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NEW ORLEANS – In the week prior to the final meet of the 2025 season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Baylor track & field’s Alexis Brown and Nathaniel Ezekiel remain on the Bowerman Watch List, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.
 
This marks Ezekiel’s sixth update in a row that the senior Nigerian has been represented while this is Brown’s second update to be named. Overall, 27 athletes and 19 programs were represented on this year’s women’s watch lists, the most athletes in award history. On the men’s side, 25 athletes and 20 programs were represented on this year’s watch lists.
 

The Bowerman is bestowed to collegiate track & field’s top male and female athlete for the year. The Bowerman Advisory Board, and ultimately, The Bowerman Voters, are instructed to consider performances inclusively from the collegiate indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons only.
 
Brown punched two tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, set to take place in Eugene, Ore. at the historic Hayward Field from June 11-14, in women’s long jump and the 4×100 relay. Brown is the current national and second-best world outdoor leader in the long jump with a historic 7.03 meters, 23’0.75″, mark. The Kennedale, Texas, native is just the third collegiate woman to jump past seven meters and is the second-best American collegiate ever in the event. Brown is looking to sweep the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor titles, as she won the Indoor Championships earlier in the year.
 
In the 4×100, Brown takes part as the third leg in the relay team. Altogether, the squad ranks No. 2 in the NCAA with a season-best time of 42.73.
 
Ezekiel also punched two tickets to Eugene in the 400 meter hurdles and the 4×400 relay. In the 400mH, Ezekiel posted two different NCAA all-time historic performances at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship in Lawrence, Kan. He started his week by breaking his own Championship meet during the preliminary round (47.90) before he won the gold medal with a time of 47.89 seconds. Both times are now the seventh and eighth fastest times in NCAA history. At the NCAA West Preliminaries, Ezekiel finished second in his heat to punch his ticket.
 
In the 4×400 relay, Ezekiel holds strong as one could say the best anchor leg in the nation. At the West Prelims, Baylor sought to finish top three in their heat to automatically qualify to Eugene. When Ezekiel received the baton, BU was in sixth. Ezekiel went on to run an insane 43.70-second split, passing three teams to help the Bears run a season-best time of 3:05.33 and grab the third automatic qualifying time from the second heat.
 
Semifinalists for the Bowerman award are slated to be announced Wednesday, June 25 (women) and Thursday, June 26 (men). Finalists will be announced the week of Monday, June 30.

2025 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-G-MAC Teams

2025 Women’s Outdoor Track and Field All-G-MAC Teams

At the end of another successful outdoor track and field season, both the Hillsdale College men’s and women’s teams brought home major honors as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced its All-G-MAC teams on Thursday.

On the men’s side, junior Ben Haas was named the G-MAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Haas also was the Indoor Field Athlete of the Year for the G-MAC and cemented his honor by becoming Hillsdale’s first double NCAA DII national champion on the men’s side by capturing the national title in the hammer throw with a winning mark of 66.31 meters on May 22nd in Pueblo, Colorado. The hammer throw title adds to Haas’ 2025 indoor weight throw national title, which the junior captured in March with a program and G-MAC record-setting mark of 22.89 meters on the biggest stage.

Haas was a double champion at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships in early May, winning titles in both the hammer throw and the shot put. He holds the Hillsdale school records in the weight throw, hammer throw, and indoor and outdoor shot put.

On the women’s side, two athletes won major G-MAC awards. Freshman Allison Kuzma was named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year for Outdoor Track, after a sensational finish at the NCAA DII national championships in Pueblo, Colorado on May 22 that saw her place third in the nation in the 10,000m run with a time of 35:02.50. A breakout star from Zeeland, Michigan, Kuzma dominated the 10K race at the G-MAC Championships in early May, winning the race by nearly 90 seconds over second place to add a second G-MAC title to her indoor 5,000m crown. Kuzma also finished second at the G-MAC Cross Country championships in the fall.

Along with Kuzma, senior Nicole Marshall was Hillsdale’s third-ever recipient of the Elite 26 award, honoring the athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in the G-MAC Outdoor Championship meet. Marshall graduated with a perfect 4.0 from Hillsdale and a degree in Biochemistry in the spring, serving as her class’ Valedictorian at the commencement ceremony. A multi-time placer in the G-MAC both indoors and outdoors, Marshall is heading to medical school in the fall to become a doctor.

Both Haas and Kuzma were among the eight Charger men and women to earn All-G-MAC honors for their performances this spring. On the men’s side, senior Richie Johnston earned first team All-G-MAC honors after repeating as the conference champion in the 3,000m steeplechase, while junior Connor McCormick earned second team honors for his runner-up finish in the pole vault.

On the women’s side, juniors Tara Townsend in the pole vault, Anna Roberts in the 3,000m steeplechase, and Averi Parker in the discus all received first team honors along with Kuzma after capturing G-MAC titles in their respective events. Senior Marilyn Popplewell also earned second team All-G-MAC honors for her runner-up finish in the javelin at the G-MAC Outdoor Championships.

 

For the first time since the Olympics and Paralympics started being held in the same city in 1988, there will be two different venues for the swimming competitions.

On Tuesday, organizers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics unveiled the plan for Paralympic venues, with the swimming competition scheduled to be held in Long Beach.

A temporary outdoor aquatics center will be built on a lot adjacent to the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center for the Paralympic swimming competition.

The swimming venue for the Olympic Games will be at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Events for Paralympic swimming will take place in backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. Mixed medley relays will be held also.

Competitors will compete in heats based on disability classification, which will have them either diving into the pool or starting a race directly in the water.

It will be the first time that different swimming venues will be used for the Olympics and Paralympics since 1984, but that was also the last year that the two events were held in different cities. The Paralympics were split between Stoke Mandeville, England and Long Island, New York, while the Olympics were in Los Angeles.

China won the most medals during swimming at the 2024 Summer Paralympics with 54 (22 gold, 21 silver, 11 bronze). The United States won 30 medals, 10 of them gold.

In addition to swimming, Long Beach will also host blind football, canoeing, climbing, rowing shooting and sitting volleyball during the Paralympics.

“The Paralympic venue plan ensures that Los Angeles’ first-ever Paralympic Games will take place in incredible existing stadiums and arenas across the region while creating the best possible experience for athletes and fans across the 560 events with accessibility top of mind,” LA 2028 CEO Reynold Hoover said in a press release.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — South Carolina track and field is heading to Track Town, USA, aka Eugene, Oregon, thanks in large part to JaMeesia Ford.

At the East Regionals, the Gamecocks punched 16 tickets to NCAA track nationals between their men (5) and women (11).

“I think we’re prepared to do something very special out there,” Head Coach Tim Hall said.

Many of those tickets, earned by sophomore JaMeesia Ford, who’s competing in the 100m, 200m, 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays.

“Well JaMeesia fits into the one percentile of athlete’s that you’re lucky to to be able to coach or be a part of throughout your coaching career,” Hall said.

At the SEC championship, ford won all four events.

“SEC that’s the hardest conference in college,” Ford said. “So I feel like going into nationals with the conferences all together it’s all a fast race. So I’ll say I’m prepared and I know what’s coming for me.”

Her goal for Nationals?

“Get all first place in all my events again,” Ford said. “I think I would be the first person to do that at Nationals.”

Ford, the 2025 Commissioner’s Trophy winner, is quickly becoming a household name in colligate track and field, but is getting used to the distractions of big time events.

“I don’t try and let that affect me because it is a great feeling just to be in that stadium seeing all the tracks fans and stuff,” Ford said. “The distractions? I try not to let it get to me because I get overwhelmed with all the celebrations and stuff. I have to remember to stay calm, keep going and yeah.”

Ford says their record setting relay teams have come a long way in a year.

“I feel like we’re more prepared, we are 10 times… 100 times better than we were last year,” Ford said. “We were such a young team last year now we’re getting more experience every time we run a race. We’re just ready.”

Coach Hall said Ford and the whole Gamecock team has been training for this moment all year.

“She’s ready, they’re ready for the task, Hall said. “We started that process in August. We’re ready.”

Ultimately, Ford and her team have one focus: winning.

“It would mean a lot to me just seeing all the hard work that I put in even from last year ash the Olympic trials, I feel like I deserve it. Me and my teammates as well,” Ford said.

“I’m looking forward to, having fun with my teammates and holding up a trophy.”

PORTAGE, Pa. – Recent graduate Bode Layo soared to new heights during his Portage Area High School career.

After breaking the school’s high jump record in track and field, he entertained football college offers. Layo deliberated his options and decided to sign and continue his track and field career at PennWest California, an NCAA Division II program within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

“It aligned with my major and I really believe that the staff can help me succeed and develop me as an athlete and as a person,” Layo said.

Layo, who will play in the 1st Summit Bank Ken Lantzy All-Star Classic June 13, also competed in basketball and helped the Mustangs win three District 6 championships on the hardwood. He totaled 908 points, 418 rebounds and 82 steals over four seasons. He thought about pursuing a college football career after earning all-Heritage Conference recognition in 2023 and 2024, but decided to continue ascending to new heights with the Vulcans.

“I wasn’t too sure at first, but I saw more positives with track and field,” Layo said. “It should be easier on my body. I really liked the dorms, and the coaches are great.”

In football, Layo compiled 45 catches for 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns over four seasons. He added 180 tackles, 361/2 for loss, and 141/2 sacks on defense.

Layo – who chose California over Indiana (Pa.), Robert Morris and Shippensburg – will compete for coach Daniel Caulfield. Assistant coach Brady Wert works with the jumpers at California and he mentored Chestnut Ridge graduate Logan Pfister.

Layo will major in business. He cleared 6 feet, 6 inches this spring to set a new school mark. Layo finished fourth in high jump at the 2025 PIAA Class 2A track and field championships and was the District 6 champion as a senior.

He was the 2023 and 2025 Heritage champ in the event.

“I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for their unending support over the years in both academics and athletics,” Layo said. “I would like to thank Coach (Lance) Hudak for suggesting I try high jumping and helping me succeed over the years. I have so much gratitude for coach Travis Kargo for all his guidance over the 13 years he coached me in basketball and led our team to multiple championships. I’d also like to thank our athletic director, Craig Castel, for helping me with this process. I will miss my Portage Area teammates, but am excited to pursue this opportunity.”

“On behalf of the entire Portage track and field program, we would like to congratulate Bode on his signing with California to continue his academic and track and field career as a Vulcan,” Hudak said. “Over the last three years, he has developed into a top high school high jumper in Pennsylvania. Under Coach Wert’s tutelage at California, the sky is the limit in what Bode is yet to accomplish. We are excited to watch your many successes yet to come on the collegiate level.”

Layo is the son of Deven and Breanna Layo, of Portage.

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