INFO | National Championships meet central
RESULTS | National Championships complete results
 
Emporia, Kan.----Wingate University senior Luca Poppe earned his third individual national championship this season Saturday night, winning the men's 5000 meters in the NCAA Division II outdoor national championship meet. Emporia State University hosted this year's event on the Zola Witten Track inside the Francis G. Welch Stadium.
 
Three plus one
 
Hollywood movie people couldn't have written a better 2025-26 script for Poppe's senior season, as he started the year by leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Division II cross country national championship. Wingate has won two NCAA XC titles in the last three seasons.
 
Poppe won two gold medals at the '26 NCAA Division II indoor national championship meet in Virginia Beach, taking the checkered flag in the 3000 meters (7:57.14) and the 5000 meters (13:47.22). On the team front, Poppe and his mates finished first, third and 10th in their three NCAA appearances this year.
 
The Saturday night 5000 meters skinny
 
Poppe posted a triumphant 5000 meters time of 14:06.27. Colorado School of Mines junior Dawson Gunn didn't quite have enough ammunition, finishing second with his 14:07.41 mark. Either Poppe or Gunn was first or second for the last 2400 meters. Poppe took the lead for good with 400 meters to go.
 
Poppe's hard-charging senior teammate Lars Laros finished third (14:08.12). Laros was 17th with 1600 meters remaining. Laros completed his final collegiate race by running a 58.23 last 400 meters to go from seventh to third position. Laros joins Poppe as a first team All-American. Bulldog sophomore Joaquin Campos finished 11th (14:19.09) to claim a spot on the AA second team.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate assistant track and field coach Pol Domenech
 
"The men's team capped off the outdoor season with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by an incredible 1-3 finish from Luca Poppe and Lars Laros. We are extremely proud of the way the group competed, battled until the very end and closed the season on a high note."
 
"Securing our third NCAA top-10 finish of the year is a testament to the consistency, resilience and commitment of this team throughout all three seasons. We are grateful for everything this group invested into the process…and we are already motivated to come back even stronger next year."
 
Dahmouch, Holman and Scholz start Saturday with podium finishes
 
Sophomore Mohamed Dahmouch and junior David Holman started Wingate's Saturday All-American parade by finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, in the men's 1500 meters. Dahmouch ran a 3:49.98, while Holman posted a 3:50.06. CSU Pueblo sophomore Caleb McLeod won the race with his time of 3:49.25.
 
Freshman Klaus Scholz took fifth place in the men's 800 meters, thanks to his time of 1:49.27. He was the second-place finisher in the '26 NCAA indoor 800 meters. On Saturday, UIndy junior Josue Le Cadre set a new facility record with his gold-medal time of 1:46.02. Le Cadre won the '26 NCAA indoor 800 meters as well.
 
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Wingate University results (all finals)
 
Women's Shot Put, 1:30 p.m. EDT
 
13th - Amber Lawless, 14.40 meters
 
Men's Triple Jump, 3:15 p.m. EDT
 
21st - Dequan Thompson, 14.41 meters
 
Women's High Jump, 4:15 p.m. EDT
 
T-15th - Assiya El Hafyan, 1.62 meters
 
Men's 1500 meters, 4:55 p.m. EDT
 
4th - Mohamed Dahmouch, 3:49.98
6th - David Holman, 3:50.06
 
Women's 1500 meters, 5:05 p.m.
 
4th - Evie Brooks, 4:20.96 (PR)
 
Men's 800 meters, 6:15 p.m. EDT
 
5th - Klaus Scholz, 1:49.27
 
Men's 5000 meters, 7:30 p.m. EDT
 
1st - Luca Poppe, 14:06.27
3rd - Lars Laros, 14:08.12  
11th - Joaquin Campos, 14:19.09
22nd - Charlie Stephenson, 14:52.09  
 
Women's 5000 meters, 7:55 p.m. EDT
 
13th - Abigail Bester, 16:42.34
21st – Evie Brooks, 17:04.94
 
Wingate University 
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60-degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 18 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
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