Friday’s rendition of the NCAA Track and Field National Championships featured the literal title runs for each of the men’s events. Members of the Southeastern Conference flexed their conference’s depth.
USC and Texas A&M split the week with a tie for 41 overall points while Arkansas claimed third (40), Auburn took fourth (35) and New Mexico rounded out the top five with 31 points.
Another chapter of Hayward Field history is in the books.
Oklahoma’s Ralford Mullings got the title-claiming day started by winning the Men’s Discus title by nearly three meters over anyone else. His 69.31-meter throw finished well above second-place-finisher Mykolas Alekna’s (California) mark and got an impressive field day for the Sooners started.
The first track event to name a winner was the Men’s Wheelchair 100m. Illinois’ Evan Correll (14.46 seconds) bested a trio of Arizona Wildcats, spinning his wheels as fast as he could to claim a national title for the Fighting Illini.
Patrons began to trickle into Hayward Field as the Men’s 4x100m Relay took center stage. Auburn’s men took first with a combined 38.33-second road, besting the USC Trojans (38.46), who were looking for every possible point on a day where they hunted an overall championship.
Washington’s Nathan Green (3:47.26) took first in the Men’s 1500m for the second time in three years, bringing another track and field title to Mont Lake, Washington. The Huskies boast a stellar track and field program, with athletes like Green showing why.
The Oklahoma Sooners dominated the Men’s Triple Jump with teammates Brandon Green Jr. (16.81m) and Floyd Whitaker (16.41m) claiming the top two respective spots.
BYU’s James Corrigan took home the Men’s Steeplechase National Championship with his 8:16.41 time. The Olympian dazzled at Hayward and received a secondary round of applause during his post-run interview by announcing that he and his wife are expecting a child at the end of the year.
Ole Miss junior Arvesta Troupe claimed victory in the Men’s High Jump with a 2.27m leap, the only in the field to do so after several tiebreaking rounds. He took the title over a pair of Texas State Bobcats — Kason O’Riley and Aiden Hayes — who tied for second with a 2.20m mark.
Auburn’s big day continued as Ja’Kobe Tharp claimed first place in the Men’s 110m Hurdles with his 13.05-second time. Nearly half the field tripped at some point in the race, but Tharp stayed steady to claim victory.
Jordan Anthony won the Men’s 100m in a flash with his 10.07-second time. The Arkansas Razorback won the SEC-loaded field in the 10 most electric seconds of the day. USC’s Mac Thomas finished just one ten-thousandth of a second ahead of LSU’s Jelani Watkins as the two took second and third respectively.
Oregon fans in attendance didn’t have much to get rowdy for on the home side on Friday. Not a single Duck took first in any event and Oregon was far from making the overall leaderboard.
Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi claimed victory in the Men’s 400m dash with a 44.84-second time in a sprint that was never really in question. The Iron-Bowl rivalry of Alabama and Auburn dazzled at Hayward on Friday as the SEC flexed its dominance.
Texas A&M’s Sam Whitmarsh, who took second in the event last year — dominated the Men’s 800m from the start to win it with a time of 1:45.86. Oregon’s Matthew Erickson took second with a time of 1:46.32. His teammate, Koitatoi Kidali, was wincing off the start, but rallied to return to finish ninth in the event.
Whitmarsh pointed out the SEC’s presence at the Outdoor National Championships after his win, saying “just look at the field”, one that was full of SEC representatives in nearly every event.
A pair of Razorbacks placed in the event, bringing the Arkansas men into a tie with USC for first overall with six events left to be scored. Minnesota and New Mexico, which started the day in first and second respectively, fell to seventh and fifthth overall by the time the day ended.
The Men’s 400m Hurdles was an especially-electric event after it was delayed by several distractions. Once it finally got going, Hayward Field got rowdy as Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel ran away with a title with his 47.49-second time, a new personal best. He fell to the ground after falling just short of the 47.02 NCAA record.
The Men’s 200m ended up being one of the closest races of the day. Kentucky’s Carli Makarawu set a new Zimbabwe national record with his 19.84-second time. Three athletes ran under 20 seconds as Auburn’s Makanakaishe Charamba (19.92) and USC’s Garrett Kaalund (19.96) took second and third respectively.
24 long-distance runners competed in the Men’s 5000m, but it was Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau’s 12:20.59-second time that won it all when it was all said and done. The leading pack dwindled with each passing lap until one Cowboy remained to claim victory.
The Men’s 4x400m ended the day and the men’s 2025 track and field season. The Bulls of South Florida earned a national title for the Sunshine State with a 3:00.42-minute time and finalized the team scores for the week.
The medal ceremony and presentation capped off another impressive year of athletic feats and built the anticipation for Saturday’s women’s slate.
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