INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, February 26–28 — It would be premature to assert the Big 10 has caught the SEC. Yet just as three different Big 10 schools have won the last three national championships in college football, the nation’s oldest conference is gaining in track & field — in no small part due to the arrival of Pac-12 refugees.
Such ascendance was underscored at a Big 10 Indoor Champs featuring two men’s collegiate records and nearly a third. On the women’s side, Oregon beat top-ranked Illinois in a duel that could be reprised at NCAAs. All that comes after the Big 10 — USC men and Oregon women — swept NCAA indoor titles last year.
“This is a tremendous conference,” Illini coach Petros Kyprianou said. “It’s becoming, if not the best in the world, one of the most diverse and well-balanced conferences.”
The Big 10 has been around since 1896, and Oregon achieved an unprecedented second-straight sweep of indoor team titles. The Ducks beat Penn State 114–96 in men’s scoring and Illinois 101-93 in women’s.
The three-year-old oval at the Indiana State Fairgrounds is a fast one, as evidenced by the 20.06 by USC’s Garrett Kaalund in the 200. The only men to run faster indoors are Namibia’s Frank Fredericks (19.92 in 1996) and Elijah Hall-Thompson (20.02 in 2018). Erstwhile Houston sprinter Hall-Thompson holds the American and Collegiate Records with his mark.
Kaalund clocked 20.12 on February 7, but that was at Albuquerque altitude. So where did 20.06 come from?
“I’m going to be honest. I have no idea,” said Kaalund, who has dyed his hair red for good luck.
The CRs were by Iowa’s Ryan Johnson in the weight, 84-4¾ (25.66), and unheralded Miles Brown of Michigan in the 600 meters, 1:14.67.
Johnson broke the CR of 83-11¼ (25.58) by Wisconsin’s Michael Lihrman set at the ’15 Big 10 meet. His long launch moved him to No. 4 on the all-time world list.
“It’s definitely been a long time coming,” said Johnson, a Springboro, Ohio, native who transferred from Eastern Michigan to Iowa.
Brown’s run cut 0.12 from the previous CR set by UTEP’s Michael Saruni in 2018.
Michigander Brown hadn’t scored more than 1 point in a Big 10 meet since 2022, a year in which he was a U.S. U20 champion. He was a 400/800 star in high school.
“We knew all the tools are there, but he didn’t quite put it all together yet,” Michigan coach Kevin Sullivan said.
Brown charged early to discourage three Penn State runners — Handal Roban, Allon Clay and Niko Schultz — who were coming off the 800 just 40 minutes before. Roban won the first section in 1:15.59, and Brown won the second by 2 seconds.
“It’s like something was pushing me from behind,” Brown said.
In the 800, Roban (1:46.44), Clay (1:46.75) and Schultz (1:46.75) finished 1-2-3.
In men’s scoring, Oregon amassed 55 points in the mile, 3000 and 5000. Simeon Birnbaum took the latter two in 7:59.87 and 13:45.78. The Ducks secured the title in the 3000, the next-to-last event, on a 1-3-5. Birnbaum ran the closing 200 in 26.06.
The mile was also tactical, to an extreme, in a repeat by Michigan’s Trent McFarland, who ran the last 400 in 51.23 for a time of 4:11.03.
“Right now I feel my fitness is at an all-time high,” McFarland said. “I don’t really think anyone in the country can keep up with me on that last lap.”
Nebraska pole vaulter Dyson Wicker, 19, said his goal each year is to jump his age — and he did so with a meet record of 19-0 (5.79). Ohio State’s D.J. Fillmore became the twenty-third collegian to reach 27 feet (8.23) in the long jump, as the meet record of 27-1¼ by Illinois’ Charlton Ehizuelen in 1975 survived to head into its 52nd year.
On the women’s side, Oregon needed Şilan Ayyıldız to run 56 times around the Fall Creek Pavilion oval. After leading a 1-2-3 by Oregon in the 5000, she led a 1-2-6 in the mile and was part of a 1-2-5 in the 3000. The Ducks scored 67 points in those three races, 28 by Ayyıldız.
Oregon also had a champion in Aaliyah McCormick, whose time of 7.89 in the 60 hurdles is No. 2 in the NCAA this year.
Nebraska set two meet records in the field: Axelina Johansson in the shot, 63-10½ (19.47), and Rhianna Phipps in the triple jump, 44-8¼ (13.62). In the absence of twin sister Amanda, Washington’s Hana Moll won the pole vault with a clearance of 15-1 (4.60).
The Illini head to NCAAs with two collegiate leaders: long jumper Sophia Beckmon, who won with 22-2¼ (6.77), and Meagan Humphries in the pentathlon, 4459 points for a Big 10 record. Humphries had PRs in all five events. The native Californian, a transfer from Texas, was 5th in the SEC pentathlon last year.
BIG 10 MEN’S RESULTS
Teams: 1. Oregon 114; 2. Penn State 96; 3. Iowa 61; 4. Michigan 52½; 5. Wisconsin 47; 6. USC 44; 7. Illinois 43; 8. Ohio State 41; 9. Nebraska 39; 10. Purdue 38; 11. Rutgers 35; 12. Washington 24; 13. Indiana 23; 14. Michigan State 21½; 15. UCLA 21.
60: 1. Kalen Walker (Ia) 6.54; 2. *Eddie Nketia’ (USC-Aus) 6.55; 3. **Ajani Dwyer (PennSt) 6.55.
200: I–1. Trelee Banks (In) 20.37.
II–1. Garrett Kaalund (USC) 20.06 (3, 3 W; 2, 2 A & C);
2. Dwyer 20.54; 3. ***Jordan Gross (Ia) 20.78.
400: I–1. ***Jack Stadlman (USC) 45.62; 2. **Jake Palermo (PennSt) 45.73; 3. *Jackson Gilbert (Il) 45.73.
II–1. Jalen Williams (Wi) 45.77.
600: I–1. *Handal Roban’ (PennSt-StV) 1:15.59; 2. ***Henry Risser (Wi) 1:16.31.
II–1. Miles Brown (Mi) 1:14.67 CR (old CR 1:14.79(A) Michael Saruni’ [UTEP-Ken] ‘18; 7, 10 A);
2. Allon Clay’ (PennSt-Jpn) 1:16.57.
800: 1. Roban’ 1:46.44; 2. Clay’ 1:46.65; 3. Schultz’ 1:46.75.
Mile: 1. *Trent McFarland (Mi) 4:11.03; 2. Tomas Palfrey’ (Or-Aus) 4:11.61; 3. Elliott Cook (Or) 4:12.49; 4. **Brendan Herger (Mi) 4:12.89; 5. Reuben Reina (Wa) 4:13.36.
3000: 1. **Simeon Birnbaum (Or) 7:59.87; 2. **Matan Ivri’ (Wi-Isr) 8:00.74; 3. *Benjamin Balazs (Or) 8:01.47.
5000: 1. Birnbaum 13:45.78; 2. Ivri’ 13:49.21; 3. **Nick Sloff (PennSt) 13:49.93; 4. Abdel Laadjel’ (Or-Ire) 13:51.74; 5. Balazs 13:56.44; 6. *Evan Jenkins (Wa) 13:59.56.
60H: 1. *Braxton Brann (OhSt) 7.61; 2. *Kai Graves-Blanks (Or) 7.62; 3. *Christopher Serrao (Rut) 7.68.
4 x 400: 1. Ohio State 3:03.87 (Carmichael 46.66, Louis 46.46, Brann 45.68, Udo 45.07); 2. Purdue 3:04.97; 3. USC 3:05.73.
DisMed: 1. Michigan 9:38.72 (Herger 2:57.84, Barhite 47.61, Law 1:47.63, McFarland 4:05.64); 2. Oregon 9:38.85; 3. Washington 9:40.22; 4. Wisconsin 9:41.00; 5. Penn State 9:41.01.
Field Events
HJ: 1. ***Kennedy Ocansey’ (Il-Gha) 7-1¾ (2.18); 2. Elias Gerald (USC) 7-1¾; 3. ***Richard Campbell (PennSt) 7-½ (2.15).
PV: 1. **Dyson Wicker (Nb) 19-0 (5.79); 2. *Brian O’Sullivan (Rut) 18-5½ (5.63); 3. *Kevin O’Sullivan (Rut) 18-5½; 4. James Rhoads (Wa) 18-1¾ (5.53).
LJ: 1. *DJ Fillmore (OhSt) 27-0 (8.23) (25-5¼, 25-8¾, 25-0, 25-10¼, 26-1¾, 27-0) (7.75, 7.84, 7.62, 7.88, 7.97, 8.23); 2. **Emmanuel Njoku’ (Ia-Ngr) 25-9½ (7.86); 3. Donovan Anderson (Rut) 25-¾ (7.64); 4. *Peyton Bair (Or) 24-9¾ (7.56).
TJ: 1. Viktor Morozov’ (Il-Est) 53-9 (16.38); 2. *Chidozie Kalu (Pur) 52-6½ (16.01); 3. Tre Betts (Or) 52-5¼ (15.98).
SP: 1. Ryan Henry (PennSt) 65-5 (19.94); 2. ***Ben Smith (Or) 65-4¾ (19.93); 3. Cade Moran (Nb) 65-2¼ (19.87).
Wt: 1. *Ryan Johnson (Ia) 84-2¼ (25.66) CR (old CR 83-11¼/25.58 Michael Lihrman [Wi] ‘15; 4, 4 W; 3, 3 A) (f, 83-4¾ [6, 9 W; 5, 7 A; 2, 2 C], 84-2¼, 82-3½ [x, 5 C], 81-8½ [x, 9 C], f) (f, 25.42, 25.66, 25.08, 24.90, f);
2. Michael Pinckney (UCLA) 74-6½ (22.72); 3. ***Seamus Malaski (Pur) 73-10¾ (22.52).
Hept: 1. **Aiden Carter (Or) 5815; 2. *Andreas Hantson (Il) 5683; 3. ***Neil Howard (Mi) 5673; 4. *Sal Capaldo (Ia) 5670.
BIG 10 WOMEN’S RESULTS
Teams: 1. Oregon 101; 2. Illinois 93; 3. USC 81; 4. Nebraska 63½; 5. Washington 54; 6. UCLA 49½; 7. Minnesota 48; 8. Iowa 42; 9. Penn State 32; 10. tie, Michigan & Ohio State 25; 12. Indiana 22; 13. Northwestern 15; 14. Maryland 14; 15. Purdue 12; 16. Wisconsin 11; 17. Rutgers 7; 18. Michigan State 6.
60: 1. **Brianna Selby (USC) 7.24; 2. **Olivia Pace (USC) 7.30; 3. *Sophia Beckmon (Il) 7.31; 4. **Mia Brahe-Pedersen (USC) 7.33.
200: I–1. *Taylor Snaer (UCLA) 23.12. II–1. Christine Mallard (USC) 22.77; 2. Brahe-Pedersen 23.14; 3. **Rachael Uvieghara (USC) 23.19.
400: I–1. *Madison Whyte (USC) 51.31; 2. Maya Valmon (Md) 52.86. II–1. **Chioma Nwachukwu’ (Ia-Ngr) 51.67; 2. Naomi Johnson (UCLA) 52.29.
600: I–1. Gabby Cortez (Ia) 1:27.16. II–1. **Veronica Hargrave (In) 1:27.12; 2. *Princess Uche (Ia) 1:27.83.
800: 1. Hayley Kitching’ (PennSt-Aus) 2:00.55; 2. Mosley 2:01.44; 3. *Zoie Dundon (Mn) 2:01.56; 4. ***Boh Ritchie’ (PennSt-NZ) 2:02.41.
Mile: 1. Şilan Ayyıldız’ (Or-Tur) 4:37.88; 2. Wilma Nielsen’ (Or-Swe) 4:38.05; 3. *Berlyn Schutz (Nb) 4:38.63. Heats: I–1. Nielsen’ 4:33.08.
3000: 1. *Juliet Cherubet’ (Or-Ken) 8:53.81; 2. Ayyıldız’ 8:53.87; 3. Chloe Thomas’ (Wa-Can) 8:56.54; 4. *Julia David-Smith’ (Wa-Fra) 8:57.68; 5. ***Diana Cherotich’ (Or-Ken) 8:59.61.
5000: 1. Ayyıldız’ 15:37.90; 2. Cherotich’ 15:39.45; 3. Cherubet’ 15:42.39; 4. *Ali Weimer (Mn) 15:48.43.
60H: 1. Aaliyah McCormick (Or) 7.89; 2. Yanla Ndjip-Nyemeck’ (UCLA-Bel) 8.00; 3. Asjah Atkinson (USC) 8.16; 4. Zoe Sullivan (Pur) 8.16.
4 x 400: 1. USC 3:28.89 (Trepagnier 52.48, Mosby 53.15, Defrand 52.36, Whyte 50.90); 2. Iowa 3:30.08; 3. UCLA 3:30.93; 4. Ohio State 3:31.25.
DisMed: 1. Washington 10:56.18 (Foerster 4:34.11); 2. Minnesota 10:57.35 (Ben 4:33.43); 3. Penn State 10:57.52; 4. Northwestern 10:58.21; 5. Michigan 10:59.26; 6. Oregon 10:59.74.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Rose Yeboah’ (Il-Gha) 6-1½ (1.87); 2. **Karsyn Leeling (Nb) 6-½ (1.84); 3. tie, **Ela Velepec’ (Nb-Slo) & **Valentina Fakrogha (UCLA) 5-11¼ (1.81); 5. ***JaiCieonna Gero-Holt (Il) 5-11¼.
PV: 1. *Hana Moll (Wa) 15-1 (4.60); 2. ***Veronica Vacca (Wa) 14-9 (4.50); 3. Mia Morello (Il) 14-7¼ (4.45); 4. Paige Sommers (UCLA) 14-3¼ (4.35).
LJ: 1. Beckmon 22-2½ (6.77); 2. ***Liisa-Maria Lusti’ (Or-Est) 21-0 (6.40); 3. **Amare Harlan (Mi) 20-10½ (6.36).
TJ: 1. Rhianna Phipps’ (Nb-Jam) 44-8¼ (13.62); 2. *Tolulope Akinduro’ (Md-Can) 43-10 (13.36); 3. *Diarra Sow’ (Mn-Ita) 43-8½ (13.32); 4. *Mercy Honesty’ (Il-Ngr) 43-8½ (13.32).
SP: 1. Axelina Johansson’ (Nb-Swe) 63-10½ (19.47) (x, 8 C);
2. Mine De Klerk’ (Nb-SA) 60-7¾ (18.48); 3. **Ashley Erasmus’ (USC-SA) 58-10¼ (17.94); 4. *Elizabeth Tapper (Mi) 57-¼ (17.38).
Wt: 1. Phethisang Makhethe’ (Il-SA) 77-9¼ (23.70); 2. Nabwe’ 75-9¼ (23.09); 3. *Jordan Koskondy (Il) 75-8 (23.06); 4. Elle Adrian (MiSt) 73-10 (22.50); 5. *Hadley Streit (Mn) 73-6¼ (22.41).
Pent: 1. **Meagan Humphries (Il) 4459; 2. Gero-Holt 4400; 3. Maddie Pitts (PennSt) 4384; 4. Lusti’ 4252; 5. **Sofia Cosculluela’ (Wa-Spa) 4117; 6. *Angeline Amefia (Pur) 4114.
