Texas Closes Its Big 12 Era With Fifth Consecutive Women's Championship, Men Climb Back To Top

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Photo courtesy University of Texas

WACO, Texas – Nothing could stop the charge of Texas. 

Not even three weather delays could hold back the Big 12’s mightiest.

After massive lightning strikes made way through the area throughout the three-day meet, including 12,000 bolts on Thursday night, the Texas Longhorns reigned over the Big 12 Conference one last time, capturing both the men’s and women’s team titles for the ninth time in meet history at Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium in Waco, Texas. 

The Texas women won its 15th overall title, including a fifth consecutive, with 150 points over BYU’s 98 points. 

Behind six first-place finishes, Kristīne Blaževiča, representing Latvia, headlined the Longhorns’ big weekend with a fourth consecutive heptathlon conference title, scoring 5,954 points to become the first multi, men’s or women’s, in Big 12 history to win four outdoor conference titles.

Ackelia Smith was another repeat champion for Texas, producing a nation-leading 45 feet, 8 inches (13.92m) mark to win a second consecutive women’s triple jump title.

Freshman Akala Garrett managed to run the only meet record for the Longhorn women as she shaved off more than a second to win the women’s 400 hurdles in a meet record 54.73 for the No. 2 time in the country and an Olympic qualifying standard.

Dejanea Oakley clocked the No. 8 time in the country in 22.60 to win the women’s 200, giving Texas five consecutive Big 12 titles in the event.

Ziyah Holman bounced back from a 21st place prelim effort in the women’s 200 to win the 400 in the No. 8 time in the country of 50.99, continuing the Longhorns title streak in the event for a fourth year in a row.

Marilyn Nwora won Texas’ first shot put title on the women’s side since Michelle Carter in 2007, throwing 58-2.50 (17.74m), with teammate Nina Ndubuisi finishing second at 56-11.25 (17.35m).

Second-place BYU had multiple second place individual finishes, including Sadie Sargent in the 1,500 (4:09.65), Taylor Lovell in the steeplechase (10:08.63), Gretchen Hoekstre in the discus (184-8/56.30m), Cierra Allphin in the high jump (6-0/1.83m), Alysa Keller in javelin (170-1/51.86m) and the 4x400 relay (3:34.43).

Texas Tech picked up four first-place finishes in pursuit of third place with 96.5 points.

Freshman Juliet Cherubet, a Kenyan, ran 4:09.33 to dip under Kara Goucher’s Big 12 record of 4:12.15 in the women’s 1,500, becoming the first Red Raider since Sally Kipyego in 2007 and 2008 to win a conference title in the event.

Rosemary Chukwuma, who is from Nigeria, held off TCU’s Iyana Gray for the women’s 100 in 11.12, moving to No. 6 in the nation.

Tiffany Green was the last Red Raider to win the women’s 100, going back-to-back in 2001-02.

Freshman Temitope Adeshina won the high jump, clearing 6-2.75 (1.90m), giving Texas Tech four of the last six conference titles in the event.

Zoe Burleson delivered another Texas Tech winning effort in the women’s discus, throwing 189-1 (57.65m) to go with Malin Smith’s win in 2023.

The Texas men reclaimed the conference title from Texas Tech by a score of 134-115 after the Red Raiders won last year’s title by 54.50 points over the Longhorns.

Yusuf Bizimana ran to a fourth consecutive conference title in the men’s 800 to headline the Longhorns’ 11th conference team title, running a stadium record 1:46.07. Joining Missouri’s Derrick Peterson (1997-2000), Bizimana is the only other athlete in Big 12 history to win four conference titles in the event.

NCAA decathlon record-holder Leo Neugebauer, who also competes for Germany, competed in individual events this weekend, winning the long jump with a mark of 25-6 (7.77m) and placing fourth in discus with a throw of 192-3 (58.61m).

Texas Tech’s lone win came in the 4x400 relay, holding off a late charge from Baylor in 3:03.09.

Iowa State scored 90 points for third overall in the team standings behind four wins.

Sanele Masondo and Said Mechaal held off Oklahoma State’s Adisu Guadia to give the Cyclones a 1-2 finish in the men’s 10,000, with Masondo, a South African, winning in 29:14.53 and Mechaal, from Spain, finishing second in 29:15.62. 

Wesley Kiptoo won the last event title for the Cyclones in 2021.

Ezekiel Rop gave Iowa State its first conference champion in the men’s 1,500 in 3:40.61.

The Cyclones also secured second and third place finishes from Peter Smith (3:41.07) and Devan Kipyego (3:41.42) in the men’s 1,500.

Cam Jones prevailed in the men’s shot put with a fourth-round mark of 64-6.75 (19.68m), adding a second consecutive shot put title for the Cyclones with Kevin Sakson winning last year.

Host Baylor tallied seven first-place finishes, highlighted by Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi winning his third conference title in the men’s javelin.

The Nigerian set a meet record with a throw of 262-6 (80.02m) in the sixth round to move to No. 2 in the country this season. Texas A&M’s Sam Humphreys held the previous record of 259-1 (78.98m).

Nathaniel Ezekiel and Demar Francis swept the men’s 400 hurdles and open 400 for the Bears, with Ezekiel running a meet record and Olympic qualifying standard 48.00 in the hurdles and Francis running 45.44 in the 400 to give Baylor its 16th overall title in the event.

Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean, the defending 400 hurdles champion, also ran under the Olympic qualifying standard in 48.43 for second.

Alexis Brown won the Bears’ first-ever women’s long jump title with the nation’s No. 2 mark of 22-5 (6.83m). Defending champion Ackelia Smith of Texas was third at 21-2.75 (6.47m).

Brown also ran on the third leg for Baylor’s winning 4x100 relay, running a stadium record 43.16 to move to No. 4 in the country and end Texas’ four-year streak of 4x100 titles.

Freshman Molly Haywood was perfect over the bar on her first five heights in the women’s pole vault, clearing her best mark at 14-5.5 (4.41m) for the Bears’ first title in the event since Annie Rhodes won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.

Olivia Lueking, two-time defending champion from Oklahoma, finished second at 14-5.50 (4.41m) as well.

Oklahoma State’s distance contingent collected four wins, including three on the women’s side.

Gabby Hentemann won her second conference title for the Cowgirls in the women’s 10,000, closing the final 400 meters in 68.93 seconds to run 34:31.91, beating Texas’ Eva Jess in 34:35.92. 

Hentemann last won the conference title in the event in 2022 in 34:18.58 in Lubbock, Texas.

Gabija Galvydyte gave everything she had the final 200 meters to come from behind to win her second consecutive women’s 800 title for Oklahoma State over Houston’s Kelly-Ann Beckford in a Big 12 meet record of 2:00.42.

Oklahoma State swept both the 5,000 races, with Molly Born running a stadium record 16:13.77 in the women’s race and Alex Maier winning the lone distance race for the Cowboys in a meet record 13:36.19.

BYU’s James Corrigan denied Oklahoma State’s Victor Shitsama a repeat in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase, running a Big 12 meet record and No. 6 time in the country of 8:29.24 with a 61.12 second final 400. Oklahoma State’s Chuck Sloan held the meet record since 2000 with 8:32.59.

Iowa State’s Janette Schraft ran a stadium record 9:58.75 to win the women’s steeplechase title for the first time in Cyclones history.

Houston’s Shaun Maswanganyi ran 10.11 and 20.10 to capture both the men’s 100 and 200 titles and then anchored the Cougars’ 4x100 team to the No. 2 time in the country and stadium record 38.44 to hold off Baylor (38.86, 2nd) and Texas (38.90).

De’Vion Wilson, last year’s American Athletic Conference champion in the 110 hurdles for the Cougars, ran a stadium record and No. 4 time in the country of 13.35 to win the men’s title.

Houston’s women’s 4x400 relay won in 3:29.18.

UCF’s Rayniah Jones, a three-time American Athletic Conference champion, produced the seventh-fastest time in the country in the 100 hurdles in 12.78.

Kansas State’s Kade McCall and Monique Hardy completed a sweep of the men’s and women’s hammer throw competitions for the first time in program history. 

McCall became the first men’s athlete ever from Kansas State to win a Big 12 title in the event, dethroning defending men’s champion Jeremiah Nubbe of Texas with a sixth-round throw of 229-1 (69.83m). 

Hardy took down defending women’s champion Kassidy Gallagher of Oklahoma with a first-round throw of 210-9 (64.24m), reclaiming the hammer title for the Wildcats for the first time since Helene Ingvaldsen won in 2019.

Kansas managed three wins in the field events, with Devin Loudermilk capturing the Jayhawks’ first men’s high jump title, clearing the No. 4 mark in the country at 7-4.25 (2.24m), Anthony Meacham soaring over 17-8.50 (5.40m) for the men's  pole vault title and Dimitrios Pavlidis throwing 201-10 (61.52m) to win the men’s discus.

Alexander Jung scored a personal best 7,706 points to win the men’s decathlon for Kansas for the first time since Andy Morris won in 2000.

Irene Jepkemboi made it back-to-back conference titles for TCU in the women’s javelin, winning with a third-round throw of 182-7 (55.67m). Sydney Juszczyk won last year for the Horned Frogs with a throw of 165-4 (50.40m).

Oklahoma’s Brandon Green Jr. secured the Sooners’ final Big 12 title, winning the men’s triple jump competition with a mark of 54-2.5 (16.52m).