Six Champions Crowned on Day 1 of NCAA Championships

Sondre Guttormsen wins the NCAA Outdoor Pole Vault title at Hayward Field on Wedesday. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

By Cassie Cole

The NCAA Track and Field Championships kicked off Wednesday at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Day One of the collegiate competition featured men’s semifinals on the track and six event finals.

Waiting for the right time

Logan Blomquist of Southeast Missouri State took first place in the men’s hammer on Wednesday afternoon with a throw of 73.37m (240-8). The fifth-year senior is the first men’s track and field athlete to win an NCAA title for his school.

Blomquist’s winning throw, a personal best, was in stark contrast to his performance from 2019, where he threw “very poorly.” He credits his improvement to changes in his diet and technique in the last two years.

“I told myself at the end of sophomore year, I’m like, I’m gonna throw seventy meters before I die,” said Blomquist. “I dedicated so much time; I finally did it.”

Although Blomquist felt confident coming into the championships, he was still nervous about his performance.

“I knew I was capable,” said Blomquist. “But it didn’t matter, you have to show up and do it on the day.”

Blomquist’s winning throw was an emotional moment and a satisfying conclusion after his disappointment from 2019. “I just dedicated a huge part of my life to hammer throw—I’ve lived and breathed it the last few years,” said Blomquist.

Penn State’s Tyler Merkley was also satisfied with his efforts in the hammer throw. The senior finished second with a throw of 72.70m (238-6), a personal best as well.

“Coming in you knew it was gonna be a battle between basically everyone else at the finals,” said Merkley. He acknowledged that anyone who makes it to the finals is a strong competitor in the event. “Everyone’s always just trying to win,” Merkley added.

The finals were just as competitive as Merkley had anticipated, with the top three finishers all holding first place at one point in the competition. Merkley himself was in first until Blomquist’s winning throw in the final round. His shift to second place didn’t seem to bother him, however.

“It feels good,” said Merkley on his second place finish. “To see stuff come to fruition is really awesome.”

Hopes aiming high

The men’s pole vault turned into a four-hour competition that started Wednesday afternoon and concluded later that night. With 24 athletes in the field, some competitors had to wait over an hour between jumps. Princeton’s Sondre Guttormsen finished first in the event with a height of 5.75m (18-10.25).

The unusual length of the competition was a point of frustration for Guttormsen, who was hoping to break his Norwegian national record of 5.81m.

“It’s a little more difficult when you have to jump for that long and it’s kind of draining too,” said Guttormsen. “So I think that kind of hurt my abilities to go even higher.”

Guttormsen is a Norwegian Olympian and the reigning NCAA Indoor Pole Vault Champion. Despite not meeting his goal, Guttormsen was still satisfied with his result.

“It was tough so it’s kind of like a relief and joy that I’ve now won NCAA Championships twice,” said Guttormsen. “A championship is a championship, we come here to compete against each other and not necessarily the marks.”

Clayton Fritsch of Sam Houston State finished in second behind Guttormsen with a height of 5.70m (18-8.25). The two top finishers were at Hayward Field just two weeks ago for The Prefontaine Classic, where they competed against some of the world’s best professional pole vaulters.

“It was a heck of an experience to be able to go and jump with those guys,” said Fritsch on The Prefontaine Classic. “They’re doing what I’m wanting to do.”

Hayward Field is becoming a second home for Frisch, who will be returning to the venue again for the USATF Outdoor Championships in two weeks. He hopes to learn from his second place finish at the NCAA Championships and apply it at the national championships.

“We wanted to jump big,” Frisch said about his plan Wednesday. “We just gotta keep rolling with it, learn from it, and come back…in a couple weeks.”

Throwing motivation

The men’s javelin final was also held on Day One of the NCAA Championships. Marc Minichello of Penn took first with a throw of 81.17m (266-3), a new personal best.

“The journey has been long and lonely but at the same time a lot of people have been at my side,” said the senior.

Minichello is looking toward the USATF Championships later this month, and he already has a plan based on his performance Wednesday.

“The flight of the javelin is probably the biggest thing—I throw way too high,” he said. He believes he can meet the qualifying standard for the World Championships, especially after his performance at the NCAAs.

Jumping pride

Wayne Pinnock of the University of Tennessee finished first in the men’s long jump on Wednesday with a leap of 8.00m (26-3). This is Pinnock’s second NCAA title after winning at the Indoor Championships earlier this year.

Pinnock explained that although there was pressure to perform today, he was proud of his results.

“It was pretty hard but I just take a deep breath, just get the job done,” said Pinnock. “I love Tennessee and I would give my all for Tennessee.”

End of a journey

The NCAA men’s shot put was a bittersweet event for some of its top finishers as they wrapped up their final collegiate competition. For first place finisher Adrian Piperi, his final college meet was a good one.

“It was a great competition, I think the last round was awesome,” said Piperi after winning in 21.52m (70-7.25). The Texas senior also praised his competitors for their good throws and season bests. “I’m happy how it ended; you can’t really complain with a win,” he added.

Despite his victory, Piperi did go into the competition with some reservations.

“I’m always nervous. I might play it off but I’m always nervous,” he said. Piperi explained that listening to music helps him calm down and prepare before a meet. He also likes to come into the competition with a positive mindset to build on. “I always just kind of bank on myself winning,” said Piperi.

Third place finisher Isaac Odugbesan was also wrapping up his collegiate career on Wednesday. Odugbesan’s farthest throw was 20.48m (67-2.25). The University of Alabama senior had high praise for Piperi and second place finisher Turner Washington.

“In all honesty, they are on a different level,” he said, citing his opponents’ throwing consistency. Odugbesan was still content with his results, though. “I’m happy about it, I’m satisfied. It’s all good.”

Despite falling less than two-miles into the race, Notre Dame’s Dylan Jacobs storms back to win the NCAA 10,000m title on Wednesday. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

Kicks and Hicks

The last final on Day One was the men’s 10,000m race, but the last event was in no way the least.

The 10k kicked off with a strong push from Campbell’s Athanas Kioko, who ran ahead of the main group for much of the race and at one point had a near 100-meter lead on the chase pack.

“Kioko is an interesting athlete just ‘cause every race he does something to make you think about your tactics and your race plan,” said Abdihamid Nur. Nur, of Northern Arizona, finished third with a time of 28:14.51.

Despite Kioko’s strong start, he eventually was eaten up by the pack with less than 3k to go. Kioko held on to finish fifth in 28:17.17. Nur took Kioko’s place as the leader until the bell lap, when he was passed by Notre Dame’s Dylan Jacobs.

About 3K into the race Jacobs fell to the track after tripping over the inside rail. He got back up, however, and tried to pass Nur multiple times. He found his chance in the last 200m. Jacobs finished first with a time of 28:12.32, becoming the second ever men’s 10K national champion in Notre Dame history.

“I was trusting my kick and trusting my fitness honestly,” said Jacobs. “[The championship title] is better than I could ever imagine.”

“I’m so grateful,” he added.

Following closely behind Nur and Jacobs was Stanford’s Charles Hicks. Hicks won the Pac-12 10k title last month. Partway through the race, Hicks’ nose started to bleed.

“It was kinda like breathing through a snorkel for a bit,” said Hicks. He didn’t know the cause of the nosebleed but did explain that he is prone to them. The nosebleed didn’t appear to be too much of a setback for Hicks, who continued to run and ultimately finished sixth in the race.

“[It’s] part of sports, part of life and you gotta keep moving forward,” said Hicks, who took a positive message from his complicated race. “I come away with a lot of confidence in myself and pride that I was able to compete under the circumstances.” 

Day Two of the NCAA Championships will feature women’s semifinal and final events. The men of track and field will return on Day Three for the remainder of the final competitions.