The 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships continued at Hayward Field on Thursday with the beginning of the women’s competition. Five field competitions held finals, as well as the women’s 10,000 meters and the conclusion of the men’s decathlon.
Programs started collecting points in the early afternoon with the conclusion of the women’s hammer throw. Georgia senior Stephanie Ratcliffe secured 10 points with a 71.37-meter mark, while Texas Tech senior Shelby Frank finished as the runner-up for the third time.
The Ducks put themselves in a good position to earn points on Saturday when Silan Ayyildiz, Mia Barnett and Klaudia Kazimierska all advanced to the women’s 1,500-meter final.
The first heat began with all competitors in one pack through the first three laps. Once the final 400 meters started, Ayyildiz fought for positioning toward the front. She battled past pushes from within the inner lane and came off the last turn to speed toward a third-place, 4:11.65 finish.
“It was so hard. I couldn’t get out. And the last 400, I was about to fall down,” Ayyildiz said. “Some girl just pushed me. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just gonna keep going.’”
Ayyildiz’s senior teammates, Kazimierska and Barnett, both joined her in advancing to the final. Barnett came in second overall, recording a personal best of 4:09.61, while Kazimierska clocked in at 4:09.94.
“I think it’s relief to make it past this round because I know the three of us wanted to make it through, but there’s so many amazing girls in this field,” Barnett said. “It’s gonna be like any other race where I just have to compete really hard.”
Oregon junior Aaliyah McCormick blazed past the rest of her heat in the 100-meter hurdles. She recorded a time of 12.76 seconds to clinch a first-place finish and secure a spot in Saturday’s final.
In the pole vault final, Ducks junior Emily Fitzsimmons was one of the final seven athletes competing. She vaulted a new personal best of 4.44 meters, finishing in sixth. Rutgers’ Chloe Timberg finished in second, while Washington’s Hanna and Amanda Moll took first and third.
“I feel like rejuvenating the pole vault history that [Oregon] once had is really special,” Fitzsimmons said. “Being a part of that is a very unique opportunity.”
Louisville, Stanford and Baylor secured the top three spots in the women’s long jump. Cardinals senior Synclair Savage’s personal best of 6.72 meters tied her program with Georgia with 10 points.
“I was like, ‘I gotta make this moment memorable, like I know I can,’” Savage said. “Ultimately, just digging the deepest I think I’ve ever dug before, and just knowing and putting it all out there on the line was basically what I went into the last jump with.”
Meanwhile, two of the top three competitors in the javelin set personal bests. Missouri’s Valentina Barrios Born Jr. threw 62 meters, and freshman Manuela Rotundo added to Georgia’s total with a second-place throw.
The Bulldogs lead the women’s competition with 26 points heading into Saturday’s finals, but Illinois isn’t far behind with 16.5 points. The Illini added points in the shot put with Abria Smith’s second-place throw.
Thursday’s track events concluded with the 10,000-meter final. Oregon freshman Diana Cherotich stayed in the leading pack for the first half of the competition but dropped out after 5,600 meters.
New Mexico freshman Pamela Kosgei set a meet record in the 10,000, clocking in at 31:17.82.
The 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships will continue on Friday. The women’s heptathlon will begin and the men’s track and field events will conclude with a national champion set to be crowned Friday night.
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