NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships 2023 Day 1 - Three men chase sprint double; Neugebauer leads Garland in decathlon
The action got underway in Austin, Texas, with the top collegiate men securing their spots in Friday (9 June)'s finals. Five field events handed out national titles, as did a thrilling 10,000m.
Athletics
Could we see a sweep of the men's 100m and 200m sprint events at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2023?
Udodi Onwuzurike of Stanford, Houston's Shaun Maswanganyi and Courtney Lindsey of Texas Tech advanced to both finals on Wednesday in the men's athletics preliminary day on Wednesday (7 June) in Austin, Texas.
Maswanganyi, pictured above, competed for his home nation of South Africa at Tokyo 2020.
Onwuzurike, meanwhile, led a strong effort from Nigerian sprinters, joined by Favour Ashe (Auburn) and Godson Brume (LSU) in the 100m final.
In the decathlon, Leo Neugebauer of Germany edged ahed of favourite Kyle Garland of Georgia, 4591 point to 4570. Neugebauer, who competes for host Texas, pumped his fists as he crossed the line in the last event of the day, the 400m.
Brume remained focused on Friday (9 June)'s 100m final: "It felt great," he told Olympics.com. "Do what you've got to do to execute. And get through the round, that's what I did,"
Paris 2024 hopeful Goson Brume: 'I'm still looking to improve'
He added: "I'm really excited for that 9.93; that's my PR. I'm still looking to improve. I want to do what I did today but only better [in the final]."
The men's 10,000m was the lone track final held on Wednesday, while field finals included pole vault, long jump, shot put, hammer and javelin.
A whole host of collegiate stars could shine at next year’s Olympic Games Paris 2024, with Tarsis Orogot of Uganda (Alabama) and Terrence Jones of the Bahamas (Texas Tech) making the 200m final.
NCAA Division I team titles are on the line for both the men and the women, as well as individual bragging rights at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas. The women are set to get underway on Thursday (8 June) with a similar schedule.
NCAA Track & Field Day 1: Stanford goes 1-2 in 10,000m
The lone track final came in the penultimate race of the night, with the men's 10,000m providing a thrilling finish. In the end it was a 1-2 sweep by Stanford, with Ky Robinson edging out teammate Charles Hicks, 28:10.96 to 28:12.20.
Earlier in the evening, LSU qualified as the top team in the 4x100m relay, winning with a time of 38.06. To close the evening, Florida would qualify as No.1 in the 4x400m relay with a meet record of 2:58.62.
100m stacked with storylines
The men's 100m semi-finals saw P.J. Austin of Florida clock the fastest time of the night, a 9.89 (+1.3w) ahead of Brume's personal-best 9.93.
The aforementioned Jones did not qualify, however, his 10.06 putting him fourth in his heat and 11th overall.
The aforementioned Ashe, who ran for Tennessee last year, was runner-up in this race in 2022.
200m: Jones, Orogot into final
Jones redeemed himself in the 200m, a 20.03 placing him second in his heat and safely qualifying him for the final.
Onwuzurike led all 200m finallists with a 19.76, while Orogot was just behind him in Heat 2 with a 19.94. Courtney Lindsey of Texas Tech won Heat 3 with a 19.88.
NCAA titles: Field events thrill
There was an upset in the men's pole vault, with reigning NCAA champion Sondre Guttormsen failing to defend his title. Guttormsen, who competes internationally for Norway, would finish tied for sixth. The title went to South Alabama's Kyle Rademeyer with a 5.70m.
Wins also came for:
- Tzuriel Pedigo of LSU in javelin with a 79.79m;
- Kenneth Ikeji of Harvard in the hammer with a throw of 77.92m;
- Carey McLeod of Arkansas in the long jump with a 8.26; and
- Jordan Geist of Arizona in the shot put with a 21.06m on his final collegiate throw
NCAA Track & Field Championships: Full schedule
The national championships are being held at the University of Texas at the Mike A. Myers stadium. All times listed are Central U.S. (GMT-6).
Thursday, 8 June – Women's Day 1
1230 – Combined events, men
1530 – Field events
1930 – Track events, preliminaries (10,000m final)
Friday, 9 June – Men’s Day 2
1445 – Combined events, women
1930 – Field events, finals
2000 – Track events, finals
Saturday, 10 June – Women’s Day 2
1600 – Combined events, women
1930 – Field events
2000 – Track events, finals
See the full schedule on the NCAA event page here. A full event-by-event PDF is here.
NCAA Track & Field Championships: How to watch
ESPN2 will carry the action for each of the evening sessions for American viewers.
ESPN2 schedule:
Wednesday, 7 June – 1830
Thursday, 8 June – 1930
Friday, 9 June – 2000
Saturday, 10 June – 2000
ESPN+, the network’s streaming platform, will have live coverage beginning on 7 June from 1430, and will provide simultaneous coverage of the field events during the evening as ESPN2 focuses on the track.
See the full broadcast schedule here.