Freimanis and Podnar to Compete at NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) – Two Carnegie Mellon University men's indoor track and field athletes have received an invite to compete at the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 21-23. This year's championships is hosted by the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and will be held at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Sophomore Luke Freimanis and senior Ryan Podnar will represent Carnegie Mellon in Wisconsin. Freimanis will be competing in the 110-meter hurdles with Podnar running the 10,000-meter race.

Freimanis enters the championships 11th after recording a school record time of 14.13 seconds to win the 110-meter hurdles at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships. Podnar is ranked 22nd in the 10,000-meter run with a best time of 29:54.49. His 10,000-meter time came in April at the Bison Outdoor Classic.

Freimanis has competed on the national stage during the indoor season the past two years, earning All-America recognition in the heptathlon with a second-place finish in 2025 and a 15th-place finish this past winter. An injury last year during the outdoor season kept Freimanis from reaching the national meet, as he earned All-Region honors for his time of 14.70 in the 110-meter hurdles.

Podnar is making his first appearance at the NCAA Track and Field Championships after earning All-America honors as a junior in cross country.

The 10,000-meter run is Thursday, May 21 at 8:15 p.m. with the preliminaries of the 110-meter hurdles on Friday, May 22 at 4:25 p.m. CT.