Photo courtesy John Fajardo/LBSU athletics

The final Long Beach school sports action of the 2024-25 year took place last weekend in Eugene, Oregon as a trio of Long Beach State track and field athletes competing in the NCAA Division 1 Championships at the University of Oregon.

Tristyn Flores qualified in the 100 and 200, a perfect cap to a season that saw him break his own school record in the 100–with a 10.05, a new school and Big West Conference record. Flores became the first LBSU sprinter to make it to Eugene since Brent Gray did it in 2008. 

He also qualified in the 200 after tying Gray’s school-best mark of 20.46, and becomes just the third LBSU sprinter to make it to the NCAA Finals in the 200 in the last 35 years.

Georgia outdoor track and field won their first-ever NCAA championship in style this weekend, finishing the four-day meet with a dominant 73 points to claim the team title by a massive margin of 26 points on Saturday.

Snagging podium finishes with 47 and 43 points, respectively, were silver medalists USC and bronze winners Texas A&M.

The Bulldogs proved impossible to beat, boasting individual champions in the 400-meter dash (junior Aaliyah Butler), the high jump (senior Elena Kulichenko), the hammer throw (grad student Stephanie Ratcliffe) and the 4×400-meter relay — more individual titles than any other school at the meet.

The winning relay team of freshman Michelle Smith, sophomore Sydney Harris, and juniors Butler and Dejanea Oakley particularly impressed, with three of the four taking individual podium spots as well.

Butler — a 2024 US Olympic gold medalist in the 4×400-meter relay — led the aforementioned 400-meter dash, with teammate Oakley securing second-place just behind her.

Meanwhile, Smith bagged bronze in the 400-meter hurdles.

Georgia head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert, who previously led three-time champion USC to the Trojans’ 2018 and 2021 NCAA titles, is now the only woman to coach two different schools to an outdoor track and field national championship.

“I love these kids. They teach me more about me than I teach them about anything,” said an emotional Smith Gilbert during the trophy ceremony. “They worked so hard, and they believed in themselves, and we did it.”

Trio of NCAA records crumble at championship meet

While first-time champion Georgia was making team program history, a trio of NCAA women were busy shattering national track and field records this weekend.

First, Washington sophomore Hana Moll became the national pole vault champion with a new NCAA record leap of 4.79 meters on Thursday.

Notably, this was the third time this season that the collegiate pole vault mark was cleared by a Huskie, with Moll’s twin sister Amanda breaking the record twice last month.

Then on Saturday, two records fell, with Alabama sophomore Doris Lemngole earning her second straight 3,000-meter steeplechase title in 8:58.15 — the fastest time in NCAA history.

Michigan senior Savannah Sutherland, a 2024 Olympian for Team Canada, closed out the 2025 NCAA record-breaking by dethroning a legend, smashing the 400-meter hurdles mark previously held by now-two-time Olympic individual champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Sutherland’s 52.46-second race was 0.29 seconds below McLaughlin-Levrone’s collegiate record — and a full 0.8 seconds below Sutherland’s own personal best.

Wrapping up season one of Blue Demon Room, we welcome Rachel Krasowski (Volleyball), Schuyler Riese (Women’s Soccer), Kash Allen (Track and Field), and Ryder Henares (Golf) to the show to reflect on their athletics journey with DePaul just before graduation. 

Thank you for your support of the inaugrual season of the Blue Demon Room. Stay tuned for season two coming in August of 2025.

As always, stay up to date with all things Blue Demon Room Podcast and DePaul Athletics by following @DePaulAthletics on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok. 

THIS WAS THE ONLY event showcasing a pair of Olympic gold medalists: Georgia junior Aaliyah Butler and Arkansas soph Kaylyn Brown, members of Team USA’s Paris 4×4 group. Butler, with a new 49.44 PR and undefeated this year, seemed to have the edge over Brown, who placed 2nd in last year’s unprecedented Arkansas sweep, but had progressed more gradually in ’25.

With 9 other entrants producing times better than 51, this promised to be a fast and competitive final. The semis reinforced this notion.

In the first, Butler cruised smoothly to a 50.16, ahead of Arkansas senior Rosey Effiong (50.49). Brown and LSU’s Ella Onojuvwevwo, a Nigerian Olympian, entered the final straight together in the next semi. From there, Tiger junior Onojuvwevwo pulled powerfully away to a 50.31 PR, establishing herself as another title threat.

The third semi was a runaway for Georgia junior Dejanea Oakley, who produced a PR 50.18 ahead of Iowa State’s Rachel Joseph (50.77). A 51.35 was necessary to qualify for the final; two women at 51.40, South Carolina’s Zaya Akins and San Diego State’s Shaquena Foote, were eliminated.

For the final, Butler drew lane 6, with Oakley, Effiong and Brown to her outside, Joseph and Onojuvwevwo to her left in 4 and 5.

From the start, Butler controlled the race. First to 100m, she powered down the back straight, opening a big gap on those in the inside lanes.

She went by Oakley at the 200 stagger, flew around the curve, passed 300 in 35.9 and entered the homestraight with a 2m lead on Effiong, with Oakley in 3rd another meter back, and Brown 4th.

Butler maintained her form and pace down the stretch, and crossed the finish in a PR 49.26, as =No. 9 all-time U.S. performer. Oakley passed Effiong with 75m remaining and actually closed a bit on her teammate, finishing in 49.65, her second PR in three days.

Effiong, with a 7th and two 4ths in previous championships, hung on for 3rd in 50.51, just ahead of a big rush by Onojuvwevwo (50.57). Brown faded to 5th, inches ahead of Joseph.

The 1-2 finish essentially clinched the women’s team title for Georgia.

Butler: “I felt great. Last year I didn’t make it to the final, indoors I got 2nd, so I knew coming out here I really wanted to win. I’ve been working hard and I just put my trust in my coaches because this whole season, it was like, ‘You can win big.’ I wanted to do that today and I did it.”

WOMEN’S 400 RESULTS

FINAL (June 14)

1. *Aaliyah Butler (Ga) 49.26 PR (out CL) (=9, x A; 6, 6 C)

2. *Dejanea Oakley’ (Ga-Jam) 49.65 PR (10, x C)

3. Rosey Effiong (Ar) 50.51

4. *Ella Onojuvwevwo’ (LSU-Ngr) 50.57

5. **Kaylyn Brown (Ar) 51.30

6. *Rachel Joseph (IaSt) 51.36

7. Sami Oblad (BYU) 51.57

8. **Kaelyaah Liburd’ (FlSt-BVI) 51.69

9. Vimbayi Maisvorewa’ (Aub-Zim) 51.84.

SEMIS (June 12)

I–1. Butler 50.16; 2. Effiong 50.49; 3. Liburd’ 51.35; 4. *Yemi John’ (USC-GB) 51.41; 5. Jaydan Wood (TxAM) 52.23; 6. **Onyah Favour (SEnLa) 52.39; 7. Caitlyn Bobb’ (VaT-Ber) 52.42; 8. ***Damaris Mutunga’ (Ia-Ken) 52.89.

II–1. Onojuvwevwo’ 50.31 PR; 2. Brown 50.91; 3. Maisvorewa’ 51.19; 4. **Zaya Akins (SC) 51.40; 5. *Shaquena Foote’ (SDi-Jam) 51.40; 6. **Davenae Fagan (Cinc) 52.51; 7. Aaliyah Pyatt (Ar) 52.66; 8. *Sanaria Butler (Ar) 52.78.

III–1. Oakley’ 50.18 PR; 2. Joseph 50.77; 3. Oblad 51.20; 4. *Javonya Valcourt’ (Tn-Bah) 51.65; 5. Maygan Shaw (NWnLa) 51.80; 6. Sara Reifenrath (SD) 52.72; 7. Charlee Crawford (Rut) 53.09; 8. Joanne Reid’ (Ar-Jam) 53.11.