Brown Highlights Strong Opening Day for SMC at NAIA Championships; Qualifies for 200m Finals

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Junior Romeo Brown highlighted a strong opening day for the Spartanburg Methodist College men's track and field team at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Wednesday, delivering key performances across multiple events.

Brown and the Pioneers opened competition in the 4x100m relay, where the quartet from SMC finished with a time of 40.94 — the third-fastest 4x100m relay mark in program history. 

Later in the day, Brown returned to the track for the 200m dash prelims. The junior from Newberry, South Carolina, placed third in his heat with a time of 21.10 seconds, qualifying him for Friday's finals at 4:30 p.m. (EST). His mark ranks as the sixth-fastest qualifying time overall, with advancement determined by the top two finishers in each heat plus the next fastest times across the field.

"I'm proud of the way our group competed today from start to finish. The 4x100m relay showed real composure and execution under championship pressure, and putting together one of the top marks in program history speaks to the standard we're building," said SMC head coach Jannai Maxwell. "Romeo's performance in the 200m was just as impressive—he stepped up, handled a deep field, and put himself in position to compete for a title. That's what championship athletes do, and we're excited to see him continue that momentum into Friday."

Competition continues as Brown is scheduled to return for the 100m dash prelims on day two of the three-day championship meet, set for 3:40 p.m. (EST).