MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Senior Julia Dill is gearing up to compete in the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field First Round on Thursday night at the University of Kentucky.

THE DETAILS
Dill is slated to compete in the 10,000m on Thursday night, with the event slated to kick off at 9:10 p.m. For Dill to advance to the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field National Championship, she must finish in the top-12 to book her ticket to Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Coming into the first round of the championship, Dill is seeded 41st after posting a personal-best and school record time of 33:50.26 at the Raleigh Relays, finishing in ninth back at the end of March. Dill had a strong season in the 10,000m, which included a conference championship on day one of the #HLTF Outdoor Championships with a time of 35:08.21, which was nearly a whole minute ahead of the next closest competitor. 

NCAA HISTORY
With her qualification for the First Round, Dill will become the 11th Colonial to compete in the East Regional and the first to represent the Colonials in the 10,000m. She is also looking to become the first runner from RMU to advance to the outdoor National Championship, with the last National Championship qualifier for the Colonials coming back in 2014, when Rachel Kotula qualified in the javelin
 

FORMER QUALIFIERS

NCAA EAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 

100m
Jordhanna White (2008); Samantha Simile (2009)

Long Jump
Melitta Brown (2008)

Triple Jump
Brittany Humphress (2005 & 2006)

Pole Vault
Erica Schmidt (2009)

Hammer Throw
Nicole Downing (2003, 2004, and 2005); Gabriella Rinehart (2009)

Javelin 
Courtney Lenart (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007); Nicole Downing (2005); Stephanie Kuhn (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007); Ashley Turici (2008 & 2009); and Rachael Kotula (2011, 2013, and 2014)
 

NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Javelin
Stephanie Kuhn (2004 & 2007); Rachael Kotula (2013)