In Virginia Beach, Va., Kelsey Daniel made history for the Texas Longhorns by securing the men’s long jump title on the first day of the Division I indoor track and field championships. Daniel achieved a remarkable program record of 8.16 meters on his fifth jump at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. He initially took the lead with a 7.97-meter jump on his second attempt and managed to clear the 8-meter mark in his final two jumps.
In an impressive display, Virginia clinched the distance medley relay in a meet-record time. Gary Martin’s swift finish over North Carolina’s Ethan Strand in the last 1600m secured a time of 9:15.12 for the Cavaliers, with the Tar Heels closely following with 9:17.17. This marks Virginia’s inaugural victory in this event, with both teams achieving some of the fastest times recorded in collegiate history.
Simen Guttormsen of Duke triumphed in the pole vault, clearing 5.71 meters on his second try, following in the footsteps of his brother who won NCAA titles for Princeton in prior years.
Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau set a meet-record of 13:11.34 in the men’s 5000 meters, completing the last 200 meters in just 25.82 seconds. Meanwhile, Daniel Reynolds dominated the men’s weight throw with a personal best of 25.08 meters, securing the lead early with his first 24.61-meter attempt, a distance unmatched by fellow competitors.
Friday’s events concluded with Oklahoma State in the lead with 17 points, Virginia trailing with 15, and seven teams locked in third place with 10 points each.
On the women’s front, Illinois is leading with 21 points after completing six out of the scheduled 17 events, with the majority of finals anticipated on Saturday.
Baylor’s Alexis Brown achieved a personal best in the long jump, reaching 22 feet, 1 1/4 inches on her fourth jump, making her the first Baylor athlete to capture a national title in the event’s history. Her performance included three jumps surpassing 22-3 3/4, all of which would have secured her victory.
Washington’s Amanda Moll emerged victorious in the pole vault, overcoming her sister and teammate Hana Moll. Both cleared heights of 15-5, but Amanda secured the championship title on her first try.
Wisconsin’s Taylor Kesner set a personal record of 77-1 in the weight throw, claiming victory on her final attempt. Alabama’s Doris Lemngole triumphed in the 5000 meters with a time of 15:05.93, breaking the prior facility record set four years ago after a fierce contest against BYU’s Lexy Halladay-Lowry.
BYU maintained its winning streak in the distance medley relay, clinching back-to-back titles with a time of 10:45.34, courtesy of Riley Chamberlain who outpaced Oregon’s Silan Ayyildiz on the concluding leg.
At the pentathlon, Notre Dame’s Jadin O’Brien marked her third consecutive NCAA title with a personal-best total of 4596 points, becoming the first woman to achieve such a feat since Kendell Williams of Georgia from 2014 to 2017.