The Rutgers track and field program is heading into the 2026 Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a head of steam like never before. This weekend, from Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 17, the Scarlet Knights will compete in Lincoln, Nebraska, carrying momentum built over a record-setting outdoor season that has turned heads across the conference.
Over roughly six weeks of competition, Rutgers has shattered multiple school records, swept the IC4A and ECAC team titles as the host program, and brought home four gold medals plus a school record from the historic 130th Penn Relays. It’s the kind of spring that makes a season feel special before the championship meet even begins.
Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Bobby Farrell set the tone early. Back in late March, after just the third weekend of outdoor action, he confidently stated, “We already put 22 athletes in position to qualify for NCAAs.” Given how the season has unfolded, that number has only grown—and it wouldn't be surprising if Farrell’s initial estimate now looks conservative.
One of the most compelling storylines on the men’s side is a family rivalry in the pole vault. Junior Brian O’Sullivan, a Hillsborough, New Jersey native, broke the school record three separate times this spring: clearing 5.55 meters at the USF Alumni Invitational, 5.56 meters at the Rutgers Relays, and 5.57 meters at the Penn Relays. But his older brother Kevin—who originally set the program record at the 2025 NCAA Championships in Eugene—answered back at the IC4A Championships on April 19, clearing 5.60 meters to reclaim the mark. The brothers finished first and second at both the Penn Relays and IC4A. Meanwhile, sophomore Ryan Merlino has held down the third spot all season, finishing third overall at IC4A with a No. 4 all-time program mark of 5.40 meters.
As dominant as the pole vaulters have been, the headline performer this season is graduate long jumper Sincere Robinson. A Newark native, Robinson set the school record at the IC4A Championships with a leap of 8.13 meters—a mark that currently ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 2 nationally this outdoor season. His performance earned him Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors on April 29, making him the first Rutgers men’s outdoor field athlete to receive that recognition since Rudy Winkler in April 2018.
With a roster firing on all cylinders and a season full of breakthrough performances behind them, the Scarlet Knights arrive at the Big Ten Championships ready to make some noise. Whether it’s family bragging rights in the pole vault or a national-caliber long jump, Rutgers track and field is writing its best chapter in years.