NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships 2023 Day 2 - Britton Wilson eyes historic 400m double; Julien Alfred leads sprints
Day 2 in Austin, Texas, saw the top collegiate women secure their spots in Saturday (10 June)'s finals. Five field events handed out national titles, as did the 10,000m - and the men's decathlon.
Athletics
Britton Wilson is on the cusp of an historic double at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2023.
The Arkansas senior, who has had a record-setting season, clocked winning times in both the 400m and 400m hurdles on the women's athletics preliminary day on Thursday (8 June) in Austin, Texas, setting her up to become the first woman to sweep the two events at the collegiate level.
"I felt really good about both races," Wilson told reporters after her effort, which included a meet record of 49.36 in the 400 flat, just shy of her 49.13 from earlier this season, which set college and American records - and is also the World Lead in the race this year.
"[The 49.36] felt really relaxed, really easy, which is a good sign," Wilson added. "I wasn't pressing too hard. I'm really looking forward to the final."
Wilson is one of a host of college athletes to keep an eye on at next year’s Olympic Games Paris 2024. St. Lucia's Julien Alfred (pictured above), who competes for Texas, is another. She ran to a win in her 100m heat with a 10.99 to advance in first place into Saturday (10 June)'s final - and also leads the 200m (22.33).
Other names to watch in Masai Russell (100m hurdles); Talitha Diggs (200m & 400m); and Katelyn Tuohy (1500m) advanced, as well.
Texas women set World Lead in 4x100 relay
Texas soars in 4x100m relay
The night started off with a bang, as the Texas women's 4x100m relay team wowed the home crowd with a collegiate record of 41.55. The crowd roared its approval for the semi-final win, which also set a World Lead in the women's 4x100m relay, surpassing Team USA from Texas Relays earlier this season (41.75).
Four-time national champ Tuohy moves on
In the women's 1500m semi-finals, indoor record holder Tuohy of NC State did not win her heat, but was safely into the final with a third-place qualifying finish.
Tuohy is the NCAA record holder in the 1500m indoors (4:06.49), and is a four-time collegiate champion between the 3000m and 5000m indoors, the 5000m outdoors and the 6K in cross-country.
She ran a 4:09.83, finishing in the top pack of Heat 1, which was won by Sophie O'Sullivan of Washington at 4:09.58.
100m hurdles: Russell avoids disastrous fall
Kentucky's Russell set the collegiate record in the 100m hurdles on 1 April, her 12.36 the World Lead at that point. She's since dropped to third globally, but Thursday night she did just what she needed, clocking a 12.76 to qualify as the fifth-fastest hurdler.
She hit hurdle No.2 in Austin, she told Olympics.com: "I crashed the second hurdle, but being able to come back on this field the way that I did, that's impressive," she said. "There's a lot more in store."
Reigning champion Alia Armstrong (LSU) and Ackera Nugent (Arkansas) won their respective heats, too, going 12.54 and 12.55, respectively.
100m: Alfred eyes back-to-back titles
Reigning 100m national champion Alfred qualified as the fastest in the three heats of the women's 100m, clocking a 10.99. She's been as fast as 10.81 a year ago at the Big 12 Championships.
400m: Diggs joins Wilson in final
Wilson and reigning American (and collegiate) 400m champion Talitha Diggs of Florida were part of the world championship-winning U.S. 4x400m relay team at Worlds a year ago, and Diggs was the fifth-fastest on Thursday in the semi-finals, a 50.35 on the clock.
That aforementioned 49.36 of Wilson's was the lone sub-50-second time of the night, while Diggs will join Alfred in the 200m final.
Men's decathlon: Leo Neugebauer roars to home win
The men's decathlon concluded on a second day of fierce competition, with Texas' Leo Neugebauer winning with a collegiate record of 8836 points, which is also a new German national record.
That total is also a World Lead for the German, besting the 8700 posted just 10 days ago.
Neugebauer topped that many had pegged as the favourite coming in - Kyle Garland of Georgia - who finished second with 8630.
"I really surprised myself. I have to be honest," Neugebauer said on ESPN. "I knew it was going to take a collegiate record - me or Kyle. In my home stadium, this crowd pushed me. I'm just so happy, so happy."
"I'll be back in Budapest for the World Championships."
NCAA Track & Field Championships 2023: 10,000m & field finals
In the lone track final of the night for the women, Everlyn Kemboi of Utah Valley pulled away for a eight-second win, clocking a 32:39.08.
A host of women's field events were decided on Thursday, as well:
- Long jump: Ackelia Smith, Texas - 6.88m
- Pole vault: Julia Fixsen, Virginia Tech - 4.45m
- Shot put: Axelina Johansson, Nebraska - 19.28m
- Javelin: Rhema Tabor, Nebraska - 59.49m
- And in the hammer, Harvard sophomore Stephanie Ratcliffe captured the title with a throw of 73.63m
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 majority of men's finals are set for Friday (9 June), with the women's final on Saturday.
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).
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:
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.