INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Three members of the Gustavus track & field team have been selected to go to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, the NCAA announced Friday night. Molly Liston will compete in the 10,000-meter, Ava Loftness in the triple jump, and Connor McCormick in the decathlon. 

Senior Molly Liston (Richfield, Minn.) is capping off an illustrious career at Gustavus by making the Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meter. Liston traveled to the site of the national meet on April 17th, running the event which would end up sending her back to the same track on the national stage just a month later. Liston's qualifying time of 35:36.38 broke the 10-year school record of 36:10.38, set by Marit Sonnesyn in 2016 and is the No. 19 seed entering the championships. Liston is joined by Carleton senior Hannah Preisser in the event. Liston will compete tentatively on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the finals. 

The first-year sensation Ava Loftness (Prior Lake, Minn.) has made her stamp on the triple jump, qualifying for the Outdoor Championships in her first attempt. Loftness comes into the meet with a top mark of 11.87 meters, set at the Stomper Open on April 8th. This was no one-off occasion either, passing 11.50 meters at five other events this season. Entering the Outdoor Championships, Loftness is joined by Ellie Hernes of Bethel to represent the MIAC. Loftness will watch every other horizontal jump go before her, with the women's triple jump slotted last and will compete in the preliminary round & finals at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. 

In the final completed decathlon of his career, senior Connor McCormick (Stillwater, Minn.) extended said career a few weeks longer with a personal best and school record in the decathlon at the MIAC Championships. McCormick used personal bests in six events to propel himself to new heights and his first NCAA Championships appearance. The performance was good for second place at the MIAC Championships, earning All-Conference honors and will look to add a few more accolades this week. The decathlon will take place starting at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday with the 100-meter and run through Friday night, ending with the 1500-meter. 

The 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships will take place from Thursday, May 21st through Saturday, May 23rd at Veteran's Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wisconsin. More details will be provided as they become available.