Mullings Clinches Second Consecutive Discus Title as Arkansas Secures Men's Championship at NCAA Outdoors

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Ralford Mullings of Oklahoma made history by becoming the first male athlete in over two decades to earn back-to-back NCAA discus titles, while the University of Arkansas captured its 11th men's championship, marking its first victory since 2003, during the NCAA outdoor track and field championships on Friday night. Mullings achieved a throw of 215 feet, 11 inches, finishing ahead of his Southern California teammates, Racquil Broderick and Vincent Ugwoke, who placed second and third with throws of 210-5 and 209-7, respectively.

Mullings previously set a meet record in 2025 with a throw of 227 feet, 4 inches, and his consecutive wins echo the feat of SMU’s Hannes Hopley, who triumphed in 2003 and 2004. The Razorbacks, despite not winning in individual or relay events, accumulated a total of 56 points, outpacing Georgia (49 points) and Tennessee (46 points) in the standings, with LSU, Oregon, and Auburn also finishing strong.

In individual events, Alabama's Samuel Ogazi set a collegiate record in the 400 meters with an outstanding time of 43.38 seconds, marking the fourth-fastest time in history. Ja’Kobe Tharp from Auburn, who previously set a world record in the 110-meter hurdles semifinals, clinched the title with a time of 12.90 seconds, edging out Texas’ Kendrick Smallwood by just 0.05 seconds. Jaiden Reid of LSU also made headlines by breaking the NCAA record in the 200 meters, finishing in 19.63 seconds.

Other notable performances included Auburn's Kayinsola Ajayi winning the 100 meters in a wind-aided 9.72 seconds, while Northern Arizona's Colin Sahlman secured the 800 meters title with a time of 1:44.22. In the 5,000 meters, New Mexico's Habtom Samuel, who had previously set a collegiate record, took the championship with a time of 13:38.93.

As the competition heads into its final day, Washington leads the women's team standings with 18 points, closely followed by Iowa State and Nebraska. The excitement continues to build as athletes strive for glory in the championships.