The best track and field athletes in collegiate sport are set for the biggest event of the season as the 2024 NCAA Championships return to Hayward Fields, home of the University of Oregon, this week (5 – 8 June).
And it’s a big summer for the collegiate track and field stars, with many eyeing a place on their respective country’s team at the Olympic Games later this summer in Paris. For the home nation’s leading athletes, the NCAA Championships is part of the build up to the US Olympic Team Trials, hosted at the same venue from 20 – 30 June.
Among the big names taking part will be Germany’s Leo Neugebauer from the University of Texas, who will be defending his decathlon title, having set a national record at the NCAAs last year and repeating the feat at the indoor championships in March.
Headlining the women’s track events is LSU’s Michaela Rose who goes for back-to-back titles in the 800m and she’ll be aiming for a berth in the Olympic final if she can maintain her impressive form.
On the team front, Florida Gators are the defending champions while it’s the Longhorns from Texas who claimed the women’s team title back in 2023, when they took top spot on home turf in Austin.
In the men’s team standings, Arkansas University claimed the silver medal with Stanford taking the bronze and it was the same top three in the women’s with Florida and Arkansas finishing behind the hosts.
Laura Kerr, Associate Director for Olympic Sports at FirstPoint USA, is looking forward to the event
“The NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships is a huge event and the profile is heightened further in an Olympic year. The standard of collegiate track and field is so high and it’s a fantastic event for aspiring athletes to watch and see the level that’s required to compete at the top. To see track and field stars from all over the world at the national championships is something that can be a great inspiration for our own athletes who are heading out to college and it’s an event that they can really strive for.”
Kerr, who threw javelin for McNeese State University during her time as a student-athlete in the States, is impressed with the level of talent in FirstPoint USA’s class of ’24.
“We have some incredibly talented athletes going out to the States this Fall, with a number of them already competing successfully at international level. Oliver Patton is one to look out for in middle distance running and steeplechase, having committed to the Oklahoma State University and heptathlete Jasmine Crawley has just been selected to represent Australia at the World Youth Games in Gothenburg, before heading out to the University of Texas-Tyler. We are also looking forward to following the progress of Mayalee Osola from England, who will be part of the Cal-State Fullerton team in the 100m hurdles."
If you’re an aspiring track and field athlete and are considering making the next step of your career a move to compete and study at a leading US university, you can get in touch with Laura by email at laura.kerr@firstpointusa.com or register your interest via the link below.
To follow this week’s NCAA Track and Field Championships from Eugene, Oregon, visit the NCAA championship website.
