BUFFALO, NY – Natalia Sawyer (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) of the Buffalo State indoor track and field team has officially qualified for the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend. Sawyer will race one of her signature events in the 60-meter hurdles. The meet will be hosted at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Alabama with prelims of the hurdles on Friday and finals (should Sawyer qualify) on Saturday.
 
Sawyer qualifies for her fourth straight indoor championship meet and sixth championship appearance overall. Last indoor season, Sawyer raced the 400-meter dash where she came away with a fifth place finish and First Team All-America honors. In 2023-24, Sawyer was the national champion in the 60-meter hurdles as she looks for the fourth national title of her career.
 
Sawyer is seeded tied for 15^th in the event with a time of 8.73 seconds, tied with Nora Chen of Rochester. The field also consists of the reigning-national champion in the event in Aryianna Garceau of UMass-Boston and last year's runner up in Allyson Hammond of Pacific (Ore.). Garceau and Hammond are seeded first and second, respectively. Also noteworthy is Sawyer will make her final trip to the Birmingham CrossPlex after her first career NCAA Championship appearance was in the same facility.