UTD’s track and field has quickly become one of the athletic program’s most successful teams this season. Their rise is accredited to their mindset and culture as much as it is by their raw performance.

Just months before the 2026 season began, the future of UTD’s track and field team was suddenly thrown into uncertainty. In late summer, 2025, the university announced it would be cutting both the men’s and women’s track and field and cross-country programs due to budget constraints and lack of necessary facilities. This left athletes and staff in shock just weeks before their return to the school. However, after backlash from students, alumni and the UTD community, the decision was reversed, and the Comets were able to compete in the 2025-26 season. What followed was not just a return to the track, but a season fueled by resilience and something to prove.

The UTD track and field team is surpassing records with every meet they compete in during the 2026 season totaling 19 broken school records during the indoor season. From the Texas Relays to the David Noble Relays, the Comets have showcased performances at a pace never before seen in the school’s history.

Now midway through the outdoor season, the team is proving their stride. Rather than peaking early or displaying isolated performances, UTD has built steady momentum across each meet, turning consistent improvement into record-breaking results. That growth, according to Head Coach Danielle Kcholi, is a direct result of both talent and preparation.

“We just have had a really great recruiting class, and I think that attributes a lot to how well we’ve been doing,” Kcholi said, pointing to the foundation behind the team’s continued success.

That is especially evident in the number of records broken week after week. The Comets broke more than a dozen records at the TCU Alumni Invite alone, followed by nine more at the David Noble Relays in San Angelo, in addition to multiple marks at the Texas Relays and Trinity Invitational.

“We’ve actually broken the majority of our outdoor records,” Kcholi said, emphasizing how widespread the accomplishments have been across events.

At the center of that success are the relay teams, which have become a defining strength for UTD. The men’s 4×100 team clocked a school-record 40.78 seconds, while the 4×400 squad followed with another record at 3:15.02. On the women’s side, the 4×100 relay not only broke the program record but won its event in 47.33 seconds.

“The relays continuously have really, really done well,” said Kcholi.

Individual performances have been just as strong. Freshman David Vasquez seized a win in the 400-meter hurdles, while distance runner Alex Bozhilov shattered the 10,000-meter record by nearly half a minute. On the women’s side, athletes like Grace Pritchard and Rowan Hughes have consistently reset program marks in the triple jump and hurdles. Together, these performances showcase a roster with depth across sprints, distance and field events.

Yet behind all the statistics, the team’s success cannot be explained by times and distances alone. As the season has progressed, one theme has stuck out — the culture within the team.

For record breaking freshman sprinter E’Mon Mason, that culture is impossible to ignore.

“We’re all like one big family,” she said.

Mason mentioned whether it was training together, supporting each other at meets or even spending holidays like Easter as a group, the bond between teammates extends far beyond athletics and competition. That closeness created an environment where the team felt supported both on and off the track.

From the coach’s perspective, that level of unity is rare.

“I haven’t seen a group this cohesive and close ever in my coaching career,” Kcholi said.

In a sport that emphasizes individual performance, UTD’s ability to function as a tight-knit group has come to their advantage. That culture shows up most clearly in high-pressure moments. After struggling in Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, the women’s 4×400 relay regrouped mentally before their next race at the J.G. Gonzales Memorial Invitational.

“We literally came together and were like, ‘No, we’re gonna do good this time,’” Mason said. “We literally broke the record.”

The turnaround was not just physical — it was mental, fueled by the trust they had in one another to be a team.

Sophomore hurdler Rowen Hughes shared her similar sentiment, emphasizing how the support the team has for another pushes everyone even harder.

“Everybody is just constantly encouraging each other,” she said. “Everybody just builds each other up.”

That mental component is another defining part of track and field, where races can be decided by focus and resilience as much as speed.

“Track is a physical sport, but it’s also mental too,” Mason said.

For UTD athletes competing at a high level against athletes from Division I to III, their mindset can be the difference between a good race and a record-breaking one.

Hughes faced challenges that come with maintaining that mindset throughout a long season. For her, the struggle is often internal, as she tries to block out comparisons and focus on herself.

“I’m not trying to compare to where I was last year or to other athletes, I’m just running my own race,” she said.

Another major factor of the Comets’ season is the impact of having a younger roster.

We’re really freshmen heavy and they’re doing really well. This is a really special group that we have right now,” Kcholi said.

“On our women’s track side, so we have E’mon Mason. She’s a freshman, and she’s doing really special things in the 400. And then we have quite a few sprinters on our men’s side. James Hicks and Travis Matchett. They’re both running really, really well and ranked really high in the Lone Star. So we’ve had quite a few individuals that are up there in the rankings,” continued Kcholi.

From Mason in the 400 meters to sprinters like Hicks and event winners like Vasquez, first-year athletes have stepped into their roles and delivered. Their success not only boosts current results but also shows a strong future for the UTD track and field program.

“This year’s goal is just getting to the conference meet and doing well, because that’ll be a new experience for us,” Kcholi said.

Looking further ahead, the coach’s ambitions go beyond the conference, with long-term goals already planned. “Going to nationals in a couple different events — that’s the big goal.” Kcholi said.

As the season continues on, the team’s focus now shifts toward the Lone Star Conference Championship taking place at West Texas A&M University on May 7 through May 9.