The final qualifying rounds for the NCAA National Track and Field Championships wrapped up this weekend with standout performances across two regional venues, as dozens of top collegiate athletes secured their spots in the national competition.
At the East Regionals hosted by the University of Kentucky on Saturday, University of Georgia sprinter Dejanae Oakley delivered a historic performance to top the women’s 400-meter qualifying rankings. Oakley, who already holds the world’s fastest time in the event this year – a 48.92-second run that earned her the Southeastern Conference championship title two weeks prior – shattered the venue’s existing facility record with a 49.48-second finish. The previous record of 50.30 seconds had been set two years earlier by Aaliyah Butler, another University of Georgia sprinter, meaning the facility mark remains in Bulldog hands.
Oakley was not the only athlete to hit a new personal best on her path to nationals. Northwestern State’s Rushana Dwyer clocked her second career best time in the women’s 400m, finishing with a 50.81-second run to advance. LSU’s Skyler Franklin also hit a new personal record, posting a 50.83-second time that makes her the current world leader in the under-20 category for the event, and earned her a spot at the national championships.
In the women’s 100-meter, Florida State’s Shenese Walker – the current Atlantic Coast Conference double sprint champion – secured her national spot with a 10.88-second finish, aided by a 1.1m/s tailwind. She will be joined at nationals by University of Florida’s Gabrielle Matthews, who achieved a rare double qualification over the weekend. Matthews ran 11.02 seconds in the 100m with matching 1.1m/s wind conditions, and followed that up with a 22.78-second finish in the 200m (with a 0.8m/s tailwind) to book two spots in the national competition.
Field event competitors also turned in strong qualifying performances at the East Regional. Clemson’s Shantae Foreman earned her second qualification of the weekend, sealing a spot in the national triple jump competition after notching a 13.49m jump with 0.8m/s wind. Foreman had already secured her spot in the national long jump competition on Thursday. West Virginia’s Anniska McDonald claimed fourth place in the high jump with a 1.82m clear to qualify for nationals, while Ohio State’s Janela Spencer matched her season best of 12.79 seconds to take fourth place in the 100m hurdles. Clemson’s Oneka Wilson finished fifth in the same event with a 12.88-second run, also earning a national spot.
Over at the West Regionals hosted by the University of Arkansas, athletes continued to punch their tickets to the upcoming NCAA National Championships. Texas A&M University’s Abigail secured her spot in the women’s discus throw with a 57.98m qualifying throw. The University of Texas’s Carleta Bernard earned her first ever individual spot at the national championships, clocking a wind-aided 11.01-second finish in the 100m with a 2.5m/s tailwind. Texas Tech’s Tonie-Ann Forbes advanced in the 100m hurdles with a 12.92-second finish, while Texas A&M’s Machaeda Lander pulled off a last-chance qualification: on her final attempt in the triple jump, Linton hit a new personal best of 13.31m with a 1.0m/s tailwind to claim the last available qualifying spot for nationals.