BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – One day after a memorable comeback to clinch a spot in the finals, Keene State College junior Tyler Bolaske could not repeat the comeback feat on Saturday but nonetheless still became the Owls' second All-American in as many days as he competed at the 2026 NCAA indoor track and field championships at the Birmingham Crossplex.

With the field chopped in half after the preliminaries Friday afternoon, the Palmer, Mass. native found himself one of the final 10 in Division III in the mile thanks to his time of 4:13.00, including a huge surge late to go from tenth in the heat to fourth.  Today, he led early and was in the middle of the pack toward the middle of the race, but the final kick did not come as he finished in 4:26.38 for tenth.  He ran out of steam late, with most of the separation coming in the final lap.

Regardless, it was still the conclusion of an impressive winter season for Bolaske – now officially a second team All-American – who set a Little East Conference record while winning the mile at the league meet and qualified for his second NCAA championship of the season after also doing so in cross country in the fall.  Much like then, there is much to look forward to for him in the outdoor season and as the calendar ticks toward next season.

"It was a good weekend for both of these athletes (including Molly Lu McKellar)," said Keene State head coach Dan Roark.  "All-American status is a pretty good title to leave with.  They both left wanting a little more, but they gained some awesome experience and I am proud of the way they competed."

Junior Jack Brown of Central College took the individual national title in 4:14.01 after running his final two laps in under 28 seconds, edging freshman Rabbit Barnes of Colorado College by .38 seconds.  Brown steadily moved up over the course of the race – fourth early, then up to third, and finally second before overtaking University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Jayden Zywicki for the win on the final lap as Zywicki went from first to third. Defending national champion Nicholas Lyndaker of St. Lawrence University placed fourth in 4:14.54.

The ten-man final included only two seniors – Zywicki and Lyndaker – with Bolaske among the five juniors in the mile.

Keene State had representation from both the men's and women's sides at the NCAA indoor track and field championships for the first time since 2014 and will continue to aim to build to be back on the national stage in a year's time.  In the meantime, the Owls will gear up for the outdoor season as the weather gets nicer, opening their season in two weeks at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Invitational on Friday, March 27.