INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Washington & Jefferson College track & field has earned its first NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field qualifier since the 2024 season with Claire Anderson (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown).
 
The 2026 Outdoor Championships will be held Thursday, May 21 through Saturday, May 23 at Veteran's Memorial Field Sports Complex in La Crosse, Wis.
 
This marks the first time since 2014 where the Presidents will have a competitor at the NCAA National Championships racing in two events. Cheyenne Mangold '14, who was recently announced as a member of the W&J Hall of Fame Class of 2026, was the last to compete in at least two events at Outdoor Nationals.
 
"I'm super proud of Claire, I cannot say this enough. She is such a great person who has had a phenomenal career that is being capped by a phenomenal senior year," said Head Coach Andy Upton. "To make one NCAA Championship meet in a year is difficult, to make all three (Cross Country, Indoor, Outdoor) in one year is very rare and extremely hard to do and those who do usually separate themselves as one of the best distance runners in the country."
 
Anderson will be representing W&J in her second Outdoor National Championships appearance in her career. Anderson logged a qualifying time in the 5,000-meter run with a program-record time of 16:33.88 at the Presidents' Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships most recently. The senior bested all runners in her heat to finish first, ranking 11^th in the nation.
 
Anderson additionally qualified for the 10,000-meter run at this year's National Championships. The senior standout punched her ticket to Nationals during the Bison Outdoor Classic hosted by Division I Bucknell University. Anderson's new personal-best time of 34:07.20 in the event shattered the previous record held by Kristen Galligan in 2013 (35:50.56) and was the top time in the country when reached. She bested runners across the landscape of the NCAA (Divisions I, II, III) to reach the record time, ranking third in the nation.
 
"I think without a doubt Claire has done just that this year. She truly hasn't had a bad race all year. We have put her in big races all year to prep her for this moment. She has rose to every challenge we have given her, and she has surpassed our expectations," said Upton. "Claire looks as strong as any runner that I have ever seen right now, and I think she is more ready for this Championship moment than she has ever been. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch."
 
Anderson is set to compete in La Crosse first on Thursday (May 21) at 7:30 p.m. CDT in the 10K. She will compete for the final time on Saturday (May 23) at 4:25 p.m. CDT in the 5k.