LOWELL, Mass. – Graduate student James Kotowski (Stoneham, Mass.) and senior Jan Wouter Van Den Akker (Groningen, Netherlands) of the UMass Lowell men's outdoor track and field team have officially been selected to compete at the NCAA East First Round next Wednesday, May 28, hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.  

Kotowski will kick it off for the River Hawks in the javelin, as his season-high 74.09m (243' 1.0") mark at the UMass Lowell George Davis Invitational ranks him seventh in the nation heading into next week's event and gives him the opportunity to prolong his season with a solid performance. So far this year, he has won all five events he has thrown in, which includes the Raliegh Relays (73.28m), George Davis Invitational (74.09m), Penn Relays (66.71m), America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship (69.36m) and Princeton Elite (70.91m). 

Van Den Akker will conclude the day for the River Hawks later in the evening in the 10,000m run. The senior earned his spot way back in March, when he started off the outdoor season with a personal-best time of 28:46.34 at the Raleigh Relays. This ranks him 40th in the nation as he heads into the first outdoor NCAA First Round of his career. After the Raleigh Relays, Van Den Akker went on to earn a silver medal in the 10,000m at the 2025 America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship with a time of 29:28.62. 

Kotowski and the javelin will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while Van Den Akker will race in the 10,000m that same day at 9:10 p.m., as both athletes look to punch their tickets to Oregon for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.