Ball State University Athletics
Wednesday, June 10
Eugene, Ore.
All Day
Ball State University
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NCAA Outdoor Championship
Photo by: Josh Brunette
Nettles Competes in Heptathlon Finals at 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
June 10, 2026 | Track & Field
MUNCIE, Ind.— Setbacks are not what define a person. It's how the person overcomes the setbacks that determines how they are remembered. For senior Kenli Nettles, the opportunity presented in Eugene, Oregon this weekend is the ultimate testament of the competitor that she is, and how she will ultimately be remembered.
For the second consecutive year, Nettles is set to compete in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships following her dominant performance in the heptathlon at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships just a few weeks ago.
The Arthur, Illinois native has been here before, but it wasn't a storybook ending last time. In her fifth and presumed final year of eligibility, Nettles scratched just minutes before the events of the second day started at historic Hayward Field. It would've been the end of her collegiate career.
That is, until she gained a medical exception for one more year to compete, something she learned only after leaving Eugene last June.
Now, a year removed from that roller coaster of emotions, Nettles returns with an opportunity to write a different ending. An ending that could cement her legacy as one of the most resilient athletes to wear the cardinal and white.
History bodes well for Nettles, with Ball State producing past national champions. The most recent came just three years ago when Charity Griffith won the high jump. Griffith's title marked the first time a Ball State track and field athlete took home an individual national championship since LaTasha Jenkins's 200-meter dash title in 1999.
While Nettles aims to place her name on that extremely elite list, she already has done so on another. With a second qualification for the heptathlon, the senior becomes only the third Cardinal athlete to qualify for the national finals in the combined events. She joins Jenelle Rogers and Jennifer McCoy, both of whom also qualified twice. Rogers finished fourth (2024) and fifth (2023). McCoy finished 24th (2004) and 27th (2006).
Since joining the Cardinals in Fall 2024, Nettles's impact has been easy to see. Her victory in the heptathlon at the MAC championships this season saw her extend the dominance of Ball State Track & Field in the multi-events, making it 11-straight conference titles in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Her score of 5,642 points also was enough to qualify her for the national meet in Eugene, Oregon as the 22nd seed.
Now, the story comes full circle, giving the ever-tenacious Nettles, who has experienced so many ups and downs -- including a medical retirement before arriving at Ball State -- throughout her collegiate career, the opportunity to write the ending on her own terms.
Competition in the heptathlon begin with the 100-meter hurdles at 11:45 a.m. PT (2:45 p.m. ET) on Friday before concluding with the 800-meters at 6:43 p.m. PT (9:43 p.m. ET) on Saturday.
For the second consecutive year, Nettles is set to compete in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships following her dominant performance in the heptathlon at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships just a few weeks ago.
The Arthur, Illinois native has been here before, but it wasn't a storybook ending last time. In her fifth and presumed final year of eligibility, Nettles scratched just minutes before the events of the second day started at historic Hayward Field. It would've been the end of her collegiate career.
That is, until she gained a medical exception for one more year to compete, something she learned only after leaving Eugene last June.
Now, a year removed from that roller coaster of emotions, Nettles returns with an opportunity to write a different ending. An ending that could cement her legacy as one of the most resilient athletes to wear the cardinal and white.
History bodes well for Nettles, with Ball State producing past national champions. The most recent came just three years ago when Charity Griffith won the high jump. Griffith's title marked the first time a Ball State track and field athlete took home an individual national championship since LaTasha Jenkins's 200-meter dash title in 1999.
While Nettles aims to place her name on that extremely elite list, she already has done so on another. With a second qualification for the heptathlon, the senior becomes only the third Cardinal athlete to qualify for the national finals in the combined events. She joins Jenelle Rogers and Jennifer McCoy, both of whom also qualified twice. Rogers finished fourth (2024) and fifth (2023). McCoy finished 24th (2004) and 27th (2006).
Since joining the Cardinals in Fall 2024, Nettles's impact has been easy to see. Her victory in the heptathlon at the MAC championships this season saw her extend the dominance of Ball State Track & Field in the multi-events, making it 11-straight conference titles in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Her score of 5,642 points also was enough to qualify her for the national meet in Eugene, Oregon as the 22nd seed.
Now, the story comes full circle, giving the ever-tenacious Nettles, who has experienced so many ups and downs -- including a medical retirement before arriving at Ball State -- throughout her collegiate career, the opportunity to write the ending on her own terms.
Competition in the heptathlon begin with the 100-meter hurdles at 11:45 a.m. PT (2:45 p.m. ET) on Friday before concluding with the 800-meters at 6:43 p.m. PT (9:43 p.m. ET) on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
Multis
/ Track & Field
Multis/Jumps
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Friday, April 10