The NCAA track & field national championships made its anticipated return to the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Over 130 universities were represented to compete for a chance to be called national champions. In a dramatic top three finish in 4×400 meter relay, the Florida Gators won the team title by one point over the Auburn Tigers. This was the Gators third outdoor title win in a row.
NCAA Memorable Perfomances
Everyone on the Gators team and staff have one man to thank for the title; Sean Dixon-Bodie. The senior triple jumper competed in what would possibly be his last collegiate meet. A third round jump of 16.28m earned him an eight place finish in the event. That one point scored was the the deciding factor in securing the three-peat. Over the weekend, Hayward Field saw many magical moments, starting with the men’s decathlon competition.
Texas Senior Leo Neugebauer won the Decathlon for the second year in a row. He would go on to break his own collegiate record of 8,836 thanks to decathlon world record in discus, and posting the best day one score in collegiate history. Leo would finish the competition with 8,961 points. That score is the sixth best performance ever, and a German national record.
On the sprints side of things we saw multiple runners win the their first ever individual titles. University of Houston sophomore Louie Hinchliffe won the 100m, while Cheickna Traore would win the 200m title. It was the first title by a Penn State runner in that event since 1941. Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean had the breakout performance of the meet.
Looking Ahead
Dean won the 400 meter hurdles title over defending champ Chris Robinson. His time of 47.23 is the new collegiate lead, and number two in the United States behind Rai Benjamin. With the Olympic Trials coming up in just a few weeks in Eugene, we could see a lot of fresh faces representing the red, white, and blue.
All attention now shifts to the women’s side as they compete in their final day of competition. Florida currently leads for the team title with Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington not far behind. The final day will be live on ESPN+. Single day tickets are also available for purchase on the official meet site.
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All Images Via NCAA Track & Field Unless Specified
