Duke Caps NCAA East Regionals, Seven Blue Devil Women Punch Tickets to Eugene

Wednesday, May 27

Lexington, Ky.

Duke University

NCAA East Regionals

Duke women's 4x400 relay punches ticket to Eugene in record-breaking fashion

Photo by: Sommer Thomas/Duke Athletics

Duke Caps NCAA East Regionals, Seven Blue Devil Women Punch Tickets to Eugene

5/30/2026 9:44:00 PM | Track & Field

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Duke track and field capped action at the NCAA East Regional with seven Blue Devil women delivering strong all-around performances Saturday evening to punch their respective tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Earning bids to the national meet on the final day of regional competition were sophomores Braelyn Baker and Maya Collins, junior Mia Edim, seniors Julia Jackson, Gianna Locci and Lauren Tolbert, along with graduate student Bailey Goggans. The six Blue Devils represented five track events in the 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters and both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays, with Collins, Edim (individually) and Goggans earning their first-career berths to the national meet.

TOP PERFORMANCES:

Duke's 4x100 got the team off to a fast start and notched the Blue Devils' seventh qualification to Eugene. The quartet of Locci, Collins, Edim and Baker finished in the top-three of their heat, clocking 43.50 to earn the automatic qualifier.
Baker and Edim locked down their second bid to the national meet, with the pair earning time qualifiers in their respective individual events. Baker finished her 400 in 50.89, while Edim dashed 22.86 in the 200.
Two more Blue Devils broke through to the NCAA Outdoor Championships as Goggans and Tolbert punched their tickets to Eugene behind strong displays of running in the 800. Tolbert headlined the efforts, hitting the tape in 2:00.49 – the fastest time in her heat and fifth of the overall field – to secure the automatic berth. Goggans ran 2:01.34 and earned her spot via time qualifier, while also improving her No. 2 all-time program mark.
Duke closed out regional action in record-breaking fashion as the 4x400 turned in a phenomenal performance to close the evening with a bang. The Blue Devil contingent of Jackson, Baker, Collins and Tolbert picked up the automatic qualifier after hitting the tape in a blistering, season-best and school-record time of 3:26.33 – the top mark in their heat and the second-fastest of the overall field.
The quartet's performance included 50.14 and 50.21 splits by Baker and Tolbert, respectively, with the latter helping Duke rally for the top time in their heat after being in fourth-place at the final handoff.
NCAA East Regional Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS:

Braelyn Baker – 400m, 4x100m, 4x400m
Aden Bandukwala – 800m
Michael Bennett – Decathlon
Maya Collins – 4x100m, 4x400m
Mia Edim – 200m, 4x100m
Max Forte – Decathlon
Bailey Goggans – 800m
Julia Jackson – 4x400m
Andres Langston – 400mH
Gianna Locci – 4x100m
Lauren Tolbert – 800m, 4x400m
Christian Toro – Hammer Throw
Gemma Tutton – Pole Vault

UP NEXT:
Following an idle week, the 13 qualified Blue Devils will head to Eugene, Oregon, to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The four-day national meet will be contested June 10-13 at Hayward Field.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."

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