EUGENE, OREGON — After a strong debut in collegiate track and field, Central College men's track and field multi-event athlete Landon Pote (freshman, Ankeny) qualified for the decathlon at the 2026 USATF U-20 Championships last week.

Held at historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, the USATF U-20 Championships is open to the best athletes who don't need turn 20 until the preceding season. The field is predominantly college freshman and high schoolers.
           
Ranked 20th among the 21 qualifiers entering the weekend, Pote finished 18th as the only Division III athlete in the field with a new personal best of 6,404 points. He recorded career-best marks in the 400-meter dash (53.09 seconds) and pole vault (13 feet, 9.25 inches).
           
"Landon had a great performance in his first national event," assistant coach Aaron Fuller said. "He showed a great amount of determination competing against athletes from Division I conferences such as the Southeastern Conference, Big 10 Conference and Big 12 Conference.
           
Brody Foster, a high school athlete from Tennessee who is signed to compete at the University of Virginia next season, won the meet with 7,604 points. Darius Jones Jr., from the University of Wisconsin was the runner-up with 7,547 points. Both qualified for the World U-20 Championships later this summer.
           
Full results: https://live.athletictiming.net/meets/74712/events/combined/12276