DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
BIG EAST Outdoor Championships
Gary’s Comeback Throw Headlines BIG EAST Prelim Day
5/15/2026 9:55:00 PM | TRACK AND FIELD
20 Blue Demons advance to Saturday finals while McArdle sets school record in heptathlon
STORRS, Conn. – DePaul track and field continued its strong showing at the 2026 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships on Friday at Sherman Sports Complex, adding a dramatic shot put title, a school record in the heptathlon and a host of qualifiers advancing to Saturday finals.
In the women's field events, Ashleigh McArdle closed out a breakthrough two-day heptathlon with a school-record 4,748 points to place fifth overall. The freshman capped the competition with a victory in the javelin throw at 44.85m after winning the heptathlon shot put on Thursday. Aubrey Phillips added a sixth-place finish overall with 4,537 points and placed second in the javelin at 37.39m.
Katelyn Welsh added a silver-medal finish in the women's pole vault, clearing 3.75m in the final meet of her collegiate career. Welsh became DePaul's first women's pole vaulter and helped pave the way for future Blue Demons in the event group. DePaul also scored four times in the women's shot put, led by Lauren Drew's personal-best 13.43m for fourth place. McArdle placed sixth, while Laila Richardson and Olivia Santos rounded out the scoring positions. Helen Baumgarten added a personal-best 5.88m in the long jump to place fifth, just ahead of Jaiah Hopf in sixth.
On the men's side, Jaiden Gary produced one of the biggest moments of the day in the shot put. Sitting in second entering the final round, the graduate student delivered a comeback throw of 17.98m on his final attempt to secure the conference title. Sergio Ayala joined him on the podium with a third-place personal record mark of 16.10m. Joshua Hill added another podium finish for the Blue Demons in the long jump, placing third with a season-best leap of 6.80m.
The women's track squad continued to build momentum heading into championship Saturday with qualifiers advancing in the sprint and middle-distance events. Sade Miller moved through as the top qualifier in both the 100m and 200m after running 11.53 and a season-best 23.55. Helen Baumgarten led the prelim field in the 100m hurdles, while Aisha Kazeem advanced in both hurdle events. Claire Dunn qualified in the 200m and 400m, while Kayliah Motes and Nadja Moll also secured spots in the 400m final. Isabella Orozco and Amelia Montgomery advanced in the 800m, with Montgomery recording a personal-best time in prelims.
Depth across the sprint group carried the men into finals competition in several events. Daniel Fasasi posted the fastest qualifying time in the 400m at 47.03, while Denhm Holt and Christian Ortiz-Velazquez also advanced. Caleb Schulz and Demetrius Rolle each earned automatic qualification in the 100m, while Jayvion Cunningham advanced in both the 100m and 200m with a personal-best 21.54 in the latter. Harper Bryan qualified for finals in both hurdle races and recorded a personal-best 53.84 in the 400m hurdles. Mohamed Abdullahi secured a place in the 1500m final, while John Bush advanced to the 800m final as the Blue Demons positioned themselves for a strong finish on championship Saturday.
BIG EAST Outdoor Championships
Storrs, Conn. – Sherman Sports Complex
Friday, May 15
Men's Track & Field
1500m (P): 3. Mohamed Abdullahi - 3:49.01Q
110H (P): 4. Jorden Reddick - 15.10Q, 6. Ryan Usher - 15.44q, 7. Harper Bryan - 15.73q
400 (P): 1. Daniel Fasasi - 47.03Q, 7. Denhm Holt - 47.72q (SB), 8. Christian Ortiz-Velazquez - 47.79q, 25. Gavin Greaney - 49.90 (PB), 26. Ian Bello - 50.14
100 (P): 2. Caleb Schulz - 10.41Q, 3. Demetrius Rolle - 10.42Q, 8. Jayvion Cunningham - 10.67q, 13. Myles Money - 10.94
800 (P): 8. John Bush - 1:51.43q, 12. Owen Larkins - 1:53.64, 18. Nicholas Quinn - 1:55.66 (PB)
400H (P): 4. Harper Bryan - 53.84Q (PB), 10. Musa Butler - 54.98 (PB)
200 (P): 5. Jayvion Cunningham - 21.54Q (PB), 11. Tyce Smith - 21.89
3000SC (F): 9. Jack Broghammer - 9:31.53
Long Jump (F): 3. Joshua Hill - 6.80m (SB)
Shot Put (F): 1. Jaiden Gary - 17.98m, 3. Sergio Ayala - 16.10m, 9. Quinton Boyd - 14.41m
Women's Track & Field
100H (P): 1. Helen Baumgarten - 13.75Q, 4. Aisha Kazeem - 14.04Q, 12. Vivian Jones - 15.87, DNF - Amy Carhee
400 (P): 3. Claire Dunn - 54.72Q, 6. Kayliah Motes - 54.87q (PB), 8. Nadja Moll - 55.56q (SB)
100 (P): 1. Sade Miller - 11.53Q, 5. Nevaeh Lowe - 12.03Q
800 (P): 5. Isabella Orozco - 2:10.66Q, 8. Amelia Montgomery - 2:10.89q (PB), 15. Lauren Pacsi - 2:15.77, 20. Trixie Johnson - 2:19.42
400H (P): Aisha Kazeem - 1:00.72Q
200 (P): 1. Sade Miller - 23.55Q (SB), 5. Claire Dunn - 24.05q
Long Jump (F): 5. Helen Baumgarten - 5.88m (PB), 6. Jaiah Hopf - 5.87m, 12. Vivian Jones - 5.54m (SB)
Shot Put (F): 4. Lauren Drew - 13.43m (PB), 6. Ashleigh McArdle - 12.77m (PB), 7. Laila Richardson - 12.56m (SB), 8. Olivia Santos - 12.26m
Pole Vault (F): 2. Katelyn Welsh - 3.75m
Women's Heptathlon
Final Scores: 5. Ashleigh McArdle - 4748 (PR, School Record), 6. Aubrey Phillips - 4537
Long Jump: 5. Ashleigh McArdle - 5.03m, 8. Aubrey Phillips - 4.65m
Javelin Throw: 1. Ashleigh McArdle - 44.85m, 2. Aubrey Phillips - 37.39m
800: 6. Ashleigh McArdle - 2:39.35 (SB), 8. Aubrey Phillips - 2:46.96 (SB)
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