Eugene, Ore. — Mississippi State track and field has three athletes competing at the USATF U20 Championships at Hayward Field. Camryn Merryman, De’Kayla Simpson and Jayden Thrower will represent the Bulldogs in the national meet.
The top two finishers in each event will earn spots on Team USA for the World U20 Championships in Eugene this August. All three athletes are freshmen for the 2026 season and have made significant contributions to the program, including record-breaking performances and NCAA East Regional qualifications.
Merryman will compete in the 800 meters. The Smyrna, Tennessee, native holds the program record in the outdoor 4×400-meter relay and qualified for the East Regional in both the 800 and 4×400 events. Simpson, from Dallas, Texas, will race in the 400 meters and enters with the second-fastest seed time. She set the freshman record in the 400 and helped establish the outdoor 4×400 relay record alongside Merryman.
Thrower, the only male athlete from Mississippi State, will compete in the triple jump. Hailing from Mont Belvieu, Texas, he holds the program’s freshman record in the event and qualified for the NCAA First Rounds.
Preliminary rounds for Merryman and Simpson are scheduled for Thursday, with finals for all three athletes set for Friday, if they advance. The meet will be streamed live on USATF.TV. For more information, visit HailState.com or follow ‘HailStateTF’ on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
