UC Riverside
NCAA West Preliminary
Aninyei Qualifies for National Championships as Highlanders Cap West Prelims
5/30/2026 6:26:00 PM | Track and Field
Big West women’s triple jump champion is headed to Eugene
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - UC Riverside Track & Field concluded its season in the NCAA West Prelims on Saturday night after sending its largest contingency since 2016.
Aaron Fruge and Kazu Kimura kicked off the festivities on Wednesday with the men's long jump in their postseason debuts. Fruge was at one point in qualifying position for nationals, but both fell just short of a trip to Eugene.
Fruge finished 20th with a 7.47m/24-06.25, and Kimura finished 40th with a 6.71m/22-00.25.
Thursday brought about Chelsea Aninyei's long jump (36th, 5.98m/19-07.50) and Raykiyat Olukoju's 200m (45th, 24.20).
Kimura resumed competition on Friday with the high jump, his Big West-winning event, and Andrew Robinson made his NCAA West Prelim debut in the triple jump. Kimura bowed out in the first round with a 2.07m/6-09.50, and Robinson also fell short with a triple jump mark of 14.87m/48-09.50.
Aninyei and the women's 4x100m team rounded out the 2026 on Saturday, starting with an unfinished relay. The Big West women's triple jump champion capped off the Arkansas trip with a Big West-record 13.48m/44-02.75 on her first attempt.
The Bellflower native hung on to qualify for NCAA Nationals, finishing ninth in a 48-person field and marking the program's first national outdoor participant since Danielle Littleton in the long jump in 2013.
Aninyei will advance now to Eugene, Oregon, June 7-10 at Hayward Stadium.
