By: Hunter McKay

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Kennesaw State men’s and women’s track and field teams completed competition at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships on Sunday by earning the school’s second CUSA title.

The KSU men’s team collected its first Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship scoring 216.5 points in the three-day meet. The Owls also concluded the Liberty men’s run of 17-consecutive outdoor titles at the Division I level. KSU and Liberty’s 5.5-point differential was the closest CUSA Outdoor Championship finish since 2006. Cale McDaniel was named CUSA Men’s Coach of the Year.  

 

The KSU women battled hard on Saturday and finished in third place. The Owls finished with 104.5 points.

 

Men’s Team Scoring (21 of 21 events scored)

KSU – 216.5 points

Liberty– 211 points

MTSU – 97 points

Sam Houston – 73 points

Western Kentucky – 71 points

UTEP – 58 points

Louisiana Tech – 56 points

FIU – 28 points

Women’s Team Scoring (21 of 21 events scored)

Liberty – 178.5 points

UTEP – 117 points

Kennesaw State – 104.5 points

FIU – 101 points

MTSU. – 84 points

New Mexico State – 74 points

Louisiana Tech. – 49 points

Sam Houston– 38 points

Western Kentucky– 21.5 points

 

Medal Winners

 
   Men’s Notable Performances

• Evan Martinez placed seventh in the shot put with a personal-best toss of 49.73m (163’2″).
• Edwin Kiprono finished sixth in the 1500m (3:53.26) and fourth in the 800m (1:48.85).
• Sean Dyer ran a time of 14.22 seconds to place fifth in the 110m hurdles.
• Justin Warner (46.14) placed fourth in the 400m. That mark sits 40^th in the NCAA East Region.
• Xavier Paris (10.34) secured fifth in the 100m.
• Sean Dyer (52.49), Daris Roberts (53.91) and Cameron Guadiano (54.05 seconds) took home fourth, sixth and seventh in the 400m hurdles.

 
Women’s Top Performances

 
Quotable
Director of Track and Field Cale McDaniel
 
On the men’s team…
 “It just feels so good to lead a group that trusts and believe in themselves and in the program. I love these men and have so much respect for what they have accomplished. This team is proof of how special the school is and how it attracts exceptional individuals. Our staff and support staff are first class and total professionals. This was a huge team effort and I’m so thankful for all of them.”
 
On the women’s team …
 “We need to grow and we need to get better in this conference. I take full responsibility in shaping this women’s program into what I know we can be. With that said, we had some women do some really awesome stuff this weekend and several with a chance to lengthen their season at NCAA’s. We will be better moving forward.” 

 

Next Up

Athletes who rank among the top 48 in their respective events earn a berth into the NCAA East First Rounds in Jacksonville, Fla. May 28-31. In addition, the best 24 relays times advance to the NCAA First Rounds. Athletes with the top 12 times/marks and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West First Rounds sites will qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. The decathlon and heptathlon will not be held during the NCAA Preliminary Rounds. Instead, the top 24 decathlon and heptathlon scores in the nation earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship site.

Make that eight Big Ten championships in Oregon‘s first year in the conference.

The Ducks men secured a conference title on Sunday in outdoor track and field, protecting their turf at historic Hayward Field. The women finished second, just behind Big Ten champion USC.

Oregon has now won Big Ten titles in football, baseball, softball, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s indoor track and field (NCAA champions), women’s cross-country, and women’s golf.

The men ran away with it on Sunday, scoring 110 team points compared to just 81 apiece for tied-for-second Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The USC women surpassed Oregon in the final event on Sunday afternoon, winning the 4×400. The Trojans had 121 total points to Oregon’s 113, despite the Ducks winning multiple individual titles of their own.

Here is every event Oregon scored in:

Men’s total score: 110 points (Champions)

Men’s javelin: 4 points

Pat Vialva, 232-3 (5th place, 4 points)

Men’s 10,000: 23 points

Aiden Smith, 29:24.65 (2nd place, 8 points)

Evan Bishop, 29:25.13 (3rd place, 6 points)

Evan Burke 29:26.10 (4th place, 5 points)

Abdel Laadjel, 29:27.42 (6th place, 3 points)

Quincy Norman, 29:28.15 (8th place, 1 point)

Men’s decathlon: 6 points

Koby Kessler, 7,303 (4th place, 5 points)

Aiden Carter, 7,058 (8th place, 1 point)

Men’s long jump: 7 points

Cheikh M’Baye, 24-10 (5th place, 4 points)

Safin Wills, 24-9 (6th place, 3 points)

Men’s high jump: 3 points

Shaun Miller Jr., 6-9 (6th place, 3 points)

Men’s shot put: 6 points

Kobe Lawrence, 63-8 3/4 (3rd place, 6 points)

Men’s steeplechase: 16 points

Benjamin Balazs, 8:40.93 (Champion, 10 points)

Sergio Del Barrio, 8:42.67 (3rd place, 6 points)

Men’s triple jump: 8 points

Safin Wills, 51-2 1/4 (2nd place, 8 points)

Men’s discus: 5 points

Aidan Elbettar, 191-1 (4th place, 5 points)

Men’s 1,500: 9 points

Simeon Birnbaum, 3:53.38 (3rd place, 6 points)

Rheinhardt Harrison, 3:54.31 (6th place, 3 points)

Men’s 100: 3 points

Rodrick Pleasant, 10.36 (6th place, 3 points)

Men’s 800: 8 points

Matthew Erickson, 1:47.922 (2nd place, 0.001 seconds off 1st, 8 points)

Men’s 5,000: 12 points

Simeon Birnbaum, 13:31.87 (Champion, meet record, 10 points)

Abdel Laadjel, 13:35.98 (7th place, 2 points)

…

Women’s total score: 113 (2nd place)

Women’s 10,000: 10 points

Diana Cherotich, 32:00.48 (Champion, meet record, 10 points)

Women’s heptathlon: 10 points

Annika Williams, 5,914 (Champion, 10 points)

Women’s steeplechase: 5 points

Katie Clute, 9:57.98 (4th place, 5 points)

Women’s javelin: 4 points

Kohana Nakato, 166-6 (5th place, 4 points)

Women’s triple jump: 18 points

Ryann Porter, 44-5 1/2 (Champion, 10 points)

Cassandra Atkins, 43-11 1/4 (2nd place, 8 points)

Women’s 4×100: 4 points

Shaniya Hall, Lily Jones, Brazil Neal, Amirah Shaheed, 44.39 (5th place, 4 points)

Women’s 1,500: 14 points

Silan Ayyildiz, 4:13.35 (2nd place, 8 points)

Mia Barnett, 4:13.40 (3rd place, 6 points)

Women’s 100 hurdles: 10 points

Aaliyah McCormick, 12.86 (Champion, 10 points)

Women’s 400: 5 points

Ella Clayton, 53.00 (4th place, 5 points)

Women’s 800: 14 points

Klaudia Kazimierska, 2:02.92 (Champion, 10 points)

Ella Nelson, 2:05.46 (5th place, 4 points)

Women’s 400 hurdles: 3 points

Annaleise Taylor, 1:00.11 (6th place, 3 points)

Women’s 5,000:

Silan Ayyildiz, 15:37.11 (Champion, meet record, 10 points)

Diana Cherotich, 15:46.60 (6th place, 3 points)

Ella Thorsett, 15:52.03 (7th place, 2 points)

Women’s 4×400:

Ella Clayton, Shaniya Hall, Annaleise Taylor, Lakely Doht-Barron, 3:38.10 (8th place, 1 point)

—Ryan Clarke covers college sports for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com or on Twitter/X:@RyanTClarke. Find him on Bluesky:@ryantclarke.bsky.social.

GENEVA, OHIO – The young guns on the TCNJ men’s track and field team will get another chance to step into the spotlight as the Lions are set to send two individuals and a relay to the NCAA Outdoor Championships next week.
 
Maxim Rychkov qualified in the 100 and 200 meters, Nate Adams did so in the 400 hurdles, and the pair will join Anthony Senatore and Noah Traverso in the 4×400 relay at SPIRE Institute. Adams, only a sophomore, is the lone non-rookie in head coach Justin Lindsey‘s traveling party.
 
Adams will make his NCAA debut thanks to his second-place time of 52.72 at the NJAC Championships, enough to land him the 22^nd and final qualifying spot in the event.
 
Rychkov made a big splash at the NCAA Indoor Championships, running to All-America honors in the 60-meter dash (12^th place) and 200-meter dash (7^th). He also joined Senatore, Traverso, and Jack Attali to place 8^th in the 4×400 relay.
 
Rychkov owns the 8^th-best time in Division III in the 200 (20.98), and his record-breaking mark of 10.45 seconds from the AARTFC Championships was enough to move him into 18^th in the 100.
 
Adams, Rychkov, Senatore, and Traverso posted a school-record mark of 3:10.70 at Widener earlier this week, which clocks in at 11^th nationally.
 
Adams will compete in the 400 hurdles prelims at 6:10 p.m. on Thursday. Rychkov will then take on the 200-meter dash prelims at 6:40 p.m., and the 4×400 prelims are set for 8 p.m.
 
The 100-meter prelims are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
 
Finals are slated for the following times on Saturday: 100 (2:30 p.m.), 400 hurdles (3:15 p.m.), 200 (3:40 p.m.), and 4×400 relay (4:50 p.m.).

ABOUT THE SHOW

With the rallying cry “Achieve Greatness Everyday,” Season 98 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) carries on with the league’s tradition of bringing exciting sports action to viewers.

The NCAA is home to student-athletes from 10-member schools, namely, the Arellano University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, Emilio Aguinaldo College, José Rizal University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Mapúa University, San Beda University, San Sebastian College – Recoletos, and the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.

“I thought we had some really great performances and breakthroughs. We still have people that are learning how to compete at this level and learning what it takes not only this week but year round,” Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Lisa Breznau said. “I am super proud of a number of people throughout the week. All of our scorers, I think, did a tremendous job of staying focused and just simply trying to be at their best and not worrying about the outcome. We will continue to build a group that knows how to compete.”

Rachel Forsyth continued her strong freshman campaign finding the podium twice on Sunday. After finishing fifth in the 3000m at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, she earned another fifth-place finish in the 1500m with a time of 4:15.70. She was among the leaders of the pack for the whole race with Washington’s Sophie O’Sullivan pulling away in the final few meters, winning in 4:11.66.

Less than two hours after the final of the 1500m, Forsyth was back at it again in the 5000m final. She stayed in the main pack throughout the race. Oregon’s Silan Ayyildiz pulled away winning the race in a meet record time of     15:37.11. Forsyth ran a confident race, setting a new personal best (15:43.81) to finish fifth. Her previous personal best was 15:47.04 at the Virginia Challenge in April. With her two fifth-place finishes on the day, Forsyth earned eight points for the Spartans.

Riley Hough had a fantastic showing in the men’s 5000m. Running with a group of Oregon and Wisconsin runners for the majority of the race, Hough held his own, crossing the line with a personal-best time of 13:34.19 to finish fourth. Oregon’s Simeon Birnbaum set a new meet record to capture first place in 13:31.87

After running a personal best 2:04.63 to advance to the final on Saturday, Shae Harbaugh earned more points for the Spartans in the 800m final. She finished seventh in the final, crossing in 2:06.61 to earn two points.

In the women’s triple jump, Leila Barmore finished 12th with a season best jump of 12.47m. In the women’s shot put, Jessica Stieb was just shy of reaching the final, taking ninth (16.43m). 

The Spartans ended the meet with the 4x400m relays with both teams earning season bests. The women’s squad of Alexys Wilson, Gabrielle Jeffries, Shae Harbaugh, Elizabeth Anderson ran 3:40.41. The men’s team of Henry Shaieb, Timothy Cherry, Drew Novak, Terrence Muex crossed in 3:18.95.

The MSU women finished 12th with 21 points, while men were 16th with 15 points. USC women won its first Big Ten outdoor team title with 121 points. The Oregon won also picked up its first Big Ten outdoor title with 110 points.

Michigan State will next head to Jacksonville, Florida on May 28-May 31 for the NCAA First Round.

Scoring Breakdown

MSU Men, 16th, 15 points

Saturday, May 17

Decathlon – Dylan Terryberry, 7th, 2 points

High Jump – Brady Schultz, 7th, 2 points

Shot Put ­– Dillon Morlock, 8th, 1 point

3,000m Steeplechase – Andrew Nolan, 4th, 5 points

Sunday, May 18

5000m – Riley Hough, 4th, 5 points

MSU Women, 12th, 21 points

Friday, May 16

Hammer Throw – Elle Adrian, 8th, 1 point

Saturday, May 17

3000m Steeplechase – Kate Stewart-Barnett, 1st, 10 points

Sunday, May 18

1500m – Rachel Forsyth, 5th, 4 points

800m – Shae Harbaugh, 7th, 2 points

5000m – Rachel Forsyth, 5th, 4 points

FAIRFAX, Va. – The Navy men’s track and field team won its third-consecutive IC4A Championship on Sunday at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Va. The Mids won four events and scored 128 total points to better second-place UMBC’s tally by 21 points. The Navy women’s squad finished in sixth place in the ECAC Championship, which was held at the same venue, with 53.5 points.  Jia Anderson’s victory in the 100m hurdles headlined the efforts for the women’s team.
 

“I thought it was a really good weekend. We went in there with the intention of trying to hit certain marks and give some younger kids another opportunity to compete,” said director of track & field Jamie Cook. “The younger athletes were impressive from Cooper [Wakley], Wyatt [Shaw] and Zoie [Tesi]. Everyone had a lot of fun this weekend and it was exciting on our part as coaches to see them having fun. We had a lot of guys who performed well who don’t normally get a lot of opportunities.”

Men’s Recap

The Mids won a pair of relay events during the championship.

 

The 4x100m relay team of Marcel Jackson, Nathan Kent, Jonah Johnson and Tyler Yurich ran a winning time of 39.68, the third-fastest time in program history. The quartet now owns the five fastest times in Navy history, all of which were set this season.

 

“These guys have been amazing this year and to win today’s race by over a second is impressive. The chemistry is strong and that’s what makes this group great,” said Cook.

 

The Mids won their second relay event when the 4x400m relay team of David Walker, Cooper Wakley, Conor McFadden and Pete deJonge ran a time of 3:11.42.

 

In the field events, Wyatt Shaw and Benjemen Schneider each cleared 2.08 meters (6′ 9.75″) in the high jump to place first and second, respectively.  Then three Mids finished in the top five in the pole vault led by Wakley’s first-place mark of 5.09m (16′ 8.25″). Brian Schloeder cleared 4.99m (16′ 4.5″) to take second, while Gavin Anderson was fifth with a vault of 4.89m (16′ 0.5″).

 

Navy had five more second-place showings during the meet.  Jackson competed in the 100m sprint where he finished second in a time of 10.67. Yurich tied his season-best placement in the 200m with a second-place time of 21.09.  Walker battled to a second-place finish (by nine-hundredths of a second) in the 400m hurdles as clocked a 52.43. Logan Flament took second place in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:33.53. It marked the second time this season he has placed second or better in the event.  Rounding out the list was Malachi Cummings, who finished in second place in the javelin with a career-best throw of 64.84m (212-8).

 

Sean Miller recorded his second-fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase time of the season to finish third in 9:17.02.  Shaw continued his strong weekend with a third-place finish in the long jump as he recorded a leap of 7.17m (23′ 6.25″). Colby Fahrney placed fifth in the event with a jump of 6.98m (22′ 10.75″).  Reilly Payne and Adam Szatanek both finished in the top seven in the discus. Payne threw 48.06m (157-8) to place fourth, while Szatanek placed seventh with a mark of 46.27m (151-9).  Also, deJonge clocked a sixth-place time in the 400m of 47.81 seconds and Gary Choice placed seventh in the triple jump with a leap of 14.08m (46-4.25).

 

Women’s Recap

Anderson edged Sacred Heart’s Magdalena Brogioli by two-tenths of a second to win the 100m hurdles title with a time of 14.03. 

 

The Mids had two silver medalists at the meet.  First, Zoie Tesi placed second in the high jump with a leap of 1.69m (5′ 6.5″). Tesi has had an impressive rookie campaign as she finished first or second in every meet she competed in.  Then Taylor Woodworth had a strong 400m as she clocked the seventh-best time in program history at 54.29 to place second in the field.

 

Nalina Smith had a standout weekend with career-best marks in both the discus (45.02 meters / 147′ 8″) and the hammer throw (51.23m / 168′, 1″) to place third in each event.

“Nalina [Smith] did a really good job this weekend. She’s starting to come in her own, it was good to see her hit some career marks this weekend. She’s worked very hard and I’m excited for her career and development,” said Cook.

 

Additionally for the Mids, Gracie Emerick registered the seventh-best pole vault mark in Navy history at 3.92m (12′ 10.25″) to finish in fourth place, Emma Miller led the Mids in the javelin with a fifth-place throw of 39.10m (128′ 3″) and May McConkey recorded a sixth-place finish in the 5,000m with a time of 17:49.85.