Completed Event: Men's Track and Field at BIG EAST Championships on February 27, 2026 ,
Men's Track and Field
at BIG EAST Championships
Final
Providence College Athletics
Six Friars Qualify For NCAA First Round
5/22/2026 11:18:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
The Friars will compete at the NCAA East Preliminary on May 27-30.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was announced yesterday [May 21] that six Friar athletes (two men, four women) from the men's and women's track teams have qualified for the NCAA First Round. Those athletes include Elliott Pugh (Tauranga, New Zealand), Cormac Dixon (Dublin, Ireland), Maeve O'Neill (Cork, Ireland), Anna Gardiner (Downpatrick, Ireland), Gabrielle Schmidt (Brisbane, Australia) and Cara Laverty (Derry, Ireland). The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Track and Field East Preliminary competitions are scheduled for May 27-30 at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.
LIVE STREAM: https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/74d54e57-c7e6-38fd-9fe8-b98414ad0ea9/ncaa-track-field#bucketId=29779&sourceCollection=Browse_By_League
LIVE RESULTS: https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2026/FirstRounds/East/index.htm
SCHEDULE: https://friars.com/documents/2026/4/21/NCAA_First_Round_Track_and_Field_Schedule.pdf
On the women's side, junior Maeve O'Neill (Cork, Ireland) will lead the Friars in the 800 meters. O'Neill, a three-time All-American, most recently captured the 800-meter title and 4x800-meter relay title at the 2026 BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the 800 meters, the junior broke her own school record of 2:02.22 with a time of 2:02.05. It also was a BIG EAST and facility record. In the 4x800 meters, the Friars captured the race in a time of 8:30.87, a program, BIG EAST and facility record. For her efforts, O'Neill was named BIG EAST Most Outstanding Female Track Performer.
Competing in the 5,000 meters will be sophomores Anna Gardiner (Downpatrick, Ireland) and Gabrielle Schmidt (Brisbane, Australia). At the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Gardiner won the 5,000-meter title in a time of 16:50.43 for her first-ever BIG EAST title. Schmidt raced in the 10,000 meters and won the BIG EAST title in 33:43.63, becoming the 10th Friar all-time to win the BIG EAST 10,000 meters. Gardiner has a personal-best time of 15:51.78 in the 5,000 meters while Schmidt holds a 15:55.97.
Senior Cara Laverty (Derry, Ireland) will compete in the 1,500 meters. Laverty finished third at the 2026 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 in a personal-best time of 4:16.32 to earn All-BIG EAST honors.
On the men's side, sophomores Elliott Pugh (Tauranga, New Zealand) and Cormac Dixon (Dublin, Ireland) will race in the 1,500 meters. Last weekend at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, Pugh finished second in the 1,500-meter final to earn All-BIG EAST honors in 3:43.55. Dixon won the 5,000-meter BIG EAST title in a personal-best time of 13:48.17. In the 1,500 meters, Pugh holds a personal-best of 3:41.04 while Dixon has a 3:41.10.
For more information on the Providence College men's and women's indoor track teams, follow @FriarsXCTrack on Twitter and Instagram.
-GO FRIARS-
LIVE STREAM: https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/74d54e57-c7e6-38fd-9fe8-b98414ad0ea9/ncaa-track-field#bucketId=29779&sourceCollection=Browse_By_League
LIVE RESULTS: https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2026/FirstRounds/East/index.htm
SCHEDULE: https://friars.com/documents/2026/4/21/NCAA_First_Round_Track_and_Field_Schedule.pdf
On the women's side, junior Maeve O'Neill (Cork, Ireland) will lead the Friars in the 800 meters. O'Neill, a three-time All-American, most recently captured the 800-meter title and 4x800-meter relay title at the 2026 BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the 800 meters, the junior broke her own school record of 2:02.22 with a time of 2:02.05. It also was a BIG EAST and facility record. In the 4x800 meters, the Friars captured the race in a time of 8:30.87, a program, BIG EAST and facility record. For her efforts, O'Neill was named BIG EAST Most Outstanding Female Track Performer.
Competing in the 5,000 meters will be sophomores Anna Gardiner (Downpatrick, Ireland) and Gabrielle Schmidt (Brisbane, Australia). At the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Gardiner won the 5,000-meter title in a time of 16:50.43 for her first-ever BIG EAST title. Schmidt raced in the 10,000 meters and won the BIG EAST title in 33:43.63, becoming the 10th Friar all-time to win the BIG EAST 10,000 meters. Gardiner has a personal-best time of 15:51.78 in the 5,000 meters while Schmidt holds a 15:55.97.
Senior Cara Laverty (Derry, Ireland) will compete in the 1,500 meters. Laverty finished third at the 2026 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 in a personal-best time of 4:16.32 to earn All-BIG EAST honors.
On the men's side, sophomores Elliott Pugh (Tauranga, New Zealand) and Cormac Dixon (Dublin, Ireland) will race in the 1,500 meters. Last weekend at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, Pugh finished second in the 1,500-meter final to earn All-BIG EAST honors in 3:43.55. Dixon won the 5,000-meter BIG EAST title in a personal-best time of 13:48.17. In the 1,500 meters, Pugh holds a personal-best of 3:41.04 while Dixon has a 3:41.10.
For more information on the Providence College men's and women's indoor track teams, follow @FriarsXCTrack on Twitter and Instagram.
-GO FRIARS-
| Athlete | Event | Start Time |
| Elliott Pugh Cormac Dixon |
Men's 1,500 Meter First Round | Wednesday, May 27, 6:30pm |
| Cara Laverty | Women's 1,500 Meter First Round | Thursday, May 28, 6:30pm |
| Maeve O'Neill | Women's 800 Meter First Round | Thursday, May 28, 7:50pm |
| TBD | Men's 1,500 Meter Quarterfinals | Friday, May 29, 5:15pm |
| TBD | Women's 1,500 Meter Quarterfinals | Saturday, May 30, 5:15 pm |
| TBD | Women's 800 Meter Quarterfinals | Saturday, May 30, 7:05 pm |
| Anna Gardiner Gabby Schmidt |
Women's 5,000 Meter Semifinals | Saturday, May 30, 8:10 pm |
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
Mid-Distance
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
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