USTFCCCA News & Notes
How They Fared: Collegians at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships
Spots on Team USA are up for grabs!
At least 232 collegians from this past academic year will vie for berths to the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, from July 31 through August 3 at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships, which are being held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Some current collegians competed in Track Town USA last month at the 2025 NCAA DI Outdoor Championships, where we saw several collegiate records and dozens of all-time top-ten performances. Others will be making their first pilgrimage to the Pacific Northwest with visions of proving themselves against the best the nation has to offer.
Keep checking back as we’ll continue to update this post.
Top Collegians at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships |
|||
| Name |
Program
|
Event
|
Place
|
| Ja’Kobe Tharp | Auburn | Men’s 110 Hurdles | First |
| Lexy Halladay-Lowry | BYU | Women’s Steeplechase | First |
| Roisin Willis | Stanford | Women’s 800 Meters | First |
| Evie Bliss | Bucknell | Women’s Javelin | First |
| Tyus Wilson | Nebraska | Men’s High Jump | First |
| Ethan Strand | North Carolina | Men’s 1500 Meters | Second |
| Angelina Napoleon | NC State | Women’s Steeplechase | Second |
| Maggi Congdon | Northern Arizona | Women’s 800 Meters | Second |
| Isabella Whittaker | Arkansas | Women’s 400 Meters | Second |
| Trey Knight | CSUN | Men’s Hammer | Second |
| Agur Dwol | Oklahoma | Women’s Triple Jump | Second |
| Dash Sirmon | Nebraska | Men’s Javelin | Second |
| T’Mars McCallum | Tennessee | Men’s 100 | Third |
| Aaliyah Butler | Georgia | Women’s 400 Meters | Third |
| Amanda Moll | Washington | Women’s Pole Vault | Third |
Tharp Scorches 13.01 For 110 Hurdles Title
Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp scored an upset victory in the 110 hurdles, racing to a PR 13.01 to beat the likes of world leader Cordell Tinch and 2022 The Bowerman winner Trey Cunningham.
That time moves him to No. 7 on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list behind some of the most accomplished in the event – Tinch is No. 1 at 12.96, Grant Holloway (winner of The Bowerman in 2019) still owns the CR at 12.98, Cunningham ran 13.00 in 2022 and Renaldo Nehemiah was a former WR holder at 13.00 in 1979.
Tharp won all three national titles he lined up for this year in PRs at the time – the NCAA DI Indoor (7.45), NCAA DI Outdoor (13.05) and USATF Outdoor (13.01).
Strand Sizzles 3:20.25
Ethan Strand of North Carolina nearly added another entry to his record-breaking season, taking second in the 1500 with a PR 3:30.25. That’s just 0.05 off the all-time, all-dates CR of 3:30.20 set by Mario Garcia Romo of Ole Miss in the summer of 2022.
Strand was in the lead on the homestretch until being overtaken by Jonah Koech, who competed for UTEP and Texas Tech through 2019 and won in a PR 3:30.17. Also PRing in the race was Virginia’s Gary Martin, who was sixth in 3:32.03, good for No. 8 on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list.
Strand’s CRs during the 2025 season included the indoor 1500 (3:33.41), indoor mile (3:48.32) and indoor 3000 (7:30.15) along with an outdoor all-dates best in the mile (3:48.86) while winning the International Mile at the Pre Classic.
McCallum Blazes 9.83
Tenneessee’s T’Mars McCallum caught fire at the right time in Friday night’s 100 final, clocking a huge PR of 9.83 for third place.
That time makes him No. 2 on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list – just 0.01 behind the CR by another Volunteer, Christian Coleman, who sped 9.82 in 2017, the year he won The Bowerman. Coleman was also in the final, clocking a seasonal best 9.86 for fifth place.
McCallum had shown this summer that he was better than his 8th-place finish at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships – first with a wind-aided 9.87 (+2.1) to win the Ed Murphey Classic three weeks ago, then earlier Friday night with a legal seasonal best 9.99 in the semifinals.
Knight Unleashes PR 78.76m (258-5) In Hammer
Trey Knight of CSUN barely made the final in the hammer throw, hitting 74.56m (244-7) after two fouls for the eighth and final berth for three more throws.
He improved one place in Round 4 at 75.29m (247-0) and then fouled in Round 5 before unleashing a monster PR of 78.76m (258-5) to move into second place and nailing an automatic qualifier to the Tokyo World Championships.
Knight’s mark is the farthest by a collegian on an all-dates basis since 2002 and makes him No. 4 all-time, with the added distinction of being the farthest by an American-born athlete.
Halladay-Lowry, Napoleon Go 1-2 In Steeplechase
Collegians produced a 1-2 finish in the women’s steeplechase as BYU’s Lexy Halladay-Lowry and NC State’s Angelina Napoleon both raced to near-PR times of 9:09.14 and 9:10.96.
Halladay-Lowry’s 9:09.14 is the No. 3 performance on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list, just behind her PR 9:08.68 in finishing as runner-up at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. She now owns three of the top-4 on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list after also clocking 9:09.47 at the Pre Classic.
Napoleon’s 9:10.96 is the No. 8 performance on the all-time, all-dates collegiate list. It is just behind the 9:10.72 that she ran in June at the Paris Diamond League meet.
This 1-2 finish by collegians matches the 2003 & 2007 editions at the U.S. Championships, excluding years when it was not a championship event.
Willis, Congdon Go 1-2 In 800
Collegians went 1-2 in the women’s 800 as Stanford’s Roisin Willis followed up her NCAA DI Outdoor title with her first U.S. title, winning in 1:59.26.
Right behind Willis was Maggi Congdon of Northern Arizona in 1:59.39. Congdon was third in the 1500 at the NCAA DI Outdoor.
It’s believed that this is the first time since 1978 that collegians have finished 1-2 in this event at the U.S. Championships.
Bliss Wins Javelin Title
Bucknell’s Evie Bliss has a good summer since her disappointing 12th-place finish in the javelin throw at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships.
Last Saturday she earned the silver medal in the World University Games at Bochum, Germany (in which she PRed at 60.81m/199-6 in the qualifying round).
Then Thursday Bliss claimed the U.S. title, throwing a best of 57.77 (189-6), the second-longest throw of her career. The field was dominated by collegians, with seven of the 12 having competed collegiately earlier this year.
Bliss became the fifth collegian to win this title since 2000, joining Kara Patterson of Purdue (2008, 2009), Brittany Borman of Oklahoma (2012), Maggie Malone of Texas A&M (2016) and Maddie Harris of Nebraska (2023).
Wilson Wins High Jump Title
Tyus Wilson of Nebraska chose a great time for his highest jump of the outdoor season, clearing 2.27m (7-5¼) on his final attempt to win his first U.S. title.
It was the second-highest outdoor clearance of his career, trailing only the 2.29m (7-6) from winning last year’s Big Ten Outdoor title. He won the NCAA Indoor title this past March at 2.28m (7-5¾).
Wilson is just the fourth collegian in the past 25 years to win the U.S. outdoor title, joining JuVaughn Harrison (2021), Erik Kynard (2013) and Jim Dilling (2007).