FLORENCE, SC – The Francis Marion University track & field programs featured four student-athletes who earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) all-region honors for their performances during the outdoor season.
The top-five individuals in each event from each region earned the all-region distinction, in addition to each of the members of the region's top-three relay teams.
Francis Marion featured multiple event winners and several medalists at the 2026 Conference Carolinas Outdoor Championships. The women's squad scored a program record 54.3 points to place fifth overall, while the men's side finished 10th in the team standings with 29 points.
Graduate student
Ryan Hunter, a native of Blythewood, S.C., captured all-region status in the men's javelin for the second straight year. He boasted the second-best distance in the Southeast with a school-record mark of 67.04 meters, which was set at the FMU Invitational. Hunter also retained his conference crown in the event at the 2026 Conference Carolinas Championships with a meet record toss of 66.61 meters. He qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Emporia, Kansas, and will compete on Saturday, May 23, at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Sophomore
Jazmine McDonald-Craft achieved USTFCCCA all-region honors in two events following another standout outdoor campaign. The Columbia, S.C. native held the fourth-best mark in the women's discus with a program record of 43.06 meters, while ranking fifth in the women's shot put with a distance of 13.06 meters, which was also a school record. McDonald-Craft delivered a stellar performance at the 2026 conference meet after scoring 18 points toward the team standings. She defended her league title in the discus (40.86m) and finished as the runner-up in the shot put (13.06m).
A product of Darlington High School, sophomore
Aukeyonna Sims secured an all-region accolade for the second time in her career after achieving the feat in the indoor and outdoor high jump during the 2025-26 season. She ranked fourth overall in the Southeast in the women's high jump after clearing 1.65 meters at the UNCW Seahawk Invitational. Sims scored in two events at the league championships, placing second in the long jump (5.67m) and eighth overall in the high jump (1.54m).
Junior
Catherine Green captured USTFCCCA all-region honors in the women's discus after ranking fifth in the Southeast Region with a toss of 42.68 meters at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge. In her debut at the 2026 Conference Carolinas Championships, she earned 13 points toward the team standings after finishing as the runner-up in the discus (40.11m) and fourth overall in the shot put (12.45m).