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Oregon Track and Field Finishes Runner-Up at NCAA Indoor Championships as Ducks Win Five National Titles

· Yahoo Sports

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - MARCH 14: Wilma Nielsen of the Oregon Ducks celebrates after winning the Women's Mile Final during the Division I Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship held at the Randal Tyson Center on March 13, 2026 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Gerald Leong/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | Gerald Leong/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Liisa-Maria Lusti, Peyton Bair, Wilma Nielsen, Aaliyah McCormick, and Oregon’s women’s DMR lead a huge two-day showing in Fayetteville

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Oregon track and field capped a massive weekend at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships with runner-up team finishes on both the men’s and women’s sides, five national titles, and a long list of statement performances in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Ducks were in the middle of the title chase from the opening events Friday through the final race Saturday. By the end of the meet, Oregon’s women had captured four national championships and finished second in the team standings, while the men rode a historic heptathlon performance from Peyton Bair and key points across the lineup to another national runner-up finish.

Day 1 recap: Liisa-Maria Lusti, women’s DMR deliver national titles for Oregon

Friday set the tone for the weekend, especially for the Women of Oregon.

Liisa-Maria Lusti opened the meet by winning the pentathlon with a season-best 4,498 points, giving the Ducks their first national title of the championships. After sitting third through three events, Lusti surged into control with a lifetime-best 6.63m in the long jump, a mark that moved her to No. 3 on Oregon’s indoor all-time list. She also cleared 1.81m in the high jump, one of the pivotal moments in the competition as she climbed from ninth to second and then into the lead for good.

Lusti became the first Oregon woman to win the NCAA pentathlon title since Brianne Theisen-Eaton in 2012, and her performance immediately put the Ducks in the mix for the women’s team race.

Oregon struck again later in the day in the distance medley relay.

The women’s DMR team of Juliet Cherubet, Lakely Doht-Barron, Silan Ayyildiz, and Wilma Nielsen combined for another national championship, winning in 10:48.76. Cherubet handled the opening leg, Doht-Barron kept the Ducks in position over 400 meters, Ayyildiz carried the baton through the 800, and Nielsen pulled away over the final lap to seal the win over South Carolina.

The victory gave Oregon its third women’s NCAA title in the DMR and pushed the Ducks to 20 team points after day one, good for second place entering Saturday.

Peyton Bair takes control of the heptathlon

While the women were stacking titles, Peyton Bair quietly put together one of the best opening days in Oregon men’s history.

Bair finished day one of the heptathlon in first place with 3,675 points. He opened with a 6.67 in the 60 meters, setting both a meet record and the fastest collegiate heptathlon 60 ever. He followed with a lifetime-best 7.70m in the long jump and another personal best in the shot put at 16.07m. By the end of the day, Bair had put himself in perfect position to chase a national title and a school record.

Aiden Carter also stayed within striking distance of a scoring spot in his NCAA Championships debut. Carter ended the first day in 10th place with 3,232 points, just 10 points out of scoring position. His best moments included a 7.49m long jump and a 2.00m clearance in the high jump.

Oregon loads up for Saturday finals

The Ducks also built a deep group of finalists for day two.

Tomas Palfrey advanced to the men’s mile final after running 3:56.20 in the prelims. James Harding moved on to the 800-meter final after clocking 1:47.23. Aaliyah McCormick tied for the fastest time in the women’s 60-meter hurdles prelims at 7.96, setting herself up for a run at the title Saturday.

Oregon’s men also had a loaded 3,000-meter final ahead, with Palfrey joined by Benjamin Balazs, Simeon Birnbaum, Connor Burns, and Elliott Cook. The Ducks picked up two points in the men’s DMR as well, keeping the team race well within reach going into the final day.

Day 2 recap: Peyton Bair breaks Oregon record as Ducks close strong

Saturday turned an excellent meet into a memorable one.

Bair delivered the biggest performance of the day, winning the NCAA heptathlon title with 6,503 points and breaking Ashton Eaton’s Oregon school record of 6,499 that had stood since 2010. Needing a huge final event, Bair responded with a 2:39.54 in the 1,000 meters to move past Eaton on the all-time list.

Over two days, Bair produced four lifetime bests and cleared 5.07m in the pole vault after a clutch third-attempt make at his opening height. His 6,503 points also set a facility record and rank among the best scores ever recorded globally.

Wilma Nielsen defends NCAA indoor mile title

The Women of Oregon answered Bair’s title with another major points surge on the track.

Wilma Nielsen successfully defended her NCAA indoor mile crown, holding off the field down the stretch to win another national championship for Oregon. The Ducks got even more out of the event with Silan Ayyildiz finishing sixth and Juliet Cherubet placing eighth, turning the women’s mile into a 14-point event for Oregon.

Nielsen became just the third Oregon woman to win back-to-back NCAA indoor titles, joining Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Raevyn Rogers.

Aaliyah McCormick wins 60-meter hurdles national title

Aaliyah McCormick added another championship soon after, winning the women’s 60-meter hurdles in a school-record 7.86.

McCormick got out fast, controlled the race from the front, and never gave up the lead. After finishing runner-up a year ago, she now owns both the NCAA outdoor and indoor titles in the event. Her 7.86 broke the previous Oregon school record of 7.87 set by Sasha Wallace in 2017 and made her just the second Duck ever to win the NCAA indoor 60 hurdles.

Shot put, 800, and 3,000 meters seal runner-up finishes

The Oregon men kept adding points all afternoon.

Kobe Lawrence and Ben Smith combined for 13 points in the shot put. Lawrence finished second with a lifetime-best 20.50m on his fifth attempt, while Smith placed fourth with a best mark of 20.37m. In a tight team race, that event proved critical.

James Harding added four more points with a fifth-place finish in the men’s 800 meters, a strong result in his first individual NCAA Championships appearance.

Then came the final individual race of the meet, where Simeon Birnbaum finished runner-up in the men’s 3,000 meters with a time of 7:41.85. Benjamin Balazs added a sixth-place finish in the same race, giving Oregon 11 more points to close out the weekend.

Oregon track and field leaves NCAA indoors with five titles and two runner-up trophies

By the end of the meet, Oregon had turned in one of the strongest national championship performances in the country.

The Ducks won five national titles across the two days. The women claimed championships from Lusti, Nielsen, McCormick, and the DMR squad. The men got a historic title from Bair and key scoring performances throughout the lineup. Both teams finished as national runners-up, underscoring Oregon’s depth across events and its ability to score everywhere from the multis to the throws to the distance races.

It was a complete weekend for the Ducks, and another reminder that Oregon remains one of the standard-bearers in collegiate track and field.

Friday Results
MEN
800 Meters – prelims
6. James Harding – 1:47.23q
14. Matthew Erickson – 1:48.59

Mile – prelims
4. Tomas Palfrey – 3:56.20Q
14. Elliott Cook – 3:58.89

5,000 Meters
14. Abdel Laadjel – 14:00.11

Distance Medley Relay
7. Harding/Omer/Cook/Birnbaum – 9:27.49 [2 points]

Heptathlon – Day 1
1. Peyton Bair – 3,675 points
               1. 60 Meters – 6.67 [1,003]
               1. Long Jump – 7.70m/25-3.25 (PB, UO #8) [985]
               1. Shot Put – 16.07m/52-8.75 (PB) [856]
               8. High Jump – 2.03m/6-8 [831]
10. Aiden Carter – 3,232 points
               11. 60 Meters – 7.06 [861]
               5. Long Jump – 7.49m/24-7 [932]
               14. Shot Put – 12.48m/40-11.5 [636]
               10. High Jump – 2.00m/6-6.75[803]

WOMEN
Mile – prelims
2. Wilma Nielsen – 4:28.26Q
3. Silan Ayyildiz – 4:28.44Q
6. Juliet Cherubet – 4:30.12q

5,000 Meters
9. Diana Cherotich – 15:32.32

60m Hurdles – prelims
T1. Aaliyah McCormick – 7.96Q

Distance Medley Relay
1. Cherubet/Doht-Barron/Ayyildiz/Nielsen – 10:48.76 [10 points]

Pentathlon
1. Liisa-Maria Lusti – 4,498 points (SB) [10 points]
               9. 60m Hurdles – 8.49 [1,019]
               3. High Jump – 1.81m/5-11.25 (PB, UO #5) [991]
               9. Shot Put – 11.40m/37-5 [621]
               1. Long Jump – 6.63m/21-9 (PB, UO #3) [1,049]
               11. 800 Meters – 2:20.38 (SB) [818]

Saturday Results
MEN
Top 5
1. Arkansas – 73.5
2. OREGON – 40
3. Florida – 26
T4. Auburn – 24
T4. Kansas State – 24

800 Meters
5. James Harding – 1:46.98 [4 points]

Mile
9. Tomas Palfrey – 4:00.94

3,000 Meters
2. Simeon Birnbaum – 7:41.85 [8 points]
6. Benjamin Balazs – 7:48.04 [3 point]
12. Tomas Palfrey – 8:07.90
13. Elliott Cook – 8:09.64
14. Connor Burns – 8:11.24

Shot Put
2. Kobe Lawrence – 20.50m/67-3.25 (PB, UO #1) [8 points]
4. Ben Smith – 20.37m/66-10 (PB, UO #2) [5 points]

Heptathlon – Day 2/Final
1. Peyton Bair – 6,503 points (PB, FR, UO #1)
               2. 60m Hurdles – 7.86 [1,017]
               4. Pole Vault – 5.07m/16-7.5 (PB) [932]
               3. 1,000 Meters – 2:39.54 (PB) [879]
9. Aiden Carter – 5,908 points (PB, UO #5)
               4. 60m Hurdles – 7.96(=PB) [992]
               6. Pole Vault – 4.87m/15-11.75 [871]
               10. 1,000 Meters – 2:45.52 (PB) [813]

WOMEN
Top 5
1. Georgia – 53
2. OREGON – 44
3. Illinois – 42
4. Arkansas – 37
5. BYU – 27

Mile
1. Wilma Nielsen – 4:40.06 [10 points]
6. Silan Ayyildiz – 4:41.06 [3 points]
8. Juliet Cherubet – 4:41.51 [1 point]

3,000 Meters
13. Silan Ayyildiz – 8:58.59

60m Hurdles
1. Aaliyah McCormick – 7.86 (PB, UO #1)

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