Abaka-Amuah's 22nd Place Finish Highlights Day 1 of NCAA East First Round

Wednesday, May 27

Lexington, Ky

10 AM

University of New Hampshire

NCAA Championships - First Round

Yoofi Abaka-Amuah competes in the shot put at the 2026 NCAA 1st Round. (May 27 at U. of Kentucky)

Photo by: Eammon Ryan

Abaka-Amuah's 22nd Place Finish Highlights Day 1 of NCAA East First Round

5/27/2026 8:42:00 PM | Men's Track & Field

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior thrower Yoofi Abaka-Amuah (Worcester, Mass.) placed 22^nd in the shot put to highlight three University of New Hampshire men's track & field team results in the NCAA East First Round at the UK Track and Field Complex on Wednesday.

Abaka-Amuah also placed 39^th in the hammer and Liam McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I.), another senior thrower, was the top Wildcat in the hammer in 31^st place.

CLICK HERE to view shot put PDF file. CLICK HERE to view hammer PDF file.

Abaka-Amuah, who entered the First Round ranked 13^th in the East in the shot put and competed in the third flight, placed 22^nd in a field of 48 competitors with a top mark of 18.09 meters (59 feet, 4.25 inches) in the second round. He recorded a throw of 17.60m on his first attempt and fouled on the third throw to cap his 2026 season and career.

This is the second consecutive year Abaka-Amuah competed at the outdoor First Round. He finished 37^th in the shot put in 2025.

McGovern, who entered the East First Round hammer as the 16^th seed and competed in the third of four flights, finished in 31^st place with a top mark of 62.03 meters (203 feet-6 inches) on his first attempt. He recorded a throw of 61.45m on the next attempt and capped the day – and his career – at 61.24m.

This was the third consecutive year McGovern competed at the NCAA East First Round. He placed 26^th in the hammer last year and did not record a mark in 2024.

Liam McGovern competed in the men's hammer at the 2026 East First Round. (May 27 at U. of Kentucky)

Abaka-Amuah, who entered the East First Round hammer as the 27^th seed and competed in the second of four flights, recorded a throw of 58.48m on his first throw of the day. He bested that with a distance of 60.79m (199 feet-5 inches) on his second attempt and closed the hammer with a toss of 58.81m. Abaka-Amuah placed 39^th in the field of 48 throwers.

Yoofi Abaka-Amuah competes in the hammer at the 2026 NCAA East First Round. (May 27 at University of Kentucky)

The UNH men's track & field team has one more entry in the NCAA East First Round with freshman Ethan Palmer (Bowdoin, Maine) competing in the triple jump on May 29 (6pm).