LAKE CHARLES - McNeese Cowgirl field event standout Jaslyn Russell has qualified to participate in the 2026 NCAA East First Round which will take place in Lexington, Kentucky May 27-30.
 
Russell qualified in the shot put event where she ranked 48th in the region among competitors. The top 48 individuals advance to the NCAA regional event.
 
The senior from Oakdale is scheduled to compete on Thursday, May 28, at 5:30 p.m. CT.
 
Russell is coming off a fourth place showing in the shot put at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships and has a season-best throw of 50-10.75 which she marked at the SFA Carl Kight Invitational on April 2. She also finished third in the hammer throw and sixth in the discus at the conference meet.
 
In seven meets on the season, Russell captured first place four times in the shot put, placed second in two others and fourth in one.
 
She ranked 51st in the region in the discus event, missing out on qualifying for the regionals by just eight inches.
 
For her efforts in the hammer throw at the league championships, she earned third team all-conference honors. Two of her teammates also earned all-conference accolades - Jeny Barcenas in the 3000m steeplechase earning second team honors while Lawson Fritsch won silver in the men's pole vault to capture a spot on the All-SLC second team.
 
Fritsch finished second in the men's pole vault after clearing a personal record height of 16-9.5. He held onto the gold medal until the final attempt by the eventual champion from SFA. Fritsch's height is ranked as the fourth-best in school history.
 
Barcenas capped off day two of the championships with a second-place finish in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase. The senior clocked a time of 10:41.86 to capture the silver medal.
 
Russell won a bronze medal in the hammer throw event, saving the best throw of her career for her last, throwing 177-8 to reach the podium.