HBCU Athletic Conference unveils 2026 Preseason All-HBCUAC Men's Track and Field Team, Ranking

NEW ORLEANS - The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference reveals its 2026 Preseason All-HBCUAC Men's Track and Field Team and Preseason Ranking on Wednesday.

The team was compiled based on the returning athletes' performances in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Outdoor Men's Track and Field National Championship and the 2025 HBCUAC Track and Field Championship. The team consists of five track athletes and five field athletes.

Markel Myles of Dillard University was selected as the 2026 HBCUAC Preseason Track Athlete of the Year. He earned NAIA All-American running a leg on the Bleu Devils' 4 x 400-meter relay team, which finished third. Additionally, he was a national championship qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles. Myles was the 2025 HBCUAC Championship Track Most Valuable Player.

Jayden Burris of Voorhees University garnered 2026 HBCUAC Preseason Field Athlete of the Year. He earned All-American with his fourth-place finish in the triple jump at the 2025 NAIA Championship. He won the HBCUAC Triple Jump title last season and helped the Tigers claim the title. The rest of the team is listed below.

The preseason rankings were assembled based on the school's performance at the 2025 HBCU Athletic Conference Track and Field Championship and also considering Huston-Tillotson University and Paul Quinn College's performances at the 2025 Red River Athletic Conference Track and Field Championship. The schools joined the conference in July. 

Voorhees University will look to defend their title. Talladega College, which finished runner-up the last two seasons, seeks the top spot on the podium. Dillard University looks to reclaim its dynasty after winning the title from 2021-24.

2026 Preseason Rankings

1. Voorhees University

2. Talladega College

3. Dillard University

4. Wiley University

5. Huston-Tillotson University

6. Stillman College

7. Philander Smith University

8. Paul Quinn College

9. University of the Virgin Islands

10. Rust College

11. Fisk University

12. Wilberforce University
    Southern University at New Orleans

Fans can catch the action of the 2026 season on HBCUAC.org. For the fourth straight season, the 2026 HBCUAC Track and Field Championship will be hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission at Lee Hedges Stadium, May 1-2. The championship will stream on Urban Edge Network.

About the HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.