Muhlenberg junior Christopher Short ended his 2026 indoor track and field season doing exactly what he did for most of the season - breaking a school record.

Short ran the 400 meters in 47.95 seconds at the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, finishing in seventh place. Seeded 16th among the 20 national qualifiers, he ran the seventh-fastest qualifying time in the prelims.

In the two-heat final, he was in the strong second heat, which included the national champion and runner-up. Short finished fourth in the heat, coming in more than a half-second faster than the fourth-place finisher in the first heat. 

The clocking lowered Short's school record another couple of ticks. His indoor career best coming into the season was 49.59, but he set the school record at 47.99 at the Widener Indoor Classic and then ran 47.97 at the AARTFC Championships. 

The 400 was one of five events in which Short broke on his own or contributed to a school record during the season.

By finishing in the top eight, Short earned first-team All-America honors. The seventh-place finish is the second-best ever by a member of the Muhlenberg men's team in an open event at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Mules' all-time indoor All-Americans are as follows:

2003: Will Elson (second in 1,500-meter run); Brian Cash/Josh Cohen/Ben Phillips/Elson (fifth in distance medley relay)

2009: Stuart Udis/Peter Rice/Bobby Torphy/David Chorney (fourth in distance medley relay)

2017: Jaryd Flank (eighth in 3,000-meter run); Corey Mullins/Mike Bessette/Anthony Calantoni/Flank (seventh in distance medley relay)

2026: Christopher Short (seventh in 400-meter run)

Short joins Phillips as indoor track and field All-Americans who also were members of the Muhlenberg football team.