Oklahoma’s Ralford Mullings won back-to-back discus titles for the first time in more than 20 years, while Arkansas captured its 11th NCAA men’s outdoor track and field championship. Along the way, multiple athletes posted record performances across sprints, h
EUGENE, Ore. — Oklahoma’s Ralford Mullings didn’t just win another discus final. He staked his claim as the first man to defend an NCAA outdoor discus title in more than 20 years, then watched the points fall into place as Arkansas took the men’s team crown at the NCAA track and field championships.
Mullings’ winning throw of 227 feet. four inches was good enough to beat Southern California teammates Racquil Broderick. who finished second at 210-5. and Vincent Ugwoke. who took third at 209-7. The effort capped a remarkable stretch for the Sooners: Mullings also entered the meet with a 2025 meet record-winning mark of 227 feet. four inches. In Friday’s final, he became the first back-to-back champion since SMU’s Hannes Hopley in 2003 and 2004.
Arkansas won its 11th men’s title — its first since 2003 — even though the Razorbacks didn’t capture an individual or relay event. The team finished with 56 points, ahead of Georgia’s 49 and Tennessee’s 46. LSU had 42, Oregon from the Big Ten scored 40, and Auburn finished with 33. The title hunt unfolded with SEC schools clustered high in the standings, including five of them in the top six.
The meet also delivered standout performances far beyond the discus. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi won the 400 meters in a collegiate-record 43.38 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in history. Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp followed up a semifinal world record run of 12.75 on Wednesday by taking the 110-meter hurdles in 12.90. finishing 0.05 seconds ahead of Texas’ Kendrick Smallwood. Heading into the championships, Grant Holloway held the collegiate record at 12.98.
In the sprints. Jaiden Reid of LSU set the NCAA record in the 200 meters with a winning time of 19.63 seconds. breaking the previous mark of 19.69 set by Florida State’s Walter Dix in 2007. Tennessee won the 100-meter relay in a program-record 37.98 seconds. Auburn ran a collegiate-record 37.75 in the semifinals, but did not finish in the final. Arkansas, Houston and Oregon also did not finish.
The middle-distance races brought their own momentum shifts. Oregon’s Simeon Birnbaum broke away after exploding from the pack at the start of the final turn to win the 1,500 meters in 3:36.05. Michigan’s Trent McFarland finished second in 3:37.18.
Louisville sophomore Geoffrey Kirwa took the 3000-meter steeplechase title in 8:17.46. after finishing behind others previously at the NCAA championships; he was the 2025 runner-up. Auburn’s Kayinsola Ajayi won the 100 meters in a wind-aided 9.72 (+2.2), beating LSU’s Reid by 0.10 seconds. Northern Arizona’s Colin Sahlman captured the 800 meters in 1:44.22 for the program’s first national championship in the event. with Arkansas teammates Tyrice Taylor (1:44.30) and Rivaldo Marshall (1:44.90) finishing second and third.
Field events offered record-setting moments too. Florida sophomore Vance Nilsson ran 400-meter hurdles in 48.06, the fastest time in college this season. Texas’ Kody Blackwood appeared to be moving past Nilsson late. but tripped over the 10th and final hurdle and finished ninth in 53.52. New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel, who set the collegiate record of 13:03.47 in April, won the 5,000 meters with 13:38.93.
In the high jump. Georgia junior Kimani Jack cleared 7-5 3/4 and became the first British-born man or woman to win high jump at the NCAA championships. Scottie Vines of Arkansas cleared 7-4 1/2 for second. In the triple jump, Selva Prabhu of Kansas State won with a leap of 55-6 1/4. The win marked the fourth outdoor championships title for an athlete of Indian descent. joining Mohinder Singh Gill. Vikas Gowda and Tejaswin Shankar.
The meet also included a wheelchair race. Evan Correll won the wheelchair 100 meters in 14.32 seconds, breaking his own meet record of 14.46 from 2025 and finishing ahead of Illinois teammate Jason Robinson, who placed second in 15.36.
Heading into Saturday’s final day of women’s competition, Washington led the women’s team standings with 18 points. Iowa State had 15 and Nebraska had 14.
The night ultimately belonged to Mullings’ back-to-back discus run and Arkansas’ steady accumulation of points — a title built not on one signature finish, but on a full meet coming together around a historic throw.
NCAA outdoor track and field Ralford Mullings Arkansas men’s team title discus champion Samuel Ogazi Ja’Kobe Tharp Jaiden Reid Simeon Birnbaum