By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
GRAPEVINE, Texas – Benjamin Dalton knows that he may never get another chance to coach an athlete as elite as Nathaniel Ezekiel.
 
“I think a lot of coaches would understand this,” the Baylor assistant coach said of Ezekiel, the 2025 NCAA 400-meter hurdles national champion and Bowerman finalist. “There are some athletes that are once in a lifetime. And not only the talent level, but who is as a young man. He’s a phenomenal human being and an amazing athlete. So, very fortunate, very thankful.”
 

The fan favorite to win The Bowerman, college track and field’s equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy, Ezekiel lost out to Arkansas sprinter Jordan Anthony at Thursday’s presentation ceremony at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.
 
“It’s pretty amazing to come out here and see them recognize you for all the hard work and effort you put into the whole year,” said Ezekiel, a nine-time All-American who was also the silver medalist in the 400 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships. “Every one of us was expecting to be called. Him getting it is cool, and if I got it, it was cool, too. But you have to be happy for other people’s success as well.”
 
The other men’s finalist was sprint hurdler Ja’Kobe Tharp from Auburn, while Alabama’s Doris Lemngole won the female Bowerman award over Michigan hurdler Savannah Sutherland and New Mexico distance runner Pamela Kosgei.
 
Ezekiel was Baylor’s first-ever Bowerman finalist, an award that was started in 2009 to honor the nation’s top male and female collegiate track and field athlete.
 
“Even this morning, I was thinking about many greats we’ve had in the past that probably would have won it,” Baylor head coach Michael Ford said, referencing Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner, in particular. “For Nate to be our first (finalist), it’s always going to be historic. I’m proud of Nate, he had a great season. To me, this doesn’t diminish what he did in his four years at Baylor.”
 
In an interview with Bowerman host and ESPN analyst Larra Overton, Nate talked about writing down the same goal each year and praying about winning a national championship. He finished fourth in the 400 hurdles as a freshman, then won bronze medals each of the next two seasons before a breakthrough senior season with a PR time of 47.49 that ranks as the third-fastest in collegiate history.
 
“My junior year, when I wrote it down again and it didn’t happen, I thought, ‘Man, God doesn’t like me,”’ he said.
 
Saving his best for last, though, Ezekiel also set the Baylor program record in the indoor 400 with a time of 44.74. He is also the only man in NCAA history to hold multiple top-10 marks in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles with the third, seventh, eighth and ninth-fastest times.
 
“When I was looking at Baylor and I kind of looked into their track record, I saw what Clyde Hart had actually done with the program, with the likes of Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner,” Ezekiel said. “And then also, with Coach Ford with Trayvon Bromell. I just said, ‘Okay, I have to step in, and I have to leave my name on the mark and do some great things.”’
 
And that he did, winning six Big 12 championships in addition to his success on the national stage. Turning pro this summer, Ezekiel finished fourth in the 400 hurdles at the World Championships in Tokyo, running a Nigerian national-record time of 47.11.
 
“I want to be an inspiration to little kids in Africa and around the world,” he said. “And when they look at me, they see a symbol of hope, a symbol of excellence. And whatever you wish in your mind, you have the power to chase your goals and actually make it happen.”
 
Reflecting on his four years as a student-athlete at Baylor, Nate said, “It’s actually a great community, great people and great coaches.”
 
“They made me feel like it’s home for me and made things easier for me. Honestly, it was a splendid experience, which I loved.”
 

A Nebraska track and field star won a national honor after a record-setting week. Axelina Johansson was named Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week and USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week. 

Johansson set a school record, a Swedish record and an NCAA indoor record in the shot put with a throw of 19.72m (64-8 ½). She set the records while winning the shot put title at the Husker Holiday Open.

She’s had an accomplished career, competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics and finishing tenth overall. The Hok, Sweden native, also won an NCAA title in the shot put in 2023.

Nebraska returns to competition on Friday, Jan. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Graduate Classic at the Devaney Center Indoor Track.

Bob Byrnes, one of the most respected and beloved track and field and cross-country officials in New Jersey, died on Thursday morning from injuries he sustained following an unexpected medical episode at a track and field meet on Wednesday, according to Marc MacNaughton, a friend and colleague of Byrnes.

Byrnes was officiating at the DeSchriver Invitational at Drew University in Madison at the time.

“We had paramedics and police there quickly, and Bob was taken to Morristown Medical Center, where he sadly passed away,” said MacNaughton. “Bob passed away doing what he loved – officiating the sport he gave so much of his time, heart, and passion to. He was on the track, serving the athletes and the community he cherished. A true fixture in our track family, Bob’s dedication, kindness, and steady presence will never be forgotten. He was a mentor to me. May he rest in eternal peace.”

Anyone who knew Bob will tell you that he had a gift for being able to make athletes feel relaxed before they competed, using his witty sense of humor to tell jokes and his unique storytelling to create laughter that helped settle the nerves of the competitors.

Bob’s influence reached generations of athletes, coaches, and officials. His professionalism, fairness, mentorship, and steady leadership shaped New Jersey track & field and cross country in ways that will endure long beyond his years of service. Bob’s legacy will always live on through the thousands of athletes, coaches, and officials whose lives he impacted forever!

Here is a look at all the different ways that Byrnes impacted the sport.

Officiating track and field wasn’t work to Bob; it was a way of life – a life he devoted wholeheartedly to the athletes of our state. He gave countless hours to the sport of track and field and cross country, serving with passion, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring every athlete had a fair, safe, memorable, and fun experience.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Senior Eva Hudson had 29 kills Thursday night inside the T-Mobile Center including the match-clinching swing as the top-seeded Kentucky Volleyball team beat third-seeded Wisconsin 3-2 (12-25, 25-22, 21-25, 26-24, 15-13) to advance into Sunday afternoon’s NCAA National Championship match in Kansas City.

The Wildcats will play fellow Southeastern Conference school Texas A&M on Sunday in the 2025 NCAA National Championship match, after the Aggies beat Pittsburgh 3-0 on Thursday night in the first national semifinal. The match will be 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC on Sunday. Wisconsin, who was the Big Ten’s lone remaining team in the NCAA Tournament, finishes its season with a 28-5 overall record and a 17-3 mark in league play.

Hudson had 29 kills in the match, hitting .455 with only four errors on 55 swings. The American Volleyball Coaches’ Association National Player of the Year finalist had seven digs and a pair of blocks in the match as well. Hudson was joined by her teammate Brooklyn DeLeye, who had 15 kills in the match with 14 digs. Freshman Kassie O’Brien in her first-career NCAA Final Four match had 54 assists in the match alongside a pair of kills and nine digs. Brooklyn DeLeye’s five blocks led the match for UK, who registered eight as a team.

Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer had 32 kills in the match to lead all players in the match.

Set 1

Wisconsin took the opening set, 25-12 as the Badgers hit .682 in the first with 15 kills on its 22 swings. The Wildcats were behind from the get-go as Kentucky dropped the opening three points and the Badgers quickly ran their lead to six at 8-2 as UK called its first timeout trailing by a half dozen. The UW lead then grew to nine at 15-6 as UK had to call its second timeout down by a set-high nine points at the time. Wisconsin continued to pile on, scoring on 12 of its first 12 swings and 15 of its 22 in the set to close things out, 25-12. It was the largest margin of defeat in a single set for UK since 2018 when UK lost 25-10 to Nebraska in the Minneapolis Regional semifinal.

Set 2

Kentucky closed the second set on a 6-1 run to even the match and made things 1-1 with a 25-22 second-set victory. The Wildcats never trailed by more than two points the entire set, leading 7-4 in the early stanza with a few stuffs from Lizzie Carr and Kassie O’Brien to get the momentum back on the Wildcats side. Wisconsin took its first timeout after the longest rally of the match made things 16-15 in favor of the Badgers and UK responded by squaring the set at 20-20, the first tie of the set since things were 14-14 before the media timeout. With things at 20 all, Kentucky then ran off six of the last seven points led by Eva Hudson’s four terminations in the red zone to hand Kentucky the set, 25-22. UK picked up set point at 24-20 and called a timeout after UW ran off two points in a row to make things 24-22, but a first-ball sideout by Hudson on the left pin ended the set and Kentucky squared the match. In the second set, UK hit .258 with the Badgers hitting .229. Through two sets, UK had Eva Hudson with nine kills leading the way and 17 assists from Kassie O’Brien and six digs from Molly Tuozzo.

Set 3

The Badgers took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-21 third-set victory. UW hit .386 in the set with 21 kills to only four errors with Kentucky clipping the ball at a .333 clip, but seeing the luck in the set run out on a 3-0 Badger run to close things out and hand the Badgers the 2-1 lead in the match. Kentucky fell down 12-7 in the opening parts of the set before slowly chipping away to pull within two points at 16-14 and close to within two for the first time since it was 9-7. Wisconsin called a timeout with UK on a 3-0 run having crept to 21-20 and only needing one point to square the set. Out of the Badger timeout, Kentucky had a hitting error on an extended rally and then UW won a challenge to make things 24-21 and closed out the set on a touch off the block to win the set, 25-21. Through three set, UK was hitting .326 as a team, but was struggling with the UW offense with Wisconsin hitting .396 as a team and Mimi Collier having 22 kills on 42 swings with a .395 hitting efficiency. Eva Hudson led Kentucky with 14 kills on 32 swings adding in seven digs and a pair of blocks.

Set 4

Kentucky managed to force the match to a decisive fifth set with a 26-24 fourth set victory as UK hit .270 and won it on its fourth set point to seal the deal and send the match to a fifth set. UK fell behind early in the set with UW leading by a pair of sideouts at 13-10 before a successful Kentucky challenge made things 13 all and things were back to square one. Kentucky took a 15-13 lead into the media timeout thanks to an ace by Molly Tuozzo that clipped the net and that would be UK’s largest lead of the set before a kill by Eva Hudson made things 19-16 and UW burned its first timeout. Wisconsin pulled back into things with the Badgers pulling to within 21-20 and making things a one-point set. Kentucky worked around a Badger timeout to arrive at set point with a 24-21 lead and saw all three set points evaporate as things were evened again at 24 all. UK got a thunderous kill from Brooklyn DeLeye for 25-24 and then a kill for the Wildcats on an extended rally ended the set as UK forced things to a fifth at 26-24.

Set 5

Kentucky jumped out to a 4-1 lead thanks to lethal swings in transition and the Wildcats were ahead 6-1 before the blink of an eye as Trinity Ward was serving bullets and pushed UK into the lead with a 5-0 service run after things were square at 1-1. Wisconsin then brought itself off the deck as the teams changed sides with UK leading 8-2 and the Badgers saw themselves get to within 8-5 after a quick 3-0 run. A crushing blow by Brooklyn DeLeye got UK back on track to a sideout and Kentucky got to 10 first at 10-6. Kentucky picked up match point at 14-11 and after a hitting error by UK and a transition kill by UW, the Wildcats called for their first timeout needing one sideout for the match. The serve by UW was sent to Hudson who passed to O’Brien off the net and Hudson buried her 29th kill of the match to the floor to seal the deal.

For the latest on UK Volleyball, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @KentuckyVB.