La Crosse, Wis. — Anthony Meng earned All-America second team honors in the high jump while Jared Steins and David Whitaker each advanced to the finals in the 800 meters as the MIT men's track and field team competed on Friday at the 2026 NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
THE BASICS:
TOP PERFORMERS - Field Events:
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High Jump (Finals): After topping the opening height, Meng cleared 2.03 meters (6'8") on his last attempt to advance to the next progression. He then cleared a season-best 2.06 meters (6'9") to earn a tie for ninth. He did not clear at 2.09 meters (6' 10.25") as he attempted to match his career-best to earn a spot on the podium. David Brown of Rowan cleared 2.15 meters (7' 0.5") to win the event.
TOP PERFORMERS - Track Events:
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800 Meters (Prelims): Steins earned an automatic qualifier with a second-place finish in the opening heat. Steins was second in his heat to Ryan Hagan of SUNY Geneseo, as Hagan posted the top time in qualifying at 1:49.36. Steins' time held up as the second-best mark across the three heats. Whitaker finished fourth in the second heat to earn a place in the final. Austin Springer of Milwaukee School of Engineering pushed the pace down the stretch, passing Whitaker and two other runners to win the heat as a sprint to the finish helped the top-four finishers in the heat to advance to the final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Meng was making his sixth career NCAA championship appearance and has now earned six career All-America honors, including a pair of first team honors at the outdoor championships (2024, 2025). He has now finished in the top-ten in the high jump in every one of his NCAA indoor and outdoor championship appearances.
- Whitaker and Steins both earned All-America honors in the DMR at the 2026 NCAA indoor championships. Steins has appeared in the DMR three times at the indoor championships but was making his first appearance at the NCAA outdoor championships. Whitaker was also making his outdoor championship debut.
NEXT UP:
- The final day of the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships will take place Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
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