MOREHEAD, Ky. – For the first time in 10 years, Morehead State will send an individual to the NCAA Track & Field East First Round.
Freshman Kalynn Pease will enter the meet as the No. 5 seed of 48 in the long jump. She has a mark of 6.53m/21'05.25", which she reached on April 23 at Louisville's Jim Freeman/Clark Wood Invitational.
"Being selected means a lot to me because there are so many talented athletes in the region, so just having the opportunity to compete is really special," she said.
The meet will take place May 27-30 at the University of Kentucky's Outdoor Track & Field Complex in Lexington, Ky. The long jump is scheduled for a Thursday 6 p.m. start. If she finishes in the top 12 at the meet, she will qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore.
It is an historic achievement in a season dotted with monumental firsts, including being the first in Ohio Valley Conference history to earn three Athlete of the Week honors in the same week (which she did twice) and becoming the first female in OVC Outdoor Track and Field history to be named both the Track Athlete of the Year and the Field Athlete of the Year in the same season. She also was named MSU's Freshman of the Year.
"She's been the best all season and now she gets to show the rest of the country at the national meet," MSU coach Clay Dison said. "This meet is so elite it's going to be exciting to represent MSU at this level."
Pease becomes the third woman in MSU history and the sixth Eagle since 1985 to qualify for an NCAA outdoor track and field competition, joining Amy Beatty (1999, 10,000-meter run), Debbie Criss (2004, javelin), Todd Chisley (2006, 100-meter dash), Chris Smith (2006, 800-meter run) and Desmond Bell (2016, 800m).
"When we restarted the track program back in 2023, we started out with one sprinter and one jumper," Dixon said. "Since then, we have grown to 30 in that group. To send someone to this meet in just a few years is a great step for us."
This season, she has been a part of setting five school records (four of which she still holds), won five events (including three of five in the long jump, taking second in the other two), and earned 11 OVC Athlete of the Week Awards in the outdoor campaign.
However, she had some leg issues entering the OVC Championships last week and placed second in the event. The coaches had enough concerns about her physical condition that they pulled her from the 200-meter dash, where she was the top overall seed, as well as MSU's record holder.
"Coming into OVCs, I was definitely dealing with a few nagging injuries, so it wasn't the smoothest lead-up, but I'm proud of how I competed through it," she said. "I feel a lot better now physically and I'm excited to have another chance to compete at a high level."
Pease is from nearby Flemingsburg, Ky., and as a prep standout at Fleming County High School, she regularly competed at the UK facility in the state championships. There, she won three state championships and was runner-up twice. In addition, she captured 11 regional titles, nine area crowns and won 17-of-18 events in the conference championship meet. She also was a four-time all-state selection (first team twice and second team twice) and was the Area Track and Field Athlete of the Year three times.
"I've competed at UK several times, so I do think that familiarity helps," she said. "Knowing the facility, the runway and the atmosphere makes it easier to settle in and just focus on competing."
Pease is ranked 10th nationally. If she qualifies for the NCAA Championships, she will be the first Eagle since Beatty in 1999 to advance that far.
"I think my performance at the conference meet gave me a lot of confidence and motivation moving forward. It reminded me that even when things aren't perfect, I can still compete well and find ways to perform," she said. "At this point in the season, staying healthy, trusting my training and staying mentally locked in will be the biggest keys.
"I'm really thankful to my coaches, teammates, family and God for helping me get to this point," she concluded. "I'm excited for the opportunity and ready to go compete."
The entire first-round meet will run for four days, beginning Wednesday the 27th.
Tickets can be purchased at: https://am.ticketmaster.com/uky/2026NCAATrack?_gl=1*19v8rq6*_gcl_au*MjAxMjYxMDk4LjE3Nzc1MDM3OTE.
Live results are available at the link: https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2026/FirstRounds/East/index.htm.
ESPN+ will broadcast the entire competition. Pease's event will be Thursday at 6 p.m. ET. Thursday's tv link is: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/f02916e6-1d4c-49c0-8fc7-909c203c02db.