Section 4: Players & Officials
Field Composition
NCAA Division I championship qualification:
- Individual events: the top 48 declared student-athletes by national descending-order list at the close of the qualifying window are accepted into the first-round competitions
- Relay events: the top 24 declared relay teams by national list are accepted into the first-round competitions
- Combined events (Heptathlon and Decathlon): the top 24 declared student-athletes by national descending-order list are accepted directly into the championships (no first round)
Division II: top 22 individual + top 16 relay + top 16 combined.
Division III qualifying criteria are similar in structure but published separately by the DIII committee.
First Round Advancement
- The first rounds are split into East and West regions
- The top 12 competitors from each individual event and the top 12 teams from each relay event advance from each first round to the championship finals
- First-round dates 2026: Wednesday May 27 through Saturday May 30
- Championship finals 2026: June 10-13
Officials
- Referee for each event group (track, field, multi-events, relays)
- Starters, recall starters, finish judges, lap counters, judges of walking, umpires
- Timekeepers and photo-finish officials
- Field-event judges, implement inspectors, wind-gauge operators
- Jury of Appeal for the meet, handling protest decisions
- Meet director and the championship-meet committee for administrative oversight
Coaches and Athletes
Coaches in the credentialed area during the meet may communicate with athletes between rounds at the standard pre-staging areas; on-field coaching during running events is not permitted. NCAA-specific bench/box rules for field events permit coaches in the marshaled coach box.