Farmington Predicted to win NAC Crown in Men's Track & Field Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll

4/23/2026 12:00:00 PM

WATERVILLE, Maine – The 2026 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Men's Track & Field Pre-Championship Poll results have been tabulated, and defending champion UMaine-Farmington has been forecasted to claim the North Atlantic Conference title according to a vote of NAC track & field coaches.

The Beavers garnered 33 points and four of the six first-place votes to put them at the top of the poll. Thomas College is second in the poll with 32 points, just one point behind Farmington, and earned the final two first-place votes. Husson University and UMaine-Presque Isle placed third and fourth place respectively with the Eagles securing 25 points and the Owls 17 points. Rounding out the poll is Lesley University in fifth place with 10 points and Vermont State University Johnson in sixth with nine points.

The 2026 NAC Championship will take place on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at the Alfond Sports Stadium on the campus of the University of Maine (Orono, Maine); hosted by UMaine-Farmington.

Pole vault, high jump, and hammer throw will take place on Saturday, with the remaining field and track events on Sunday. 

For all championship information, visit Championship Central

An “Athletes to Watch” section is included below.

Athletes were submitted by their institution

2026 NAC Men's Track & Field Pre-Championship Poll 
Institution – Points (First Place Votes)

  1. UMaine-Farmington – 33 (4)
  2. Thomas College – 32 (2)
  3. Husson University – 25
  4. UMaine-Presque Isle – 17
  5. Lesley University – 10
  6. Vermont State University Johnson – 9

2026 NAC Athletes to Watch

  • Jonathan Cayole | Junior | Mid-Distance | Burlington, Vt. 

    Cayole currently holds top marks in Johnson's program in the 800m, 1500m, and 5000m. One of his best performances of the outdoor season came during the Southern New Hampshire University Spring Invitational where he posted a 5000m time of 18:05.03, breaking a decade old program record in his event debut. 

    Alex Carter | First-Year | Sprints | St. Albans, Vt. 

    Carter will compete in his first NAC Championship as a dual-sport athlete in his first season of track & field, having also played soccer. In his lone meet this season, he competed at the Middlebury Outdoor Meet, where he ran the 100m (12.00) and 200m (24.44), earning 11th place in the 200m. He also ran a leg on the Badgers’ 4x100-meter relay team that placed fifth at the meet.

  • Carmy Kaniki | Junior | Sprints/Jumps | Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Kaniki came off of a productive outdoor season as a sophomore, posting 10 top-10 finishes in four meets, in addition to three top-five finishes. For the current outdoor season, he has had 13 top-10 finishes and has broken personal bests marks in the 100m, 200m, 400, 400H, and long jump. 

    Mykal Roberson | Junior | Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles | East Hartford, Conn.

    Roberson participated in six meets as a sophomore during the outdoor season and recorded 12 top-10 finishes, including eight top-5 placements. In the five meets this season, Roberson has posted 12 top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish in the triple jump and 110 hurdles at the Embry-Riddle Eagle Invite and SEU Fire Invitational respectively.

  • Jonathan Le Maitre | First-Year | Mid-Distance/Distance | Easton, Pa. 

    Jonathan Le Maitre, a first-year from Easton, Pa., enters his first NAC Track & Field Championship ranked in the top eight in the conference for the 800m and top three among first-year competitors. He also holds the second-best time in program history at Lesley in the event.

    Prince Calhoun | First-Year | Distance | Woburn, Mass.

    Prince Calhoun, a first-year from Woburn, Mass., ranks as the top rookie and third overall in the 5000m, while also placing second among first-year runners in the 1500m.

  • Andrew LaFlamme | Junior | Distance | Nashua, N.H. 

    LaFlamme, the reigning 3000m steeplechase and 5000m champion, has earned NAC Track Athlete of the Week honors three times this season. The New Hampshire native has recorded personal-best marks in each of his last three meets and has notched four top-10 finishes, highlighted by a first-place finish in the 5000m (15:25.55) and a second-place showing in the steeplechase (9:49.35). He currently leads the NAC in the 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, and 1500m.

    Alex Crews | Junior | Throws | Winslow, Maine

    Crews enters the 2026 championship as the reigning shot put champion and runner-up in the hammer throw. He has earned NAC Field Athlete of the Week honors three times this season and currently leads the conference in the shot put, hammer throw, and discus. Across four meets this season, he has recorded top-10 finishes in all of his events, highlighted by a second-place finish in the shot put at the Maine State Pine Tree Classic with a personal-best throw of 14.63 meters.

  • Joseph Tuulima | Junior | Throws | Howland, Maine

    After a couple years off, Tuulima returns to competition after setting a school record in discus, and a NAC Championship all-time record in 2023, while reaching the NCAA D3 New England Championships that same year. Tuulima finished with a conference record throw of 40.43 meters in his last NAC Championship three years ago.He currently ranks second in the NAC in both the discus and shot put, and fourth in the hammer throw. At the Monks Track & Field Invite, he placed first in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 14.56 meters, while also recording personal-best marks in both the discus and hammer throw.

    Jovain Barrett | Senior | Sprints/Jumps | Hanover, Jamaica

    Barrett was UMPI’s top sprinter and jumper last year, setting a school record in long jump. He placed fourth at the NAC Championship in the high jump with a mark of 1.80 meters and set a program record of 6.00 meters in the long jump earlier in the season. In 2026 outdoor season, he has posted the top marks in the Owls program in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and javelin. He currently ranks third in the NAC in the high jump, fifth in the javelin, and sixth in the long jump, 200m, and 100m.

  • Nick Plamondon | Junior | Jumps/Sprints | Oxford, Maine

    Plamondon enters his junior season for the Terriers after earning a long list of accolades dating back to 2023. Plamondon earned NAC Rookie of the Year that year, and since has earned both NAC First and Second Team All-Conference honors for the Terriers. He currently ranks first in the NAC in the 100m, 200m, and triple jump. His season has been highlighted by a first-place finish and personal-best mark of 7.25 meters in the long jump at the Maine State Pine Tree Classic.

    Gage Bruns | Junior | Distance | Bucksport, Maine

    Bruns enters his junior season for the Terriers after earning NAC All-Conference First Team honors this fall in cross country. He currently ranks second in the NAC in both the 1500m and 800m and is also part of the team’s first-ranked 4x100 relay squad.