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≡ NCAA T&F: MEN ≡
No one saw this coming. After Texas junior Kendrick Smallwood took the collegiate lead in the first heat of the men’s 110 m hurdles at Wednesday’s opening day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships at 13.02 (wind: 0.0 m/s), what would defending champion Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) do in heat two.
He was strong off the gun, maintained perfect hurdling form and ran away from the rest of the field to cross in a stunning, sensational, unbelievable 12.75 (+1.0) to break fellow American Aries Merritt’s 2012 world mark of 12.80!
Tharp’s best coming in was 13.01 in Eugene in 2025, so this was amazing. But at 20, he is now the leader of the new generation of American hurdlers, with World Champion Cordell Tinch and Smallwood, to go along with ex-world leader Trey Cunningham.
Baylor soph DeMario Prince was second in the race at 13.15 and North Carolina A&T’s Jason Holmes got a lifetime best of 13.17 to win heat three. Even with the world record, Tharp only qualified for the final, which will be Friday. Wow.
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The only track final at Wednesday’s first day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon was the men’s 10,000 m, with New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel (ERI) back to try for a second title after winning in 2024 and finishing second in 2025.
He ran with the pack for most of the race, but the field was down to a handful with five laps to go, then to Samuel and Elsingi Kipruto (KEN-Louisville) on the final lap and Samuel ran away in the final straight to win going away at 27:51.31 to 27:54.04 for Kipruto and Arkansas junior Ernest Cheruiyot (KEN) at 27:58.62. Samuel now doubled in 2026, winning the NCAA Indoor 5,000 m as well.
On the infield, Wednesday’s stunner was in the vault, with Nebraska soph Dylan Wicker, who came in with a best of 5.72 m (18-9 1/4) outdoors, but cleared 5.75 m (18-10 1/4) on his first try, and then 5.85 m (19-2 1/4) on the first to win the NCAA title and move to equal-11th all-time on the collegiate list. He’s just 20. Utah State senior Logan Hammer cleared 5.75 m – a lifetime best – for second. Elsewhere in the field finals:
● Tafadzwa Chikomba (ZIM-Kansas State) came in no. 7 in the world in the long jump, but moved up to fourth with his first jump lifetime best of 8.37 m (27-5 1/2). No one else was close, with Arkansas’ Juriad Hughes getting a lifetime best in second in 8.25 m (27-0 3/4).
● In the shot, home favorite Ben Smith, the Oregon frosh who was also the national leader, got out to 21.04 m (69-09 1/2) in the third round to extend the collegiate lead and win easily over JL van Rensburg (RSA-Tennessee), at 20.33 m (66-8 1/2), also a lifetime best.
● Greece’s Angelos Mantzouranis (Minnesota), second in the hammer last year, won the title in 2026, reaching 75.78 m (248-7) in the fifth round to edge Air Force senior Texas Tanner (75.45 m/247-6).
● Chinecherem Nnamdi (NGR-Texas A&M), the national leader, won the javelin with his first-round toss of 82.26 m (269-10), ahead of Nebraska junior Keyshawn Strachan (80.65 m/264-7).
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The heats of the other running races were hot, with Auburn’s quartet of Azeem Fahmi, Kayinsola Ajayi, Austin Kresley, and Tyler Davis running 37.75 for a collegiate record, breaking the 37.90 mark by LSU in 2023. Only 10 national teams have ever run faster!
World leader Ajayi (NGR) led the 100 m qualifying at 9.94 (-1.1) in heat three, just ahead of LSU junior Jaiden Reid (9.95) in the same race. Reid came back to lead the 200 m qualifiers at 20.05 (-0.1). National 400 m leader Samuel Ogazi (NGR-Alabama) led all qualifiers at 44.73.
The other qualifying leaders were Rivaldo Marshall (JAM-Arkansas) at 1:45.05 in the 800 m; Princeton’s Connor McCormick in the 1,500 m (3:35.81); Collins Kipngok (KEN-Kentucky) in the Steeple (8:24.39) and Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott in the 400 m hurdles (48.59).
The meet continues with the women’s first day on Thursday.
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