The Santa Clara University women’s track team has released its schedule for the 2026 season, which will include five indoor meets before moving to a series of outdoor competitions starting in early March.
Head coach Pete Cushman commented on the upcoming season, saying, “We are excited about this schedule we’ve put together. It’s going to provide a lot of opportunities for our team. With a relatively young squad we need some race repetitions, so it’s heavy on opportunity, and also includes a few of the most competitive meets in the country in both indoor and outdoor to give everyone a chance to compete against some of the best athletes in the country.”
The indoor season begins with the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston. At this meet, Milaina Almonte—who was recognized as first team all-West Coast Conference and all-region during cross country—will attempt to break the Broncos’ 5,000-meter indoor record. Afterward, Santa Clara will travel to Spokane, Washington for two mid-January events: the Spokane Sports Showcase on January 16 and the Spokane Indoor Challenge from January 16-17.
To conclude their indoor slate, the Broncos will compete at two major meets hosted by the University of Washington in Seattle: The UW Invitational and “Mile City” from January 30-31, followed by the Husky Classic from February 13-14.
The outdoor portion starts March 6 at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Track Fest. The team will remain mostly within Northern California throughout spring, including stops at events such as West Coast Relays in Fresno on March 28; Stanford Invitational (April 3-4); and Mike Fanelli Track Classic (April 3-4) in San Francisco.
Later in April, they head south to Azusa for the Bryan Clay Invitational (April 16–18), then return to Stanford for Payton Jordan Invitational on May 2. The season’s championship segment features Franson Last Chance in Azusa (May 8-9) and West Coast Last Chance back in San Francisco (May 17).
Athletes who achieve qualifying marks during these competitions will have an opportunity to participate at higher levels—the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships West First Round is set for Fayetteville, Arkansas from May 27-30. Those advancing beyond that round can compete at the NCAA National Championships scheduled for June 10-13 in Eugene, Oregon.
