The 2026 SEC outdoor men's and women's track and field championships should continue its tradition of always being one of the premier meets in collegiate track and field. Filled with top-ranked teams and loaded with some of the top regular-season performers, there will be elite, must-watch matchups. Here's a look at some of the top potential head-to-head matchups to watch.
Note: At the time of writing (Monday, May 11), the start lists for the SEC Championships haven't been published, meaning athletes listed below may not participate in an event. These aren't guaranteed because some matchups may need athletes to advance to the finals to happen.
Men’s 100 meters: Arkansas’ Jelani Watkins vs. Auburn’s Kayinsola Ajayi
No one has run a wind-legal sub-10 time in the men’s 100 meters this season so far. However, Jelani Watkins leads the nation with his 9.82 (+2.8) finish at Mt. SAC Relays. Not far behind him is NCAA indoor champion and 60 meter collegiate record holder Kayinsola Ajayi, running 9.90 (+2.9) at Tom Jones Memorial.
These two are also the first and second place finishers at indoor championships this year. Them racing head-to-head could finally be what breaks the 10-second barrier this season.
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Women’s 100 hurdles: Kentucky’s Emmi Scales vs. Texas A&M’s Jaiya Covington
Scales and Covington have the first and third fastest times in the 100 hurdles this season, respectively. Scales has run five sub-13 races this season, four of them faster than 12.9 seconds. Covington has run 12.79 and 12.85 in windy times this season, and she entered 2026 after finishing as the runner-up in the 100 hurdles at last year's DI championships.
Will Covington’s experience beat Scales in her breakout season?
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Men’s 110 hurdles: Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp vs. Texas’ Kendrick Smallwood
Ja’Kobe Tharp is the defending 110 hurdles champion and the two-time defending 60 hurdles champion. During that time, he’s only lost one championship race at the conference or national level — the 2025 SEC outdoor championships. The winner of the 110 hurdles race last year was none other than Kendrick Smallwood.
HALFWAY POINT: 20 midseason superlatives for the outdoor track and field season
Women’s 200 meters: South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford vs. Georgia’s Adaejah Hodge
Adaejah Hodge ran 22.10 on April 9 to become the No. 10 all-time performer. Two weeks later, JaMeesia Ford ran 22.07 in her outdoor opener to snatch the top overall time in the country this year. Ford already was the No. 5 all-time performer, and that time trails her PR from last year of 21.98.
The last time we saw Hodge and Ford race head-to-head was in the same heat of the indoor 200 meter finals. This one should be fast.
If those two weren’t enough, Texas A&M’s Camryn Dickson is third nationally in an event where five of the six fastest all-condition times are from the SEC.
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Men’s 200 meters: Kentucky’s Denzel Simusialela vs Arkansas’ Jelani Watkins
Watkins is back again after he ran 20.12 in the 200 meters just one week before SEC championships. That’s still not the fastest time in the SEC. That time belongs to Kentucky’s Simusialela, who ran 20.09 to open the month. Simusialela hasn’t run slower than 20.36 this season, so this race could again produce one of the NCAA’s top times.
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Women’s 400 meters: LSU’s Ella Onojuvwevwo vs. Georgia’s Dejanea Oakley vs. Arkansas sprinters
LSU’s Ella Onojuvwevwo leads the nation with her 49.59-second 400 meters, but she’ll have to take on the defending NCAA champion Dejanea Oakley of Georgia. Both will have to hold off Arkansas’ group of 400 meter runners that includes Sanaria Butler, Kaylyn Brown and Sanu Jallow-Lockhart. It’s likely we’ll see a sub-50 finish for a win in 2026 at SECs.
CATCH UP NOW: An early-season recap of the 2026 DI outdoor track and field season
Men’s 400 meters: Georgia’s Jonathan Simms vs. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi
We already got a preview of this clash at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial earlier this month, where we saw two top-10 all-time finishes from the Bulldog and Tide stars. Simms finished in 44.013 and Ogazi finished in 44.018, just missing out on the top-five all-time. Simms ran from lane 6 while Ogazi ran from lane 7. How important will the lane draws be in the SEC 400 meters?
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Women’s 400 hurdles: South Carolina’s Akala Garrett vs. Texas’ Amelliah Birdow vs. Georgia’s Michelle Smith
Garrett, Birdow and Smith are the top three nationally in the 400 hurdles. Of the three, Garrett and Birdow are the only women to run sub-55 in the event this season. One of the hardest events in track and field should not disappoint at SEC Championships.
MORE MEETS: Penn Relays | Texas Relays | Florida Relays
Men’s High jump: Georgia’s Kimani Jack vs. Arkansas’ Scottie Vines
The nation’s top two high jumpers are Kimani Jack at 2.31m and Scottie Vines at 2.26m. The two tied for third at the 2026 DI indoor championships. We should see a championship-like finish in this event.
Women’s Discus: Florida’s Alida Van Daalen vs. Alabama’s Joyce Oguama vs. Tennessee’s Cedricka Williams
The nation’s top three discus throwers all reside in the SEC. Van Daalen leads at 63.97m, followed by Oguama at 62.13m with Williams rounding it out at 60.76m. These three are the only women to surpass 60 meters this season.
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Comparing indoor and outdoor seasons | Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms
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