22/2026 5:45:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
LA CROSSE, Wi. – The UC Santa Cruz men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up the outdoor season with stellar performances from Elena Stanciu, Nia Kim, and Evan Hofstetter at the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday and Friday. Evan Hofstetter highlighted the Championships with a fourth place finish in the decathlon, earning First Team All-American honors while Nia Kim earned Second Team All-American honors in the heptathlon. Elena Stanciu also showed well, finishing in the top 20 in the 1500m in her third NCAA Championship meet.
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Nia Kim – Heptathlon
The first year star made her NCAA Outdoor Track and Field debut in the heptathlon, finishing the two day competition with 4736 points. Kim started the competition on Thursday, running a 14.69 in the 100m hurdles before jumping 1.59m in high jump. Kim later threw 9.88m in shot put and closed out day one with a 26.19 second 200m. On day two, Kim jumped 5.70m in long jump to get things started before throwing 20.94m in javelin and ending the meet with a 2:24.72 in the 800m. Overall, Nia Kim finished in 13th place to earn Second Team All-American honors, her second of her young career following a strong showing during the Indoor Championships.
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Evan Hofstetter – Decathlon
The junior standout earned his second career First Team All-American honor, finishing in fourth place overall at the NCAA Championships with a lifetime personal best score of 6986 points. Notably, Hofstetter won three of the four running events, taking first in the 100m, 400m, and 1500m. Hofstetter started his two day competition with a 10.90 second 100m, the only decathlete in the field to run under 11 seconds. Hofstetter carried the momentum into the long jump, winning his second straight event with a 7.15m jump. In shot pot, Hofstetter threw a personal best of 11.30m before jumping 1.74m in high jump. Hofstetter closed out day one with another event win, running a 48.33 in the 400m, finishing as the only sub 49 second runner in the field.
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After a 3767 point day one performance, Hofstetter opened day two with a 16.73s 110m hurdle race before throwing 34.96m in discus. Hofstetter added 631 points to his score in the pole vault with a 4.05m clearance and hit a strong personal best of 46.74m in the javelin. Hofstetter turned heads in the final event, turning in a blistering 4:17.23 to move from sixth place to fourth place, recording the fields only sub 4:20 time and just one of three sub 4:35 times.
Elena Stanciu – 1500m
Stanciu earned a 19th place finish in the 1500m on Thursday evening. The junior took 19th place overall with a time of 4:33.29 while finishing eighth in her heat.
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Nia Kim – Heptathlon
The first year star made her NCAA Outdoor Track and Field debut in the heptathlon, finishing the two day competition with 4736 points. Kim started the competition on Thursday, running a 14.69 in the 100m hurdles before jumping 1.59m in high jump. Kim later threw 9.88m in shot put and closed out day one with a 26.19 second 200m. On day two, Kim jumped 5.70m in long jump to get things started before throwing 20.94m in javelin and ending the meet with a 2:24.72 in the 800m. Overall, Nia Kim finished in 13th place to earn Second Team All-American honors, her second of her young career following a strong showing during the Indoor Championships.
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Evan Hofstetter – Decathlon
The junior standout earned his second career First Team All-American honor, finishing in fourth place overall at the NCAA Championships with a lifetime personal best score of 6986 points. Notably, Hofstetter won three of the four running events, taking first in the 100m, 400m, and 1500m. Hofstetter started his two day competition with a 10.90 second 100m, the only decathlete in the field to run under 11 seconds. Hofstetter carried the momentum into the long jump, winning his second straight event with a 7.15m jump. In shot pot, Hofstetter threw a personal best of 11.30m before jumping 1.74m in high jump. Hofstetter closed out day one with another event win, running a 48.33 in the 400m, finishing as the only sub 49 second runner in the field.
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After a 3767 point day one performance, Hofstetter opened day two with a 16.73s 110m hurdle race before throwing 34.96m in discus. Hofstetter added 631 points to his score in the pole vault with a 4.05m clearance and hit a strong personal best of 46.74m in the javelin. Hofstetter turned heads in the final event, turning in a blistering 4:17.23 to move from sixth place to fourth place, recording the fields only sub 4:20 time and just one of three sub 4:35 times.
Elena Stanciu – 1500m
Stanciu earned a 19th place finish in the 1500m on Thursday evening. The junior took 19th place overall with a time of 4:33.29 while finishing eighth in her heat.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Women's Track and Field
Middle Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
