Six collegiate records broken during 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field

Photo by Charlie Townes

Hayward magic was alive over the weekend, seeing six collegiate records broken from June 5th through 8th as athletes from 121 schools competed at the 2024 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships. 

University of Texas Austin’s Leo Neugebauer won the men’s decathlon with 8961 points, the sixth-highest score in the world of all time and a new collegiate record for the event. His day-one score of 4685 points gave him the NCAA all-time best day-one score. Neugebauer is now one of just seven men in the world to amass more than 8900 points. Neugebauer is expected to head to Paris to represent team Germany at the Olympic Games. 

“There is no limit, all I have to do is stay consistent, putting in the work every single day,” Neurgebaur said following his competition.

Photo by Maggie Troxell

The men’s competition concluded with the University of Florida winning the men’s team title for the third consecutive year. Their 41-point performance bested Auburn University by just one point. 

“I was very excited. I knew that not only did we have to be third or better (in the 4x400m), but we also had to be right behind Alabama and USC, and that happened. It’s a great feeling, these things never get old,” said Florida head coach Mike Holloway. “We have a standard at Florida. We fight for it every day. It is the final to fight for it this year, so let’s go fight.”

On the women’s side, Nebraska’s Rhema Otabor won the women’s javelin with a distance of 64.19m (210-7). Her 4.7m personal best earned her the collegiate record and national record for the Bahamas. 

“I still think it’s an unbelievable experience. I can’t believe that I just threw that. I still can’t believe it. Usually, I have time to process it, but I don’t think it was enough time,” Otabor said. 

University of Oregon’s Jaida Ross won big this season in women’s shot put, and finished with the national title in the event. She broke the collegiate record at the NCAA West Prelims where she threw 20.01m (65-7¾). This weekend, Ross threw a distance of 19.57m (64-2½).

“This means the world to me – I have my North Medford coaches here. They just told me that the only other NCAA champion from North Medford was Dick Fosbury, so this is a pretty cool thing to have my name on. I’m super proud of this,” Ross said following her win. 

Nickisha Pryce from the University of Arkansas won the women’s 400m with a time of 48.89, a personal best that broke the NCAA collegiate record and the Jamaican national record. The University of Alabama’s Doris Lemngole set a new collegiate record in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase by running a seven-second personal best in 9:15.24.

“I didn’t expect that. My goal was to run under 9:20. I am so happy to break the collegiate record. When I was finishing up I saw the 9:15, I was so happy,” Lemngole said. 

University of Florida’s Parker Valby won both the women’s 5,000m and the women’s 10,000m over the weekend. Her time of 14:52.18 for the 5,000m broke the collegiate record–which she set less than two months prior. Valby now has six NCAA individual titles to her name.

Photo by Charlie Townes

The women’s competition concluded with Arkansas winning the 2024 women’s team title with a score of 63 points after they dominated the women’s 4x400m with a collegiate record time of 3:17.96. Their relay team of Nickisha Pryce, Kaylyn Brown, Amber Anning, and Rosey Effiong also swept the women’s 400m earlier in the day. 

“Thank you to all of the ladies who contributed to this championship. It’s a collective effort. It’s the Arkansas way. We could be stronger in one event this year, and another (event) next year. We want to push, we don’t want to settle,” Arkansas head coach Chris Johnson said. “We want to push and see if we can get to the next level. By having the right staff, the right athletes, and the right attitudes, we can create something special.”

This was also the first year in NCAA history that the men’s and women’s collegiate wheelchair 100m championships were featured during the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Illinois’ Evan Correll won the men’s division with a time of 14.33 seconds, and Hannah Dederick, also from Illinois, won the women’s division with a time of 16.15 seconds. 

Although the 2024 collegiate season is finished, some of these stellar athletes will return to Hayward Field at the end of June with hopes of representing the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games. Tickets for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, taking place from June 21st through June 30th, are still available at TrackTown24.com. 

NCAA Athletes whose Championships mark qualified them for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials- Track & Field:

100 meters: 

• McKenzie Long (Ole Miss)

• Jaydn Mays (Oregon)

• Kaila Jackson (Georgia)

• Thelma Davies (LSU)

200 meters: 

• McKenzie Long (Ole Miss)

• JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina)

• Jadyn Mays (Oregon)

• Jayla Jamison (South Carolina)

• Robert Gregory (Florida)

400 meters: 

• Johnnie Blockburger (USC)

• Kaylyn Brown (Arkansas)

• Rosey Effiong (Arkansas)

• Isabella Whittaker (Penn)

• Jan’Taijah Jones (USC)

• Brianna White (Tennessee)

800 meters: 

• Shane Cohen (Virginia)

• Sam Whitmarsh (Texas A&M)

• Juliette Whittaker (Stanford)

• Roisin Willis (Stanford)

5000 meters: 

• Parker Valby (Florida)

100m hurdles: 

• Grace Stark (Florida)

• Rayniah Jones (UCF)

• Jasmine Jones (USC)

• Destiny Huven (Arkansas)

• Aasia Laurencin (Michigan)

110 meter hurdles:  

• Darius Luff (Nebraska)

• Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn)

• Ja’Qualon Scott (Texas A&M)

• Malachi Snow (San Jose State)

• De’Voin Wilson (Houston)

400-meter hurdles: 

• Caleb Dean (Texas Tech)

• Chris Robinson (Alabama)

• Ja’qualon Scott (Texas A&M)

• Corde Long (Alabama)

• Jakwan Hale (Tennessee)

• Jasmine Jones (USC)

• Rachel Glenn (Arkansas)

• Akala Garrett (Texas)

• Sydni Townsend (Houston)

• Abbey Glynn (Colorado)

• Shani’a Bellamy (LSU)

3000-meter steeplechase: 

• Parker Stokes (Georgetown)

• Nathan Mountain (Virginia) 

• Gable Sieperda (Iowa State)

• CJ Singleton (Notre Dame)

• Yasin Sado (Virginia)

• Alexander Korczynski (Northeastern)

• James Corrigan (BYU)

• Jackson Shorten (Princeton)

• Olivia Markezich (Notre Dame) 

• Janette Schrafft (Iowa State)

• Sophie Novak (Notre Dame)

High Jump: 

• Jenna Rogers (Nebraska)

• Cierra Allphin (BYU)

• Cheyla Scott (Oregon)

• Tyus Wilson (Nebraska)

• Caleb Snowden (Arkansas Pine Bluff)

Pole Vault: 

• Chloe Timberg (Rutgers)

Long Jump: 

• Claire Bryant (Florida)

• Alyssa Jones (Stanford)

• Chrstyn John (JC) Stevenson (USC)

• Jeremiah Davis (Florida State)

• Malcolm Clemons (Florida)

Triple Jump: 

• Salif Mane (FDU)

• Russell Robinson (Miami at Florida)

• Brandon Green JR (Oklahoma)

• Jeremiah Davis (Florida State)

Shot Put: 

• Jaida Ross (Oregon)

• Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Ole Miss)

• Jason Swarens (Wisconsin)

Discus Throw: 

• Veronica Fraley (Vanderbilt)

• Jayden Ulrich (Louisville)

• Shelby Frank (Minnesota)

• Corinne Jemison (Michigan)

• Michaela Hawkins (Colorado State)

Javelin Throw:

• Skylar Ciccolini (Missouri)

• Trinity Spooner (LSU) 

• Marc Minichello (Georgia)

• Chandler Ault (Washington)

Heptathlon:  

• Timara Chapman (Texas A&M)

• Jadin O’Brien (Notre Dame)

Decathlon:

• Peyton Bair (Mississippi State)