DURHAM, N.C. – A school-record 17 athletes are set to compete for Duke track and field as the Blue Devils look to cap an impressive all-around season with a bang at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend. The four-day national meet is slated for June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

COVERAGE INFO:

WHAT TO KNOW:

• Duke will be represented by 17 athletes – eight men and nine women – across 10 different events. The 17 competing Blue Devils mark a new program high, besting the 16 qualifiers in 2022 and 2023.
• Graduate student Simen Guttormsen looks to complete the sweep in the men’s pole vault after capturing the gold medal at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Guttormsen capped his indoor season with a performance for the ages, culminating a stellar campaign with a huge personal best and program record of 5.71m (18-8.75 feet).
• The Blue Devils head into the weekend ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Championship field in three events. Freshman Joseph Taylor is slotted third in the men’s 400m, junior Lauren Tolbert is seventh in the women’s 800m and the women’s 4x400m also checked in at No. 7.  Graduate student Aliya Garozzo (11th) and sophomore Christian Toro (11th) sit just outside the top 10.

TICKETS PUNCHED – HOW THEY GOT HERE

• Senior Max Forte was the first Blue Devil to punch his ticket to NCAA’s courtesy of a stupendous performance in the men’s decathlon at the Mt. SAC relays back in April. Forte parlayed a personal-best effort into a spot on the Duke men’s decathlon charts, posting 7,813 points to place fourth and move into No. 2 all-time at Duke.
• Forte’s overall showing featured four top-five finishes across multis, headlined by a runner-up showing in the 100m dash (10.60 seconds) and a fourth-place finish in the long jump via a mark of 7.41m (24-3.75 feet).
• Sophomore Christian Toro secured his first career berth to the national meet by way of his third throw in the men’s hammer throw that checked in at 66.86m (219-4 feet) – good for No. 5 in the East Regional field.
• Simen Guttormsen finished among the top 12 in the men’s pole vault semifinal, passing on the opening height before clearing the next two on his first jump. The graduate student finished the competition with a final mark of 5.33m (17-5.75 feet) – sixth overall.
• Sophomore Gemma Tutton punched her first ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after finishing tied for fifth in the women’s pole vault first round. She passed on the first height then cleared the next two on her first and second attempt, respectively, finishing with a final clearance of 4.24m (13-11 feet).
• Joseph Taylor turned in a stellar performance in the men’s 400m quarterfinal on the way to securing his ticket to Eugene.  The rookie posted the top time in his heat – 45.05 seconds – to earn the automatic qualifier, with his dash checking in third overall.
• An impressive race by the men’s 4x400m locked up a spot in Eugene while unseating the program record in the process. Comprised of Taylor, graduate students TJ Clayton and Callum Robinson and senior Michael Bennett, the Duke quartet finished in the top three of its respective heat to notch the assured berth to nationals via a season’s best time of 3:04.47. Freshman Andres Langston, who also competed on the men’s relays for Duke during the year, is headed to Eugene as well.
• Lauren Tolbert turned in another standout effort in 800m race with the junior notching a monster personal best en route to breaking her own school record and cementing herself among the NCAA Outdoor Championship field. Tolbert shaved over a second off her previous best and blazed to a finish of 2:00.27 – fifth best in the field – to lock down the instant berth.
• The 400m hurdles saw the Blue Devil pairing of freshman Braelyn Baker and graduate student Aliya Garozzo turn in commanding performances to punch their tickets to Eugene and make their NCAA dreams a reality. The tandem placed in the top three of their respective heat and crossed the finish line in succession with Garozzo (56.46) narrowly edging out Baker, who moved into No. 4 all-time in program lore via a time of 56.48 seconds.
• Representing the Blue Devils in the women’s 4x400m race, the quartet of Garozzo, junior Julia Jackson, senior Megan McGinnis and Tolbert clocked 3:27.87 – No. 2 in their heat and No. 4 in the overall field – on the way to registering the automatic bid. The 4x100m comprised of sophomore Mia Edim, seniors Abby Geiser and Meredith Sims and Baker posted a mark of 43.72 seconds to finish among the top 12.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeTFXC.”
 
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The best of the best in collegiate track and field have descended upon Eugene this week for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.

The four-day meet flip-flops between the men’s competition on June 11 and June 13, and the women’s competition on June 12 and June 14.

“I love this meet and I love that it’s at Hayward, where it should be,” Oregon coach Jerry Schumacher said. “I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.”

Who is competing for Oregon on June 11?

• Simeon Birnbaum – 1,500 semifinal, 4:21 p.m.
• Benjamin Balazs – 3,000 steeplechase semifinal, 4:38 p.m.
• Matthew Erickson – 800 semifinal, 5:38 p.m.
• Koitatoi Kidali – 800 semifinal, 5:38 p.m.
• Safin Wills – long jump final, 5:40 p.m.
• Kobe Lawrence – shot put final, 6:10 p.m.

NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships meet schedule

Where: Hayward Field

When: June 11-14

• Wednesday, June 11 (men): First events
  • Decathlon: 100, 12 p.m.
  • Field events: Hammer final, 1:30 p.m.
  • Track events: 4×100 relay semifinals, 4:05 p.m.
• Thursday, June 12 (women): First events
  • Decathlon: 110 hurdle, 9:45 a.m.
  • Field events: Hammer final, 1:30 p.m.
  • Track events: 4×100 relay semifinals, 4:05 p.m.
• Friday, June 13 (men): First events
  • Heptathlon: 110 hurdles, 11:45 a.m.
  • Field events: High jump final, 4:30 p.m.
  • Track events: 4×100 relay final, 5:02 p.m.
• Saturday, June 14 (women): First events
  • Heptathlon: Long jump, 2 p.m.
  • Field events: High jump final, 5:30 p.m.
  • Track events: 4×100 relay final, 6:02 p.m.

Complete four-day schedule

How to watch Oregon at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet

• TV:
  • Wednesday, June 11: 4 p.m., ESPN
  • Thursday, June 12: 4 p.m., ESPN
  • Friday, June 13: 5:30 p.m., ESPN2
  • Saturday, June 14: 3 p.m., ESPNU
• Stream: ESPN+

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG

GLENBURN ELEMENTARY. HIGH SCHOOL SPRING SPORTS TOURNAMENTS ROLLED ON TODAY WITH HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD TAKING CENTER STAGE. ANXIOUS ATHLETES HAD TO WAIT AN EXTRA THREE DAYS TO COMPETE DUE TO RAIN ON SATURDAY. THE CLASS A MEET TOOK PLACE AT LEWISTON AND BLUE DEVILS SENIOR RYKER PARADIS PARADIS HAD A GREAT DAY. HE WON BOTH THE BOYS SHOT PUT AND DISCUS EVENTS. SOUTH PORTLAND’S ARNAUD SIOHO WHO HAS BATTLED INJURY FOR MOST OF THE SEASON, WON THE LONG JUMP AND TRIPLE JUMP EVENTS. CARTER ENGLEMAN OF WINDHAM ALSO WON MULTIPLE EVENTS. HE TIED FOR FIRST IN THE POLE VAULT AND WON THE 110 METER HURDLES. ANDRE CLARK WON THE 100 AND 200 METER DASHES AND HELPED MARSHWOOD SET A RECORD IN THE 4 BY 100 METER RELAY. ALI CARTER OF FALMOUTH WON THE 400 METER DASH AND ANTOINE DUBE OF GORHAM WON THE 300 METER HURDLES. ON THE GIRLS SIDE, CASSIDY HARDY OF MOUNT BLUE WAS SEEDED THIRD IN THE JAVELIN BUT WON WITH HER BEST THROW OF THE SEASON. TAYLA PELLETIER OF WINDHAM WON THE TRIPLE JUMP BY NEARLY THREE FEET OVER THE NEXT COMPETITOR. ON THE TRACK, JENNI FLYNN OF LEWISTON EDGED ANNELIESE COLLIN OF PORTLAND IN THE 100 METER HURDLES, BUT COLLIN CAME BACK AN HOUR LATER TO WIN THE 300 METER HURDLES. EMERSON FLAKER FROM SCARBOROUGH SPRINTED HER WAY TO WINNING THE 200 AND 400 METER DASHES AND HER TEAMMATE LAUREL DRISCOLL WON THE 16 HUNDRED METERS. THE BANGOR GIRLS AND SOUTH PORTLAND BOYS ARE LEADING THE TEAM SCORES. BUT DUE TO WET CONDITIONS NEAR THE HIGH JUMP AREA THAT EVENT DID NOT TAKE PLACE AND WILL BE TOMORROW AT EDWARD LITTLE HIGH SCHOOL STARTING AT TWO. THE CLASS B MEET TOOK PLACE IN BAR HARBOR. VICTORIA ZANDAN OF GREELY WINS THE GIRLS 100 METER HURDLES AND ALSO WON THE LONG JUMP. STEPHEN PIERRE FROM LEAVITT WOULD WIN THE BOYS RACE AND ALSO WIN THE LONG JUMP TITLE. IN THE GIRLS 100 METER DASH, AVERY BARITEAU OF FRYEBURG ACADEMY WON IN 12 POINT SIX NINE SECONDS. HISTORY WAS MADE IN THE GIRLS 16 HUNDRED METERS. SHEALYN BROCHU OF MORSE SET A NEW STATE RECORD. SAM LAVARDIERE OF LAKE REGION PULLED AWAY TO WIN THE BOYS RACE. GREELY WON THE BOYS AND GIRLS TEAM TITLES. THE CLASS C MEET TOOK PLACE AT MESSALONSKEE HIGH SCHOOL IN OAKLAND. BUCKSPORT’S HALEY ROSE WINS THE GIRLS 200 METER DASH. GEORGE STEVENS ACADEMY WENT ONE TWO IN THE BOYS RACE WITH ROWAN GAGNE TAKING FIRST. LISBON’S JACOB ROBERTSON WAS THIRD. TEANNE EWINGS OF HOULTON WON THE GIRLS 32 HUNDRED METER RACE BY NEARLY 45 SECONDS. THE BOYS RACE WAS MUCH CLOSER WITH BEN ARSENAULT OF ORONO BEATING OUT DESMOND ROBINSON OF CARRABEC

All the hard work and training comes down to three days in June.

The BYU men’s and women’s track teams are headed to Eugene, Ore., and fabled Hayward Field for the NCAA Championships. putting their individual excellence on the line against the best athletes in the country.

The men will compete on Wednesday and Friday and the women on Thursday and Saturday. The decathlon for the men will be held on Wednesday and Thursday.

Men’s Preview

Ben Barton and Jaden Roskelley will represent the Cougars in the decathlon on Wednesday and Thursday. Roskelley enters the 10-event gauntlet as one of four competitors to have scored at least 8,000 points this season joining Nebraska’s Till Steinforth, Mississippi State’s Peyton Bair and UC Santa Barbara’s Brad Thomas. He won the Robison Invitational earlier this season where he set six personal bests en route to scoring 8,000 points. Barton returns to the national meet for the first time since 2023 when he finished eighth with the 7,815 points. The senior is coming off the best decathlon of his career at the Big 12 Championship where he won the title scoring 7,865 points, making him the seventh-best performer in the event in program history.

James Corrigan returns Hayward Field in hopes of bringing home the Cougars fifth 3,000-meter steeplechase national title. The junior finished ninth at last year’s edition of the championships at Hayward Field running 8:29.61 in the final after having the fastest time in the prelims. He would return to the same track two weeks later to finish third at the U.S. Olympic Trials and join former teammate Kenneth Rooks as an Olympian.

The native of Los Angeles, Calif. hasn’t lost a steeplechase race this season as he won his heat at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in 8:31.79. He also won his second consecutive Big 12 title running a season-best 8:22.20 in Lawrence, Kan.

Danny Bryant earned First Team All-American honors in the shot put at last year’s as the senior finished fourth with a throw of 20.02m/65-8.25. He best throw of the season came at the Big 12 Championships where he finished fourth with a toss of 19.84m/65-1.25.

Luke Grundvig had the 39th fastest 5,000-meter time in the west region but races aren’t run on paper as the junior ran a personal best time of 13:34.63 to secure the final time qualifier. It will the American Fork natives first appearance at a national championship after previously finishing 41st (5,000m) and 38th (10,000m) at the West preliminary round.

Joey Nokes and Creed Thompson will compete in the 10,000-meters after securing a Top 16 finish in College Station. Nokes, a senior from Riverton, is the eight-fastest Cougar to ever circle the track for 25 laps having run 28:05.38 in 2023. He will make his first appearance at the outdoor championships having never finished higher than 25th at the West Preliminary Round prior to his 10th place finish where he ran 28:21.04.

Thompson will also be competing at outdoor nationals for a first time after earning First Team All-American honors indoors thanks to an eighth-place finish in the 5,000-meters. He is the sixth-fastest 10,000m runner in program history after running 28:04.15 at the 2023 Bryan Clay Invitational just 10 seconds faster than he ran to finish ninth at this seasons Bryan Clay.

Eli Hazlett, Josh Taylor, Trey Jackson and Jonah Heimuli will have more meet to continue rewriting the record books. The quartet are the second-fastest 4×400-meter relay in program history after running 3:03.05 at Mt. SAC Relays in April. They had the eighth-fastest time in Texas after securing a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championships with the fifth-fastest time in program history, 3:03.62.

Women’s Preview

The BYU women’s track and field team will send nine athletes with 10 total entries across seven events to the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene, Oregon. This marks the program’s largest number of entries since 2004, when it also qualified 10. BYU is tied with Texas Tech for the 10th-most entries among Division I programs headed to Eugene.

Leading the way is senior Meghan Hunter, who broke the 1:59 barrier in the 800 meters twice during May. She posted a personal best of 1:58.95 to win the NCAA West Preliminary Round, making her the third-fastest collegian in NCAA history in the event. Hunter will compete in Thursday’s semifinal round, looking to earn a spot in Saturday’s national title race. Joining her in the 800m is freshman Tessa Buswell, the only BYU freshman woman to qualify for nationals. She is one of just four freshmen in the 24-woman field.

In the 3000 meter steeplechase, senior Lexy Halladay-Lowry won the NCAA West Preliminary Round with a time of 9:23.03. Her personal best of 9:18.05 ranks No. 2 all time at BYU and makes her the fifth fastest performer in collegiate history. She will race in Thursday’s semifinal with her sights set on Saturday’s final. Teammate Taylor Lovell also advanced in the event, running 9:42.83 for the fourth fastest mark in program history as she looks to improve on her ninth place finish at the 2024 outdoor championships.

Carlee Hansen broke the BYU school record in the 1500 meters, previously held by 2021 NCAA champion Anna Camp-Bennett (4:08.53), with a time of 4:07.64 to qualify for her first NCAA outdoor meet. She’ll be joined by Riley Chamberlain, who qualified with a 4:08.42. The two will race in Thursday’s semifinal round.

Senior sprinter Sami Oblad will compete in the 400 meters. She holds the BYU record at 50.49 and advanced to Eugene with the fifth-fastest time at the West Preliminary (51.29). Oblad races in Friday’s semifinal for a spot in Saturday’s final.

In the 5000 meters, junior Jenna Hutchins was the fifth-fastest qualifier from the West Region at 15:49.95. Her personal best of 15:16.95 ranks No. 3 in program history. Hutchins previously earned First Team All-America honors with a sixth-place finish in the 10,000m at this year’s NCAA outdoor meet.

Senior thrower Gretchen Hoekstre will return to her home state of Oregon to compete in both the shot put on Thursday and the discus on Saturday. Hoekstre holds BYU’s school record in the discus at 57.04m/187-2 and is just 25 centimeters shy of breaking the school’s 27-year-old shot put record with a mark of 17.46m/57-3.5.

Events will be streamed live on ESPN+ with some finals shown on television on ESPN and ESPN2.

• Micahi Danzy is the nation’s top-ranked sprinter in the 400 meters
• How Micahi Danzy’s comeptitiveness and work ethic elevated him
• Michai Danzy launches his first speed camp this summer.

This is not Micahi Danzy’s first trip to Eugene. The last time he was at Hayward Field was not too long ago. He was 17 years old, competing in the Junior Olympics.

Danzy now returns to Oregon, representing Florida State in the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which is set for June 11.

Danzy is one of the 19 Seminoles who qualified for nationals. As a true freshman, Danzy shattered numerous records from FSU to ACC to a global scale.

The Tallahassee native will be entering the four-day event as the No. 1 ranked sprinter in the 400 meters with the fastest time of 44.38, which he recorded in the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championship on May 15. It is ranked No. 22 fastest time in collegiate sport history, No. 7 U20 all-time and No. 9 in the world this year.

“First, I want to thank God, but I’m not really surprised because Coach (Ricky) Argo told me he had seen me running for 44.4. So I just believe this training. I’m here right now,” Danzy said.

With his resume and accomplishments as a freshman, Danzy is a favorite to be in the top three in the 400m and 4x400m.

FSU battled injuries from the men’s 4×400 relay team that set the team back this season. For Danzy, he is motivated to not only achieve gold in the relay but also to dedicate it to his fallen teammates. Why? Just to simply put a smile on their faces.

“I feel like running for them, and them seeing me run a fast time, it means a lot to see a smile on their faces, knowing they’re going through a hard time with the injuries,” Danzy said.

“Them smiling about my time and knowing I’m doing my thing for them. So it’s like that’s inspiring me to run even faster for them.”

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‘He’s a special kid’: How being a dual-sport athlete brings competitiveness out of Micahi Danzy

Danzy is determined to be a dual-sport athlete, which is not uncommon in FSU athletics history.

He joined the track and field team immediately after completing the football season. It didn’t take too long for Matt Kane, FSU’s director of track and field and men’s sprinting coach Ricky Argo to take notice of the former Florida High’s state champion and how quickly he was able to make the transition.

“He’s a special kid. He was a guy who came out and hopped into a meet in just a few weeks of training and you can see the flare, the flash of brilliance,” Kane said.

“You can run really fast sometimes, but you can’t always back it up through training. That’s kind of a thing you have to know as a coach and as an athlete. He was definitely outperforming his training level.”

Argo, who is in his 10th season coaching the Seminoles, has been working closely with Danzy and has seen the improvements in his posture. He is excited about what’s to come for Danzy as he continues to manage two sports.

“He’s in a really good position to do something special with him being a freshman and a dual-sport athlete,” Argo said.

“I think he can show that you can be a multi-sport athlete in college. You don’t have to just stick to one thing.”

Argo believes what stands out about Danzy is his competitive spirit and the work ethic that matches it. Danzy would admit that competing against other fast runners can be nerve-wracking, but as Argo sees the progression he has made in every meet, he is beginning to be the focal point of FSU’s track and field.

“He’s one of the most competitive young men I’ve ever been around as a coach,” Argo said.

“He’s the type of guy who’s going to run as fast as anybody around him. On the level we’re looking to take the program to, he’s going to be the pillar of the program for years to come.”

Danzy played running back last season for the Seminoles, where he appeared in four games. He switched to wide receiver earlier in the spring. He will be a redshirt freshman in the 2025 season.

Kane believes that Danzy can excel in football like he is doing in track, putting him in the same conversation as the former Seminoles who are dual-athletes, such as Deion Sanders, Charlie Ward, and Jameis Winston.

“I think if he has the same work ethic on the football field like he has on the track, I think he’s going to work his way onto the field,” Kane said.

“Obviously, that’s way out of my depth, but he is a tremendous, talented guy, if you are in the same conversation as Deion, Charlie Ward or Jameis Winston, you’re doing something right, or even close to those guys, you’re doing the right things.”

More: FSU’s track and field coach Matt Kane discusses preparation of NCAA championship

Micahi Danzy to host his first speed camp

Danzy has been a Tallahassee kid all the way through and is all about giving back to the city that made him who he is. That is why he is launching his first speed camp on July 19 at Florida High School. This one-day camp is free for children aged 8 to 18 years old.

Danzy was interested in starting his speed after his mother, Brandi, approached him with the idea. It was a way for the Florida High grad to show his gratitude and develop more talents in his hometown.

“My mom definitely brought it to me,” Danzy said.

“My mom is an outgoing person. I ain’t really know a lot about speed camps. She told me about it. I was like, that’s cool. So, it’s an appreciation to Tallahassee, because I grew up here. So I want to show creation, appreciation mentality and help the kids out.”

Danzy wants to teach the Tallahassee youths the proper way to sprint, emphasizing posture and technique. He also wants to remind the local children of the importance of putting in the time and effort while walking a straight path if they want to reach their goals.

The process was definitely rough growing up,” Danzy said.

“You just gotta keep your head down. Don’t listen or watch what other people are doing. Just stay on track, and God will take you wherever you need to be.”

More: College sports enters new era after NCAA settlement, but it won’t work if schools cheat

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.