State Sends Three To USATF U20 Championships
June 17, 2026 | Track & Field
EUGENE, Ore. – Mississippi State track and field will have three athletes competing at the USATF U20 Championships, held at Hayward Field.
Camryn Merryman, De'Kayla Simpson and Jayden Thrower will represent the Bulldogs at the U20 National Championships. Athletes will compete for the top two finishes in their event to compete for Team USA at the World U20 Championships held in Eugene this August.
The trio, all freshmen for State in the 2026 season, were key players, rewriting the record books and qualifying for the NCAA East First Rounds.
Merryman will compete in the 800m at the championship meet. Hailing from Smyrna, Tennessee, she is a program record holder in the outdoor 4x400m and qualified for the East Regional Championship in both events.
Simpson is set to race in the 400m, entering the field with the second-fastest seed time. The Dallas, Texas, native has made her mark on the program in her freshman year, holding the freshman record in the 400m, the outdoor 4x400m record alongside Merryman, and several other spots on the all-time top lists.
Thrower rounds out the competitors for State as the only athlete from the men's team. Hailing from Mont Belvieu, Texas, Thrower holds the program's freshman record in the triple jump, booking a ticket to the NCAA First Rounds.
Merryman and Simpson will compete in the preliminary rounds on Thursday, and the finals alongside Thrower in the triple jump on Friday, should they advance.
The meet will be available to stream on USATF.TV. Â
For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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Camryn Merryman, De'Kayla Simpson and Jayden Thrower will represent the Bulldogs at the U20 National Championships. Athletes will compete for the top two finishes in their event to compete for Team USA at the World U20 Championships held in Eugene this August.
The trio, all freshmen for State in the 2026 season, were key players, rewriting the record books and qualifying for the NCAA East First Rounds.
Merryman will compete in the 800m at the championship meet. Hailing from Smyrna, Tennessee, she is a program record holder in the outdoor 4x400m and qualified for the East Regional Championship in both events.
Simpson is set to race in the 400m, entering the field with the second-fastest seed time. The Dallas, Texas, native has made her mark on the program in her freshman year, holding the freshman record in the 400m, the outdoor 4x400m record alongside Merryman, and several other spots on the all-time top lists.
Thrower rounds out the competitors for State as the only athlete from the men's team. Hailing from Mont Belvieu, Texas, Thrower holds the program's freshman record in the triple jump, booking a ticket to the NCAA First Rounds.
Merryman and Simpson will compete in the preliminary rounds on Thursday, and the finals alongside Thrower in the triple jump on Friday, should they advance.
The meet will be available to stream on USATF.TV. Â
For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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Players Mentioned
Mid D
/ Track & Field
Spr
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Jumps
/ Track & FieldThursday, May 30
Thursday, May 30
Friday, February 24
Thursday, March 31