Money, muscle, and repeat dominance. The Georgia Bulldogs women and Arkansas Razorbacks men did exactly what they were paid to do on Saturday night, locking down consecutive NCAA outdoor track and field championships. It is a familiar script.
Georgia’s women are hoarding trophies. They snatched the outdoor crown with 50 points, leaving Florida in the dust with 43 and Arkansas holding third at 38. This makes back-to-back outdoor titles for the Bulldogs, who already swept the indoor championship earlier this year. Only five schools have ever pulled off consecutive outdoor wins. Coach Caryl Smith Gilbert now has four national titles to her name, two with Georgia and two from her stint at USC.
The track was hot. Georgia’s Adaejah Hodge tore up the 200-meter in an NCAA-record 21.68 seconds, though she had to settle for second in the 100 behind Florida State’s Shenese Walker, who clocked a blistering 10.88. Meanwhile, Dejanea Oakley demolished the collegiate 400-meter record, crossing the line in 48.79 seconds.
Other schools got their scraps. Arkansas’ Sanu Jallow-Lockhart took the 800-meter in a collegiate-record 1:56.85, then anchored a 4×400 relay that clocked the second-fastest time in history at 3:18.88. Alabama’s Doris Lemngole grabbed her sixth national title, cruising through the 5,000-meter in 15:11.71. Sofia Cosculluela scored 6,182 points in the heptathlon to secure Washington’s first-ever win in the event. Oregon’s Aaliyah McCormick defended her 100-meter hurdles title in 12.47 seconds, a repeat feat not seen in 18 years. Clemson’s Shantae Foreman waited until her sixth and final jump to steal the triple jump title with a 46-foot, 7-inch leap.
On the men’s side, Arkansas ruled. They swept both the indoor and outdoor titles this year, mimicking USC’s run from last season. First-year head coach Doug Case brought home the program’s 11th official title, and their first since 2003. Don’t look up the 2004 and 2005 seasons; those championships were vacated.
They won ugly. The Razorbacks racked up 56 points without a single individual champion. Depth pays. Georgia chased them with 49 points, and Tennessee took third with 46.
The individual men’s events were a circus of speed. New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel added the 5,000-meter title (13:38.93) to his earlier 10,000-meter win. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi set a collegiate record in the 400, clocking a ridiculous 43.38. Auburn’s Kanyinsola Ajayi flew to a wind-aided 9.72 in the 100, while Northern Arizona’s Colin Sahlman took the 800 in 1:44.22.
Georgia’s men had moments of brilliance. Kimani Jack cleared 7-5 3/4 to win the high jump, and their 4×400 relay team edged out LSU by a microscopic 0.03 seconds. Still, it wasn’t enough to stop the Razorbacks. This double-defense by Georgia and Arkansas marks the first time both men’s and women’s champions successfully defended their titles in the same year since LSU and Arkansas did it back in 2003. History repeats. The rich get richer.
