SAN MARCOS, Calif. — The Cal Poly Humboldt women's track & field team opened the 2026 CCAA Championships with several key performances on Thursday, totaling seven team points to sit sixth overall after four scored events at Cal State San Marcos.

Leading the way for the Lumberjacks was Katarina Muellerleile, who earned a fourth-place finish in the pole vault (3.32m) to score five points and provide Humboldt's top result of the day.

In the throws, Sophie Coil contributed to the team score with a seventh-place finish in the discus (37.83m), adding two points for the Jacks.

On the track, Humboldt advanced an athlete to the finals in the hurdles, as Caitlyn Dougherty turned in a strong performance in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing second overall in prelims (1:01.89) to automatically qualify for the final.

In distance action, Emma Hanstveit placed 11th in the 10,000 meters with a time of 39:33.83.

The Lumberjacks also saw representation in sprint and distance prelims, gaining valuable championship experience as they look to build momentum heading into the final two days of competition.

Coach Teigan Eliers added, "Day one was a strong start for us. We saw some big performances and a lot of consistency across the board, which is exactly what you want at this stage of the meet. More importantly, it puts us in a great position moving forward. There's still a lot of competition ahead, but the group showed they're ready to compete, adjust, and keep building momentum into the finals."

With multiple opportunities remaining to score and Dougherty advancing to a final, Humboldt will look to climb the standings as the CCAA Championships continue Friday in San Marcos.