GAINESVILLE, Fla. - IU Kokomo men's track and field was represented by four student-athletes in the shot put this past weekend at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, led by upperclassmen Gabe Wedmore and Seth Ireland.

Gabe Wedmore and Seth Ireland each advanced to the nine-person finals out of 30 competitors in the preliminary rounds, with the top eight earning All-American honors. The recognition marks the first All-American honor of Wedmore's storied throwing career at IU Kokomo.

Wedmore, a Madison-Grant High School product, delivered two solid throws across his three preliminary attempts, comfortably punching his ticket to the finals. Sitting sixth heading into the finals, Wedmore saved his best for last, launching a throw of 16.67 meters on his final attempt to secure a fifth-place finish.

After narrowly edging Indiana Wesleyan's Josh Holder by 0.01 meters for the ninth and final spot in the finals with his third and final preliminary throw (16.15 meters), Seth Ireland fouled on all three of his finals attempts to finish ninth, one spot shy of All-American honors.

Both Evan Gaylor and Isaac Ireland fell short of advancing to the finals, as Ireland finished 19th with a mark of 15.48 meters, while Gaylor narrowly missed a finals spot with a throw of 16.02 meters that placed him 11th.

Head coach Josh Colvin had the following to say about the men's shot putters' performances at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships: "Qualifying four individuals on the men's side is a rare accomplishment for IUK as well as the NAIA. We have never had four individuals qualify for nationals in a single event, and based on my research, I would say it is a rare feat for any school in the NAIA. All of this is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the athletes and of Coach Gaylor. Coach Gaylor has done a tremendous job with our throws program, with our men's shot put squad at one point being ranked #1 in the nation."

Colvin continued, stating "Isaac Ireland was ranked 32nd going into the meet and finished 19th, making it a great first nationals experience for the sophomore. His older brother Seth came in ranked 28th before making the finals and missing an All-American spot by just one place. Gabe Wedmore finished fourth and earned All-American honors despite uncertainty earlier in the year about whether he would compete in shot put after last season's injury. Evan Gaylor entered ranked 10th and finished 11th. I know he's disappointed because he wanted more from his final indoor meet, but he's left a legacy here at IUK that will be remembered for a long time. The hope is that we can get all four to qualify for outdoor nationals as well."

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