University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Wednesday, June 10
Eugene, Ore. / Hayward Feld
Southern Miss
vs
NCAA DI Outdoor Championships (Day One)
Two Golden Eagles Ready for NCAA Division I Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships
6/9/2026 1:51:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss men's track and field athletes Tyler Nichols and Tyler Hughes head to Eugene, Oregon, for the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Both athletes qualified after finishing in the top 12 of their respective events at the NCAA East Region First Rounds in Lexington, Kentucky, two weeks ago.
"We're excited about both our athletes competing this week in Eugene," said track and field head coach Jon Stuart. "All the work that got them here is already done and this week will serve as a chance for the nation to see the fruits of their labor over the last year. We're looking forward to some great performances from both our entries. Tyler Nichols has already seen this level of competition at this year's indoor championships and now has a great chance to be a First-Team All-American in outdoor as well."
Nichols leads the off the week for Southern Miss with his entry in the men's long jump with a scheduled start time of 8:40 p.m. CT (6:40 p.m. PT) on Wednesday, June 10. All flights of the long jump will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Nichols will jump out of the second flight as the fourth entry. He finished second overall at the NCAA East Region with a national championship qualifying mark of 26-4½ (8.04m +0.2m/s). His seed mark is the fourth-best of the long jump field though his personal best and Sun Belt Conference Championship record of 26-10½ (8.19m) sees him at second overall in the field.
Hughes takes on the men's high jump on Friday, June 12, beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. PT). Hughes also makes his outdoor championship debut after finishing 12th at the NCAA East First Rounds via jump off with a qualifying mark of 6-11 (2.11m).
Hughes is seeded 23rd overall in the 24-man field and will jump second in flight No. 1. His personal and season-best mark of 7-1 (2.16m) places him in contention for the podium Friday night in Eugene.
Prior Southern Miss Men's Track and Field National Champion Entries
100 meters
2018 – 6th. McKinley West (20.84)
110-meter hurdles
2000 – SF. Wenston Riley (13.76)
2001 – 5th. Wenston Riley (14.03)
2014 – 17th. Randy McCoy (14.07)
200 meters
2018 – 8th. McKinley West (20.84)
400 meters
2007 – 10th. Cornelius Duncan (46.20)
2025 – 18th. Kelsey Singleton (46.14)
4x100-meter relay
2018 – 6th. (39.49)
High Jump
2003 – 3rd Cedric Norman (7-4½)
2004 – T-9th. Cedric Norman (7-1½)
2021 – T-19th. Eric Richard (6-10¾)
2022 – 10th. Corvell Todd (7½)
2023 – T-20th Zayne Palomino (6-9)
2026 – Tyler Hughes
Long Jump
2011 – 21st. Ramon Crockett (24-3½)
2025 – 12th. De'Aundre Ward (25-4½)
2026 - Tyler Nichols
Triple Jump
2018 – 15th. John Waren (52½)
Javelin Throw
2013 – 20th. Kyle Smith (208-8)
2016 – 4th. Emron Gibbs (244-10)
2017 – 20th. Emron Gibbs (219)
Decathlon
2000 – 8th. Jason Wilson (7,521)
"We're excited about both our athletes competing this week in Eugene," said track and field head coach Jon Stuart. "All the work that got them here is already done and this week will serve as a chance for the nation to see the fruits of their labor over the last year. We're looking forward to some great performances from both our entries. Tyler Nichols has already seen this level of competition at this year's indoor championships and now has a great chance to be a First-Team All-American in outdoor as well."
Nichols leads the off the week for Southern Miss with his entry in the men's long jump with a scheduled start time of 8:40 p.m. CT (6:40 p.m. PT) on Wednesday, June 10. All flights of the long jump will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Nichols will jump out of the second flight as the fourth entry. He finished second overall at the NCAA East Region with a national championship qualifying mark of 26-4½ (8.04m +0.2m/s). His seed mark is the fourth-best of the long jump field though his personal best and Sun Belt Conference Championship record of 26-10½ (8.19m) sees him at second overall in the field.
Hughes takes on the men's high jump on Friday, June 12, beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. PT). Hughes also makes his outdoor championship debut after finishing 12th at the NCAA East First Rounds via jump off with a qualifying mark of 6-11 (2.11m).
Hughes is seeded 23rd overall in the 24-man field and will jump second in flight No. 1. His personal and season-best mark of 7-1 (2.16m) places him in contention for the podium Friday night in Eugene.
Prior Southern Miss Men's Track and Field National Champion Entries
100 meters
2018 – 6th. McKinley West (20.84)
110-meter hurdles
2000 – SF. Wenston Riley (13.76)
2001 – 5th. Wenston Riley (14.03)
2014 – 17th. Randy McCoy (14.07)
200 meters
2018 – 8th. McKinley West (20.84)
400 meters
2007 – 10th. Cornelius Duncan (46.20)
2025 – 18th. Kelsey Singleton (46.14)
4x100-meter relay
2018 – 6th. (39.49)
High Jump
2003 – 3rd Cedric Norman (7-4½)
2004 – T-9th. Cedric Norman (7-1½)
2021 – T-19th. Eric Richard (6-10¾)
2022 – 10th. Corvell Todd (7½)
2023 – T-20th Zayne Palomino (6-9)
2026 – Tyler Hughes
Long Jump
2011 – 21st. Ramon Crockett (24-3½)
2025 – 12th. De'Aundre Ward (25-4½)
2026 - Tyler Nichols
Triple Jump
2018 – 15th. John Waren (52½)
Javelin Throw
2013 – 20th. Kyle Smith (208-8)
2016 – 4th. Emron Gibbs (244-10)
2017 – 20th. Emron Gibbs (219)
Decathlon
2000 – 8th. Jason Wilson (7,521)
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Players Mentioned
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