KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced its heptathlon participants for the upcoming 2026 NAIA Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Monday evening. According to the release, Montreat College senior Emma Barnes is officially making her return to the national stage as a multis qualifier next week in Asheville, N.C.
 
A heptathlon national qualifier in 2024, Barnes crushed her own school record last week to clinch a spot in the NAIA Championships. Competing at the Montreat College Multis on May 6-7, Barnes turned in a 4,824-point performance, beating her previous top showing by 256 points. The Waxhaw, N.C. native claimed victories in three of the seven disciplines en route to the association's fourth-best effort in 2026.
 
For a complete list of the outdoor heptathlon national qualifiers, click here.
 
Barnes and the Montreat College men's and women's track & field teams now direct their focus toward the 2026 NAIA Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which are slated for May 20-22 at UNC Asheville's Karl Straus Track in Asheville, N.C.