The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships made a sparkling return to the iconic Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, for the first time since 2019. From Wednesday, June 7th, to Saturday, June 10th, the top NCAA athletes competed for the prestigious titles of All-American and national champion. Last week, we shared a preview, which you can read here. In this recap, we will highlight some of the highlights of this exciting tournament, including the performances of our own Slamstox athletes.

Team titels

First, let’s mention the results of the teams. Which teams were crowned national champions on Saturday evening?

In the battle for the men’s title, there was drama unfolding. The men’s team from Florida entered the final event of the competition, the 4×400 meter relay, trailing Arkansas by five points. Both teams had a quartet of athletes on the starting line, and the implications were enormous: if the Gators were to win and the Razorbacks finished no lower than fourth place, they would share the national title. Any other outcome, with a victory for Florida, would mean a new crown for the team from Gainesville.

The Gators once again showed why they hold the collegiate record. With a time of 2:57.74, Florida broke their own record to win the thrilling event and put pressure on Arkansas. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for the Razorbacks as they finished eighth. The Gators successfully defended the title they had won last year in Oregon.

As for the women’s competition, it was a celebration for the home crowd. Texas captured their first women’s title since 2005, scoring an impressive 83 points – the highest score in the event since 1994. The Longhorns’ dominance on their own turf was an extraordinary feat. Texas earned at least ten points in five different events, securing championship titles in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 4×100 meter relay, and long jump. The Longhorns became only the second team in the history of the championship to win the 100, 200, and 400 at the same NCAA Championships (Florida State accomplished this in 1984).

Individual highlights

Here, we highlight some notable performances, including the national record (8836 points) set by Leo Neugebauer in the decathlon, which is worth mentioning. And we’re not just talking about the collegiate record, but also the German record was broken in Texas. Julien Alfred crowned herself with victories in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4×100 meter relay. Furthermore, no woman in history has ever run a faster double in the 100 and 200 meters on the same day. This is world history, not just at the university level. She is the undisputed “sprint queen” of the tournament, and an interesting fact is that it was also her birthday.

Jasmine Moore and the triple jump record go hand in hand. On Saturday evening, Moore shattered Keturah Orji’s five-year-old collegiate record (the winner of the 2018 Bowerman Award) by leaping an astonishing 14.78 meters! The very first track final on Wednesday evening resulted in a 1-2 finish for Stanford in the 10,000 meters. Ky Robinson and Charles Hicks made history for Stanford, with Robinson coming dangerously close to the 2021 track record. But that’s not all, just two days later, junior Ky Robinson added another NCAA title by winning the 5000 meters! He is the first distance athlete in years to achieve the double in the 5000 and 10,000 meters since Edwar Cheserek (Oregon) accomplished it in 2015.

Other notable performances came from Rhasidat Adeleke (Texas), Will Sumner (Georgia), and Ackera Nugent (Arkansas). They claimed the NCAA titles in the 400 meters, 800 meters, and 100-meter hurdles, respectively. Rhasidat Adeleke showcased her talent by securing the championship title in the highly competitive 400 meters. Her impressive performance demonstrated her speed and endurance on the track. Will Sumner demonstrated his strength and tactical prowess in the 800 meters, capturing the NCAA title for Georgia. His strategic race execution and determination proved instrumental in his victory. Ackera Nugent displayed her exceptional skills in the 100-meter hurdles, dominating the competition to claim the NCAA title for Arkansas. Her speed, agility, and precise technique in hurdling set her apart from the field. These athletes delivered outstanding performances in their respective events, solidifying their positions as top contenders in NCAA Track and Field.

Slamstox atlhletes

In our previous article, we mentioned three notable Slamstox athletes who shone in Austin. Rafael Raap (Oregon) was the first one up, starting his decathlon on Wednesday afternoon. Rafael Raap delivered a very consistent performance in the decathlon and can be proud of his 14th place finish in his first year at the University of Oregon. It was a fantastic experience, and participating in a competition where an NCAA record was set is not something you can say every day.

Amina Maatoug (Duke) competed in both the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters. Unfortunately, she did not qualify for the final in the 1500 meters. However, this gave her the opportunity to fully focus on the 5000 meters, which was scheduled for Saturday evening. This resulted in an outstanding race where Amina finished fifth with a personal record of 15:48.22! She can now proudly call herself an All-American, and her fast 5000 meters also set a school record for Duke.

Her teammate, Ilhame Tamrouti, threw her javelin to a distance of 48.61 meters, earning her a 20th place finish and making her the third-best javelin thrower of all time for Duke. Her performance showcased her skill and contributed to the team’s overall success at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Dutch throwers

The exceptional performances of our Dutch throwers, Jorinde van Klinken (Oregon) and Alida van Daalen (Florida), deserve special mention. Jorinde claimed victory in the discus throw with a remarkable distance of 65.55 meters, setting a meet record. Alida, on the other hand, finished in 3rd place with a new personal record of 59.96 meters in the same event. In the shot put, Jorinde secured a second-place finish, while Alida achieved an impressive fourth-place finish. Their outstanding performances showcased their talent and marked a significant contribution to their respective teams’ success at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

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