Track & Field: NCAA Nationals Recap 2025

The Oregon Ducks wrapped up the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field with standout performances from both the men’s and women’s teams, combining for a flurry of finals appearances, personal bests, and podium finishes that earned top-11 team placements on both sides.

Men’s Highlights: Erickson, Lawrence Lead Charge

The men of Oregon tallied 19 team points to finish tied for 11th overall, led by a clutch second-place finish in the 800 meters from senior Matthew Erickson. The NCAA Indoor champion capped his collegiate career with another podium finish, navigating a crowded homestretch and making a decisive move late to secure the runner-up spot in 1:46.32.

In the field, Kobe Lawrence earned the Ducks’ first points of the meet with a massive personal best of 66 feet, 8 inches in the shot put to take fourth place. The throw moved him to No. 4 all-time in UO history and marked the program’s highest finish in the event since 1983.

Also contributing critical points were Benjamin Balazs, who finished seventh in the steeplechase with a new personal best of 8:24.46, and Safin Wills, who rebounded from disappointment in the long jump to notch seventh in the triple jump with a season-best 52-8.75 on his final preliminary attempt.

Simeon Birnbaum (1,500 meters) and Koitatoi Kidali (800 meters) both advanced through prelims with strong runs, but came up short of the podium in Friday’s finals. Birnbaum, boxed in down the stretch, finished seventh in 3:47.64, while Kidali — racing with a heavily wrapped shoulder after a fall in prelims — placed ninth. Aidan Elbettar rounded out the men’s performances with an 18th-place finish in the discus.

Women’s Highlights: McCormick Makes History

The Oregon women saved their best for last, scoring 20 points on the final day to finish tied for 10th overall with 23 total. Junior Aaliyah McCormick led the way with a historic win in the 100-meter hurdles, becoming the first Duck ever to claim an NCAA title in the event. Despite a slow start and disruption in adjacent lanes, McCormick surged over the final hurdles to win in 12.81 seconds and cap a breakout outdoor season.

Middle-distance efforts also added key points, with Silan Ayyildiz and Klaudia Kazimierska finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 1,500 meters. Though the trio of Ayyildiz, Kazimierska, and Mia Barnett entered the final with hopes of making history as the first team to score three runners in the event, Barnett placed 12th after running near the front early.

Ryann Porter secured the team’s final point with an eighth-place finish in the triple jump, highlighted by a strong opening jump of 43-4.5. On the first day of women’s competition, Emily Fitzsimmons contributed three points with a sixth-place showing in the pole vault, clearing a personal-best 14-6.75.

Annika Williams was on pace to add to the total in the heptathlon before withdrawing prior to the final event, sitting fifth after top-five finishes in the high jump and shot put.

Promising Signs and Gritty Performances

The four-day meet was filled with both triumph and adversity. Several Ducks had to sweat out qualifying on time, battle through injury, or navigate chaotic races. Erickson’s savvy tactics, Balazs’ quiet confidence, and McCormick’s powerful finish exemplified the grit and maturity of this year’s squads. Newcomers like Kidali and Fitzsimmons made their mark, while seniors like Elbettar and Wills closed their collegiate careers on home turf.

Oregon’s blend of veteran poise and young talent suggests that this strong showing at Hayward Field is not an ending but a beginning. The Ducks exit the national stage with momentum, pride, and the promise of even greater heights to come.

Ducks on the Leaderboard

Wednesday Results | NCAA Championships – Day 1
q – advance to finals

MEN

800 Meters, semifinals
2. Koitatoi Kidali – 1:45.31q (SB, UO #6)
4. Matthew Erickson – 1:45.89q (SB)

1500 Meters, semifinal
2. Simeon Birnbaum – 3:41.77q

3,000m Steeplechase, semifinal
7. Benjamin Balazs – 8:29.87q (PB, UO #7)

Long Jump
—. Safin Wills – NM

Shot Put
4. Kobe Lawrence – 20.32m/66-8 (PB, UO #4) [5 points]

Thursday Results | NCAA Championships – Day 2
q – advance to finals

WOMEN

1500 Meters – semifinal
2. Mia Barnett – 4:09.61q
3. Klaudia Kazimierska – 4:09.94q
10. Silan Ayyildiz – 4:11.65q

10,000 Meters – final
—. Diana Cherotich – DNF

100m Hurdles – semifinal
2. Aaliyah McCormick – 12.76q

4x100m Relay – semifinal
18. Shaniya Hall, Lily Jones, Brazil Neal, Amirah Shaheed – 43.94

Pole Vault – final
6. Emily Fitzsimmons – 4.44m/14-6.75 (PB) [3 points]

Friday Results | NCAA Championships – Day 3

MEN

800 Meters
2. Matthew Erickson – 1:46.32 [8 points]
9. Koitatoi Kidali – 1:52.10

1500 Meters
7. Simeon Birnbaum – 3:47.64 [2 points]

3,000m Steeplechase
7. Benjamin Balazs – 8:24.46 (PB, UO #2) [2 points]

Triple Jump
7. Safin Wills – 16.07m/52-8.75 (SB, UO #7) [2 points]

Discus
18. Aidan Elbettar – 56.49m/185-4

WOMEN

Heptathlon – Day 1
5. Annika Williams – 3,545 points
16. 100m Hurdles – 13.96 (SB) [984 points]
5. High Jump – 1.75m/5-8.75 [916]
2. Shot Put – 14.12m/46-4 [802]
21. 200 Meters – 25.48 [843]

Saturday Results | NCAA Championships – Day 4

WOMEN

1500 Meters
4. Silan Ayyildiz – 4:09.75 [5 points]
5. Klaudia Kazimierska – 4:10.42 [4 points]
12. Mia Barnett – 4:13.43

100m Hurdles
1. Aaliyah McCormick – 12.81 (-0.2) [10 points]

Triple Jump
8. Ryann Porter – 13.22m/43-4.5 [1 point]

Heptathlon – Day 2/Final
—. Annika Williams – DNF
13. Long Jump – 5.84m/19-2w (+2.1) [801 points]
6. Javelin – 42.67m/140-0 (SB) [719]
—. 800 Meters – DNS