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≡ NCAA T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
The final day of the 2026 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon was devoted to women’s finals, with 15 events and 90 F temperatures at the 5 p.m. start.
Collegiate-record setter Adaejah Hodge (IVB-Georgia) was back after her amazing 10.63 in the qualifying, but it was Jamaica’s Shenese Walker (Florida State) who had the lead by 20 m. Walker, who won the NCAA 60 m Indoor title, kept her form and maintained her lead and Hodge could not catch her, 10.88 to 10.93 (wind; 0.0 m/s)!
LSU’s Shawnti Jackson got third in 11.01. This was just the fourth meet in which Walker ran the 100 m in 2026, including the ACC title, first in the East Regional and now NCAA champion. She’s no. 2 in the world in 2026, behind only Hodge.
Hodge was on a mission in the 200 m and rolled around the straight and held off Jackson in another collegiate record of 21.68 (-0.4 m/s)! That’s a world leader and crushes the 2022 collegiate mark of 21.90 by Kentucky’s Abby Steiner. Jackson was second in 22.12 and Camryn Dickson (Texas A&M) was third in 22.18.
World leader Dejenea Oakley (JAM-Georgia) headlined the 400 m, and she was out well and had the lead with 200 m to go. USC’s Madison Whyte roared into contention with 120 m to go and passed Oakley! They dueled down the straight and Oakley had more left, edging ahead in the final 30 m to win in a collegiate record of 48.79, improving on her world lead. Whyte was second in 48.97, the no. 3 performance in collegiate history and no. 2 in 2026.
Arkansas’ Sanu Jallow (GAM) ran to the front in the 800 m and had a meter lead at the bell and 5 m with 200 m to go. She ran unchallenged to the line and she finished in a sensational 1:56.85 for a collegiate record and no. 3 in the world for 2026! She destroyed the former record of 1:57.73 by Athing Mu (Texas A&M) in 2021.
Penn State’s Hayley Kitching pushed hard on the final straight to get second in a lifetime best of 1:57.65, also under the old record! The top five got lifetime bests and the top six were all under 1:59!
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There were other events in which the collegiate record was not broken!
USC was the defending champion in the 4×100 m and Whyte took the lead on the third leg and made a smooth pass to Brianna Selby on anchor and she crossed in a world-leading 41.58 – all four are Americans – to edge LSU (41.74) and 41.89 for Georgia. It’s the second-fastest 4×100 in collegiate history.
Washington State’s national leader Rosemary Longisa (KEN) took the bell in the 1,500 m and led with 200 m to go and no one could keep up; she won with a 59.08 last lap in 4:12.10. Behind her, Wilma Nielsen (SWE-Oregon) was passed on the final straight by Morocco’s Salma Elbadra (South Carolina: 4:12.89) and Oregon teammate Juliet Cherubet (KEN: 4:12.99), with Nielsen fourth (4:13.40).
In the Steeple, Notre Dame’s Sophie Novak and BYU junior Taylor Lovell were 1-2 at the bell and Lovell moved away to win convincingly in a lifetime best 9:21.03, with Novak at 9:26.53. Lovell moved from ninth to first from 2025 to 2026.
NCAA Indoor 5,000 m winner Jane Hedengren (BYU) went to the lead in the 5,000 m with five laps to go, ahead of 10,000 m runner-up Pamela Kosgei (KEN-New Mexico) and 2025 Steeple star Doris Lemngole (KEN-Alabama). Lemngole and Kosgei ran up to 1-2 with 2 1/2 laps left and Lemngole started pushing and took the bell. She took off and had a 10 m lead with 300 m to go and won all alone in 15:11.71. New Mexico soph Marion Jepngetich (KEN) was second in 15:13.01 and 10,000 winner Mercyline Kirwa (KEN-Iowa State) got third in 15:13.72. Kosgei faded to sixth and Hedengren was 10th.
It was Lemngole’s sixth NCAA title across all disciplines, but she was disqualified later for two or more steps on or inside the curb. Alabama protested, but did not prevail and the disqualification held.
Defending champion Aaliyah McCormick (Oregon) was even with Kentucky’s Emmi Scales over five hurdles, but McCormick got to the lead and won in a speedy 12.47 (+1.2). Scales caught her trail leg on the final hurdle and stumbled onto the ground, rolling across the line in 12.69 and still getting second! UCLA’s Celeste Polzonetti (ITA) – with Scales crashing into her lane – still got third at 12.79!
South Carolina’s Akala Garrett got to the lead by the halfway mark of the 400 m hurdles and held off a strong challenge by Amelliah Birdow (Texas), 53.32 to 53.60. Garrett moved up from second in 2025 and is now no. 4 in the world for 2026. Birdow is seventh.
Four cleared 1.90 m (6-2 3/4) in the high jump, but two-time NCAA Indoor winner Temitope Adeshina (NGR-Texas Tech) took the lead at 1.96 m (6-5), finally joined by Rose Yeboah (GHS-Illinois) on her third try. The next height was 1.99 m (6-6 1/4) to equal the collegiate record and the 2026 world lead, but neither could clear and Adeshina had the win.
Jamaica’s blue-haired Shantae Foreman (Clemson) rode a 2.6 m/s wind in round two of the triple jump to get the lead at 14.14 m (46-4 3/4). Oregon soph Sharifa Davronova (UZB) reached 14.13 m (46-4 1/4) and stood second. In the final round, Davronova got to the lead with a wind-aided 14.15 m (46-5 1/4w), but Foreman responded with the winner: 14.24 m (46-8 3/4) with legal wind, to take the title.
Florida’s Alina van Daalen (NED) moved up from second last year and won the discus title at 65.98 m (216-6) in round three and any of her last five throws would have won. Alabama junior Joyce Oguama (GER) was second at 59.98 m (196-9).
After winning the long jump and a second in the javelin, Washington’s Sofia Cosculluela (ESP) had the heptathlon lead going into the 800 m at 5,333 and a 129-point lead on Illinois frosh JaiCleonna Gero-Holt. Cosculluela ran 11th in the 800 m and won with 6,182 points, with Cincinnati’s Juliette Laracuente-Huebner moving up for second at 6,084. Gero-Holt was third with 6,010.
The team title came down to the 4×400 m, with Georgia leading Florida, 42-38. Arkansas dominated the race, with Kaylyn Brown breaking the race open on the third leg (49.29) and then Jallow on anchor in 49.02 in the no. 2 collegiate performance all-time in a world-fastest 3:18.88 (not a world leader as mixed nationalities).
Georgia was second with Oakley on anchor in a speedy 48.79 and 3:20.96, ahead of Tennessee in 3:23.75. So Georgia won the team trophy with 50 points to win for the second year in a row, ahead of Florida (41) and Arkansas at 38.
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