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≡ NCAA T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
The women’s championship day of the 2025 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon had sunny skies and 69 F temperatures, in front of an enthusiastic but half-full (maybe) Hayward Field.
Georgia ran away with the team title, clinching the meet after the 400 m hurdles and scoring 73 points to 47 for USC, then Texas A&M (43) and Washington (31).
It’s the first-ever women’s NCAA title for the Bulldogs, but the third career for coach Caryl Smith-Gilbert, who won twice when head coach at USC.
Here’s what happened:
● 4×100 m relay: USC came in as the national leader and Madison Whyte took the race over on the third leg and ran away, passing to Jassani Carter, who ran clear to the line in 42.22, fastest in the nation this year.
South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford made up a lot of ground on the anchor, but had to settle for second in 42.40, with Jasmine Montgomery bringing Texas A&M up for third in 42.89, with seasonal bests for the top three teams.
● 1,500 m: Washington’s Sophie O’Sullivan (IRL), the fastest qualifier, led a tight pack at the bell, with Maggi Congdon (Northern Arizona) close behind. But into the final turn, O’Sullivan was sprinting and she raced away to win in sensational fashion in 4:07.94. Her final 400 m was covered in 58.43.
Congdon was second with 200 to go, but chasing O’Sullivan in the straight, was passed by a flying Margot Appleton (Virginia), 4:08.09 to 4:09.31. O’Sullivan was dead last – 12th – in the final in 2024, and now an NCAA national champion.
● 3,000 m Steeple: How fast would defending champion Doris Lemngole (KEN-Alabama) go? She ran to the front immediately, with only BYU’s Lexy Halladay-Lowry anywhere close.
Those two were way out in front, with Lemngole about 4 m ahead with four laps to go, then Lemngole pushed harder and opened a 20 m edge with three laps left. The top three were decided with two laps left, as Angelina Napoleon (North Carolina State) was also alone in third.
Lemngole was chasing the world lead now, steaming through the final water jump and finishing in a collegiate record and world-leading 8:58.15! She’s the 14th to ever break 9:00 and she’s now no. 11 all-time! Wow!
Halladay-Lowry was a clear second at 9:08.68 – now the American leader and no. 7 all-time U.S. – and then Napoleon got third in 9:16.66. The top seven had lifetime bests.
● 110 m hurdles: National leader Habiba Harris (JAM) of Florida walked off the track prior to the start and did not compete. UCLA’s Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck (BEL) clobbered the first hurdle, fell and didn’t finish.
So out of an even field, Oregon’s Aaliyah McCormick moved to the lead over the eighth hurdle and scored a surprise victory in 12.81 (wind: -0.2 m/s). Texas A&M’s Jaiya Covington emerged for second, barely ahead of Marcia Sey (GBR) of Howard, with both in 12.93.
● 100 m: After a recall, the start was even, and qualifying leader JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina) was in front, but USC’s Samirah Moody came on in the final 10 m and got the win with the lean out of lane three, with both in 11.14 (11.136 to 11.139).
LSU’s Tima Godbless (NGR) got third, also with a good charge over the final 40 m in 11.19. The Trojans went 1-7-8 and scored 13 points in the team race.
● 400 m: Georgia needed points from national leader Aaliyah Butler and no. 3 Dejanea Oakley (JAM). And Butler was out hard, clearly in front at 200 with Arkansas’ Rosey Effiong and Oakley in second and third.
But as Butler ran away to win in a seasonal best of 49.26, Oakley came up to second with 50 m left, in 49.65, lifetime bests for both. Effiong was third at 50.51. Butler remains no. 4 on the world list for 2025, and Oakley is no. 7. And Georgia scored 18 points to take a solid lead in the team race.
● 800 m: National leader Michaela Rose (LSU) was the favorite and got to the front as she prefers, taking the bell in 56.08. BYU’s Meghan Hunter was tracking Rose and took second after the bell and was a meter back at 600 m.
Hunter was challenging into the straight, but coming hardest was Stanford’s Roisin Willis, the 2023 champion, who came from fourth at 700 m, passed Hunter and then Rose and steamed to the line in 1:58.13, a lifetime best and meet record. North Carolina’s Makayla Paige passed a fading Rose and Hunter for second in a lifetime best of 1:58.97. Hunter and Rose settled for 3-4 in 1:59.03 and 1:59.47. Willis moved to no. 9 in the world for 2025.
● 400 m hurdles: The 2023 champ, Savannah Sutherland (CAN), came in as the national leader and destroyed the field. She was leading by the second hurdle and ran the race of her life, winning all alone in 52.46, equaling Dutch star Femke Bol for no. 2 in the world for 2025!
It was also a collegiate record, erasing Sydney McLaughlin’s 52.75 from 2018, from her freshman year at Kentucky.
Behind Sutherland was Akala Garrett of Texas (54.66) and then Georgia’s Michelle Smith in 55.20 for third, clinching the team title!
● 200 m: South Carolina’s Ford and USC’s Whyte were together on the straight and stride-for-stride until the final 3 m, with Ford winning it in 22.21 (+1.6) and Whyte at 22.23. USC’s Dajaz Defrand got third with a strong final 50 m in 22.39.
● 5,000 m: National leader Pamela Kosgei (KEN-New Mexico) already won the 10,000 m, and was near the front, with teammate Marion Jepngetich (KEN), but at a slow pace. With two laps to go, there were at least 10 in contention.
The two Lobos started moving at the bell, with Kosgei pushing into the lead and into a sprint with 200 to go. North Carolina State’s Grace Hartman moved around the turn as did Vera Sjoberg (SWE) of Boston College.
But Kosgei had too much speed and moved away in the final straight to take the 5-10 double in 15:33.96, with a 64.48 last lap. Sjoberg crossed second in 15:34.77 and Stanford’s Sophia Kennedy edged Jepngetich and Hartman at the line, 15:35.08 to 15:35.14 and 15:35.39.
● 4×400 m relay: Georgia had the team title in hand and Oakley handed off first and Michelle Smith had the lead on the second leg and passed into the lead. Sydney Harris had the lead over Duke, Arkansas and USC on the third leg, but it was tight into the straight and Arkansas passed just ahead of the Bulldogs.
It was Effiong for Arkansas and Butler for Georgia, with Butler coming onto the straight and got to the lead with 50 m to go and won in 3:23.62 – fastest in the country – with Butler at 48.79! Effiong ran 49.17 and Arkansas finished in 3:24.25, with Whyte bringing USC in third in 3:26.01.
● High Jump: Elena Kulichenko (CYP) of Georgia, the defending co-champ, sealed the win at 1.96 m (6-5), clearing on her first attempt, her fifth straight make of the day.
That was enough to shake off her co-champion from 2024, Rose Yeboah (GHA-Illinois), who made 1.93 m (6-4), but could go no higher. Jenna Rogers (Nebraska and Alyssa Jones (Stanford) were 3-4 at 1.90 m (6-2 3/4).
● Triple Jump: A&M’s Winny Bii (KEN) – who finished 12th in 2024 – had the lead after three rounds at 13.96 m (45-9 3/4) on her first jump, ahead of San Jose State’s Emilia Sjostrand (SWE) at 13.87 m (45-6 1/4)
And no one could challenge either of them. In fact, Agur Dwol (Oklahoma) and Shantae Foreman (JAM-Clemson) also got their best marks in the first round, at 13.77 m (45-2 1/4) and 13.72 m (45-0 1/4)!
● Discus: Fresno State senior Cierra Jackson, no. 4 in the nation coming in, got a lifetime best of 65.82 m (215-11) in the first round, moved to no. 10 in the world for 2025 and won the event as no one got close. Florida’s Paris Olympian Alida van Daalen (NED) claimed second place in round three and then improved to 64.94 m (213-1) in round five. Shelby Frank of Texas Tech got a lifetime best to take third (63.37 m/207-11).
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The final day of the women’s heptathlon saw Oklahoma junior – and 2023 winner – Pippi Lotta Enok (EST) get second in the long jump and fourth in the javelin and pass Notre Dame’s first-day leader, Jadin O’Brien, 5,380 to 5,326, going into the 800 m, with about a four-second lead.
Russian Sofia Iakushina of Texas A&M stood third at 5,164 after six events, with Destiny Masters (Wichita State: 5,111) in fourth.
In the 800 m, Alabama’s Katelyn Adel (SUI) fell after 15 m, and the race was recalled and reset. O’Brien was tracked by Enok and sprinted hard with 200 m to go, but did not get far enough away. O’Brien won the race in 2:12.42, with Enok at 2:14.12. So, Enok scored a lifetime best of 6,285 and O’Brien had to settle for second for the second straight year, at 6,256.
Iakushina was third overall at 6,058 as Masters faded to 10th, still with a lifetime best of 5,763.
Illinois completed a sweep of the wheelchair 100 m title races, as Hannah Dederick won the women’s final in 16.50 (+0.5), defending her title from 2024.
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