Ezekiel Nathaniel in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Championships (© Kirby Lee)
Baylor’s Ezekiel Nathaniel entered this week’s NCAA Championships as one of the fastest athletes in the world in the 400m hurdles, and left as a rising challenger for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 later this year.
The Nigerian hurdler furthered his case as a global threat, joining a few others who did the same, including Kentucky’s Carli Makarawu in the 200m, when he won the NCAA title in a national record of 47.46 on Friday (13) in Eugene.
Nathaniel was the pre-race favourite as the only NCAA athlete to break 48 seconds this year. He did that again in Wednesday's qualifying rounds, running 47.86. Friday’s final saw him comfortably lead the field out to 300m, and though Ja’Qualon Scott challenged him on the inside, Nathaniel was clean over the final two hurdles and pulled away to eventually secure the win in commanding fashion.
His winning time of 47.46 is the second-fastest time of 2025, only behind Karsten Warhom and ahead of Alison Dos Santos, two of the three athletes, along with Rai Benjamin, who have pushed the event to some of the fastest times in history.
Later in the evening, Makarawu won the 200m title in a personal best of 19.84, also the second fastest time of 2025, but it was not an easy path to the top.
After becoming the NCAA indoor champion at 200m earlier in March, injury setbacks left questions about Makarawu’s ability to challenge for the same title outdoors. Friday’s 200m final included world leader T’Mars McCallum, Garrett Kaalund, as well as Makanakaishe Charamba and Jordan Anthony who had both also broken the 20-second barrier this year.
Running from lane nine in the final, Makarawu used it to his advantage by getting an excellent start, led the field coming off the curve, and never looked back, going on to cross the line in first place. After a sixth-place finish at last year’s Paris Olympics while representing Zimbabwe, he looks to improve upon that placing at the Tokyo World Championships later this September.
Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharpe also produced one of the top marks of 2025 with his 13.05 to win the 110m hurdles, making him the third fastest hurdler in the world this year.
Elsewhere in the sprints, Arkansas's Jordan Anthony, who was the 100m pre-race favourite after a windy 9.75 (2.1m/s) last month, secured the NCAA title in 10.08. Alabama’s Samuel Ogazi won the 400m in 44.84, improving on his second place performance from last year.
In the men’s discus, Oklahoma’s Ralford Mullings upset the world record holder and Olympic silver medallist Mkyolas Alekna of California. Alekna took an early lead with 66.44m, but Mullings responded in the third round with 67.70m. Alekna’s only other valid throw was a fifth-round improvement of 66.77m, but Mullings improved again in the final round with a championship record of 69.31m.
The men’s 1500m produced one of the most thrilling finishes of the day as Washington’s Nathan Green, the 2023 NCAA winner, returned to the top of the podium. Green settled in the middle of the pack for the majority of the race, but at the bell he followed close behind Wisconsin’s Adam Spencer who took the lead. As they entered the home straight for the final 100m, Spencer began to fade, while Green outkicked the field in the final meters, crossing the line first in 3:47.26. North Carolina’s Ethan Strand also finished strong on the outside for second place. Just 0.68 separated the first 11 finishers.
Green’s win gives the University of Washington its fourth consecutive NCAA title in the men’s 1500m, having won every year since 2022.
The 3000m steeplechase was also competitive with BYU’s James Corrigan overtaking Louisville’s Geoffrey Kirwa as they went over the final water jump. Corrigan held off a late surge by Kirwa to win his first national title in 8:16.41.
After a runner-up finish in 2024, Sam Whitmatsh of Texas A&M comfortably won the 800m title in 1:45.86.
On Wednesday (12), the first day of men’s competition, New Mexico went 1-2 in the 10,000m with Ishmael Kipkurui securing the win over teammate and 2024 winner Habtom Samuel. Samuel unfortunately had to settle for second place once again in Friday’s 5000m as Oklahoma State’s Brian Musau dominated the race winning in 13:20.59. This gave Musau the indoor-outdoor double after winning the 5000m at the NCAA indoor championships.
Peyton Bair of Mississippi State won the decathlon on Thursday (12) with 8323, an upgrade from his second place last year.
Every point mattered in the men’s team race as Texas A&M and USC shared the title with both teams scoring 41 points. The team title came down to the 4x400m, which was won by South Florida in 3:00.42, but Texas A&M’s second place and USC’s eighth place was enough to produce a tie in the overall point totals.
Thursday was also the first day of women’s competition where Washington’s Hana Moll stole the show in the pole vault.
Moll, the 2022 world U20 champion, jumped 4.79m improving on the collegiate record set earlier this year by her sister Amanda Moll. Hana Moll won the competition with a first attempt clearance at 4.64m, and after two misses at the record-breaking mark, she cleared it on the third and final attempt.
Elsewhere, Pamela Kosgei took the 10,000m title in a championship record of 31:17.82. Valentina Barrios Bornacelli added almost four meters to her PB to win the javelin with 62.00m.
The championships conclude on Saturday (14) with the rest of the women’s finals.
Anderson Emerole for World Athletics