La Crosse, WI – Thursday marked the beginning of Day 1 at the 2026 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships out in Wisconsin. Both
Gabriel Giannini and
Timothy Smith represented the Golden Eagles on the first day of the meet.
Both Brockport student-athletes made some noise to start the championship meet. Giannini currently sits in first place in the decathlon, while Smith earned 2
nd-Team All-American status for the 400-meter hurdles.
Starting early in the day was Gabe Giannini and the rest of the field for the first events of the men's decathlon. Hitting the ground running in the 100-meter dash, Giannini posted a fast 11.03 for second place in the event. He earned 854 points to hold second overall in the decathlon after one. Up next was a second-place finish in the long jump with his big leap of 7.14 meters, adding another 847 to his point total to stay near the top of the standings.
Moving over to the shot put part of the decathlon, Giannini set a personal best with his first throw of the event. His mark of 12.36 meters took fourth in the competition to add 628 more points to the tally. In the high jump, he scored 653 points with a tie for fifth place (1.83 meters). The first day of the decathlon close with a seventh-place time of 49.79 in the 400-meter.
Following the first five events,
Gabriel Giannini is leading the pack at the NCAA Championships for the decathlon. He holds a score of 3,806 points after the 100-meter, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400-meter events. Friday he will compete in the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and the 1500-meter to conclude the decathlon.
Starting later in the night was the preliminary rounds for the 400-meter hurdles. Smith competed in the third heat of the night, running a 53.91 in lane two. Placing seventh in the heat and 16
th overall,
Timothy Smith claims the title of 2
nd-Team All-American for the Men's 400-meter hurdles.
Day two of the 2026 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships is scheduled for another 11am start for the decathlon events. Gabe Giannini hits the 110-meter hurdles first on his quest for a national title tomorrow out in Wisconsin.
