The madness of March is over and if some of the exciting action of the men’s and women’s Ƶ tournaments caused you to miss the action in DI track and field, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
Here’s an early-season recap of what you may have missed during DI track and field so far.
Records
There have been three collegiate records set so far this year, two on the men’s side and one on the women’s side. Villanova’s Liam Murphy led an all-time men’s 1,500-meter race in 3:33.02 as two other men also ran below the previous collegiate record. New Mexico’s Ishmael Kipkurui made sure the men’s 10,000-meter record broke for the second-straight year at “The Ten”, dubbed as the World’s Fastest 10,000-meter race. Kipkurui finished in 26:50.21, outpacing teammate Habtom Samuel who also finished under the former record.
We also saw our first relay record broken as Arkansas’ quartet of Liam Anna Podojil, Ainsley Erzen, Sanu Jallow and Analisse Batista topped the charts in the 4x800 meter relay. The four Razorbacks finished in 8:16.12 to set the new all-time mark.
RECORDS: Every track and field record broken in 2025
Near-record performances
Beyond the collegiate records, there also were other marks in events creeping towards the No. 1 all-time mark. We’ll start with the throws.
Cal’s Mykolas Alekna set the collegiate record in the discus back in 2023 and entered 2025 with nine of the 10-best throws in the event all-time. In 2025, Alekna continued to throw at an all-time level, launching the third-farthest throw in collegiate history at 70.09 meters. However, Alekna isn’t alone in the discussion this year. Oklahoma’s Ralford Mullings landed a 69.13-meter throw, good for the fifth-best in Ƶ history. With the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational up next, expect more chart-climbing marks soon.
The WR-holder has opened up...Mykolas Alekna () surpasses the 70-meter mark in effortless fashion🤌
— Beau Throws (@beau_throws)
Next week...Ramona, OK🌬️
️cٳǷɲ
In the women’s discus, Louisville’s Jayden Ulrich threw 66.14 meters at the USF Alumni Invitational, making her the sixth-best performer in women’s history. Minnesota’s Kostas Zaltos and CSUN’s Trey Knight tied for the seventh-best performer in Ƶ men’s hammer throw history as both landed 77.91-meter throws early in the season.
Now we head to Athens, Georgia for the women’s javelin. The Georgia Bulldogs have two of the best javelin throwers in Ƶ history on the same team. Freshman Manuela Rotundo has the second-best all-time mark at 64.17 meters while senior Lianna Davidson has a 63.79 meter throw that ranks No. 3 all-time. I can only imagine what those practice sessions are like.
🇺🇾 Manuela bajó el récord nacional de jabalina con una marca que hubiera sido plata en . Con él, clasificó al mundial de , en setiembre.
— Canal 5 Noticias (@5noticiasuy)
As we move on to the track, we go to Texas Relays for the women’s sprint medley relay. That’s where Clemson’s quartet of Aleksandra Stoilova, Aniyah Kitt, Shanque Williams and Gladys Chepngetich and Arkansas’ quartet of Sanu Jallow, Shawnti Jackson, Anya Jackson and Kaylyn Brown ran the second and third-fastest relays in collegiate history, respectively. The Tigers finished in 3:37.77 and the Razorbacks finished in 3:38.15.
Raleigh Relays saw an all-time race in the women’s 1500 meters. Virginia Margot Appleton climbed to the No. 4 all-time performer with a win and 4:05.68 finish. Behind her came Providence’s Kimberly May (4:06.58) and South Carolina’s Salma Elbadra (4:06.90) as the No. 9 and No. 15 all-time performers.
Finally, we take a look at the impressive season of New Mexico’s freshman sensation Pamela Kosgei. She has two all-time marks this season. In the 10,000 meters she ran the No. 2 all-time race in collegiate history, finishing in 31:02.73 at The Ten. The 10K has been impressive to start the season as NC State’s Grace Hartman later ran the fourth-fastest time (31:20.60) at Raleigh Relays. But back to Kosgei — she ran the second-fastest steeplechase in women’s collegiate history in 9:15.93 at the Stanford Invitational. Both of Kosgei’s times would’ve been the collegiate record before 2024.
FLORIDA RELAYS: Here's what you may have missed from Florida Relays
Freshman women’s standouts
In addition to freshman women with all-time marks like Kosgei and Rotundo above, a trio of women’s sprinters have also made their mark early in the outdoor season.
At Florida Relays, a pair of rookie hurdlers took first place. Florida’s Habiba Harris ran 12.69 (+2.1) in the 100 hurdles and Georgia’s Michelle Smith ran 54.56 in the 400 hurdles. Both women won first in their races and ran national-leading all-conditions marks.
At Texas Relays, TCU’s Indya Mayberry continued to build off of her impressive freshman indoor season with a winning weekend in the 100 meters. She won the event in 10.91 seconds (+3.9).
1️⃣0️⃣.9️⃣1️⃣
— TCU Track & Field (@TCUTrackField)
oh and she's just a freshman 😮💨
TEXAS RELAYS: Here's what you may have missed from Texas Relays
More things you may have missed
- USF’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu is the only man to run sub-10 in the 100 meters in 9.87 seconds (+2.2).
- Texas A&M’s Auhmad Robinson is the only man to run sub-45 in the 400 meters in 44.61 seconds.
- Minnesota’s Charles Godfred is the only man to surpass eight meters in the long jump at 8.01m
- South Carolina’s Christopher Licata is the only man to surpass 20 meters in the shot put at 20.17 meters.
- Oklahoma’s Agur Dwol is the only woman to surpass 14 meters in the triple jump at 14.01 meters.
- Baylor’s Alexis Brown is the only woman to reach seven meters in the long jump at 7.00 meters.
AWARDS: The 2025 Bowerman Watch List for men's and women's Ƶ track and field
Must-watch finishes
Men’s 100 meters at LSU’s Battle on the Bayou
- USC’s Eddie Nketia and LSU’s Jelani Watkins both ran 10.01 seconds
In his collegiate 100m opener… JELANI WATKINS IS THAT DUDE. 🙂↕️
— LSU Track & Field (@LSUTrackField)
⏱️ 10.01 seconds (+2.1 m/s)
🐯 t-No. 1 in the nation
🐯 No. 1 in the SEC
🥇 𝐌 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐌 🥇
— USC Track & Field / XC (@USC_Track_Field)
Eddie Nketia wins with an Ƶ-leading 10.01 (+2.1w) placed 7th in 10.29 (+2.9w)
Women’s 4x100 at Texas Relays
- TCU runs an Ƶ-leading 42.87 to win.
THEY KNOW ABOUT THE FROGS NOW 🐸🔥
— TCU Track & Field (@TCUTrackField)
The women run the second fastest 4x100m relay in the world this year with a 42.87 🤯
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Comparing indoor and outdoor seasons | Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms
