USA Track & Field Names 71 Athletes to 2026 Tier & Talent Protection Program

INDIANAPOLIS – On the heels of a season that saw U.S. athletes bring home 28 medals at the 2025 Para Athletics World Championships, USA Track & Field today announced the 69 athletes and two guides named to its 2026 Tier & Talent Protection Programs. Of these, 61 athletes and both guides earned spots in the prestigious Tier Program, while eight athletes who represent the future of the sport in this country were named to the Talent Protection Program.

The 2026 Tier Program is composed of 36 male athletes, including the two guides, and 28 female athletes, many of whom had standout performances at world championships in New Delhi, India, in September. The roster includes all five reigning world champions, as well as the additional seven reigning Paralympic champions from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Having won double gold in both New Delhi and Paris, Jaydin Blackwell (Oak Park, Michigan) earns his spot on the team as the top-ranked men’s T38 sprinter in the world. Blackwell has enjoyed a dominant run since breaking onto the international scene in 2023 – he has since won every world championship and Paralympic gold medal in the men’s 100m and 400m T38. 

Joining Blackwell on the 2026 roster are 2025 world champions Arelle Middleton (Rancho Cucamonga, California), Joel Gomez (Encinitas, California), Michael Brannigan (Northport, New York) and Annie Carey (Boise, Idaho). Brannigan, a four-time world champion in the men’s 1500m T20, defended his 2024 world title en route to his nomination to the team. Middleton – the reigning Paralympic silver medalist in the women’s shot put F64 – Gomez and Carey all won the first world championships gold medals of their careers in 2025. 

2024 Paralympic champions making the 2026 Tier roster include six-time Paralympic medalist Noah Malone (Fishers, Indiana), five-time Paralympic medalists Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas) and Roderick Townsend (Stockton, California), and four-time Paralympic medalist Daniel Romanchuk (Mount Airy, Maryland). Team USA’s Ezra Frech (Los Angeles, California) and Noelle Malkamaki (Decatur, Illinois), who won their first career Paralympic gold medals in Paris, round out the list of Paris champions on the 2026 Tier roster. 

Six athletes make their first full-year appearances on the Tier team, led by three teenagers – Chloe Chavez (Panhandle, Texas), Violet Hall (Bloomington, Indiana) and Kerragan Johnson (Arlington, Texas) – who made their world championship debuts in New Delhi. Rounding out the 2026 Talent Protection Program roster are up-and-coming wheelchair racers Evan Correll (Waukee, Iowa), Aidan Gravelle (Vernon Center, Minnesota) and Chelsea Stein (Spring, Texas). Correll, Gravelle and Stein are currently competing collegiately at the University of Illinois (Correll) and the University of Arizona (Gravelle and Stein).

The full 2026 Tier athlete program roster can be found below.

For media requests and photo inquiries, please reach out to communications@usatf.org.

2025 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field Tier Athlete Program

Women

Sydney Barta (Arlington, Virginia)

Kaitlin Bounds (Russelville, Arkansas)

Annie Carey (Boise, Idaho)

Chloe Chavez (Panhandle, Texas)

Breanna Clark (Los Angeles, California)

Liza Corso (Newmarket, New Hampshire)

Kym Crosby (Yuba City, California)

Hannah Dederick (Mead, Washington)

Alicia Guerrero (Wapato, Washington)

Violet Hall (Bloomington, Indiana)

Beatriz Hatz (Lakewood, Colorado)

Jessica Heims (Swisher, Iowa)

Samantha Heyison (Adamstown, Maryland)

Yen Hoang (Vancouver, Washington)

Eva Houston (Omaha, Nebraska)

Kerragan Johnson (Arlington, Texas)

Erin Kerkhoff (Coralville, Iowa)

Noelle Lambert-Beirne (Manchester, New Hampshire)

Noelle Malkamaki (Decatur, Illinois)

Lindi Marcusen (Spokane, Washington)

Brittni Mason (Cleveland, Ohio)

Tatyana McFadden (Baltimore, Maryland)

Arelle Middleton (Rancho Cucamonga, California)

Cassie Mitchell (Warner, Oklahoma)

Jaleen Roberts (Kent, Washington)

Susannah Scaroni (Tekoa, Washington)

Chelsea Stein (Spring, Texas)

Taylor Swanson (Spokane, Washington)

Men

Korban Best (Southlake, Texas)

Jaydin Blackwell (Oak Park, Michigan)

David Blair (Eagle Mountain, Utah)

Michael Brannigan (Northport, New York)

Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas)

Josh Cinnamo (San Diego, California)

Evan Correll (Waukee, Iowa)

Ezra Frech (Los Angeles, California)

Joel Gomez (Encinitas, California)

Jonathan Gore (Fayetteville, West Virginia)

Aidan Gravelle (Vernon Center, Minnesota)

Devin Huhta (Battle Mountain, Nevada)

Robert Hunt (Spokane, Washington)

Desmond Jackson (Durham, North Carolina)

Isaac Jean-Paul (Grayslake, Illinois)

Miguel Jimenez-Vergara (Lawrenceville, New Jersey)

Hagan Landry (Delcambre, Louisiana)

Blake Leeper (Kingsport, Tennessee)

Derek Loccident (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Noah Malone (Fishers, Indiana)

Nick Mayhugh (Manassas, Virginia)

Ryan Medrano (El Paso, Texas)

Leo Merle (Folsom, California)

Trenten Merrill (San Juan Capistrano, California)

Aaron Pike (Park Rapids, Minnesota)

Isaiah Rigo (Cheney, Washington)

Max Rohn (Fallbrook, California)

Daniel Romanchuk (Mount Airy, Maryland)

Brian Siemann (Champaign, Illinois)

Roderick Townsend (Stockton, California)

Jarryd Wallace (Athens, Georgia)

Dallas Wise (Columbia, South Carolina)

Hunter Woodhall (Syracuse, Utah)

Guides

Jerome Avery (Lemoore, California)

Je’Von Hutchison (Boynton Beach, Florida)

Talent Protection Program

Michael Anwar (Spokane, Washington)

Femita Ayanbeku (Boston, Massachusetts)

Michelle Cross (Mission Viejo, California)

Beth Grauer (Hoisington, Kansas)

Sayers Grooms (Gainesville, Florida)

Catarina Guimaraes (Cranford, New Jersey)

Tahmar Upshaw (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)

Marshall Zackery (Ocala, Florida)