ASU's Davis Breaks 58-Year-Old School Record; Jelani Watkins Blitzes Past NCAA 200 Champion Garrett Kaalund In 100

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Sam Givner photos

INTERVIEWS | RESULTS|VIDEOS 

WALNUT, Calif. - Ron Freeman II held the Arizona State 400 meters school record of 44.41 seconds since 1968.

58 years later, junior Jayden Davis took down the Sun Devils' oldest outdoor record Saturday afternoon on the final day of the 66th Mt. SAC Relays with a world-leading 44.29 seconds.

"I knew I was in shape to run this time," Davis said. "It was all about the mental reps and mental preparation to get my mind under control to be able to perform that fast."

It took Davis beating two-time Olympic 4x400 relay champion Vernon Norwood, who was running in his 400 season opener and first race back at Hilmer Lodge Stadium since 2021, in the final section of the men's invitational timed final. The 34-year-old had to make up ground late in the race against Davis after a slow start through the first 250 meters, resulting in him finishing second in 44.58.

"I was just trying to keep my form and hold him off," Davis said. "I know Vernon is a great competitor and one of the best 400-meter runners. I knew that's what I had to do if I wanted to win."

Another surprise performance came from Washington's Alex Rhodes, who entered Saturday's 400 with a 45.22-second performance from the Stanford Invitational. Rhodes hung around with Davis up until 100 meters remaining, fell back to third when Norwood caught up, and then held on to third and broke 45 seconds for the first time in his career in an NCAA#5 44.94. That's No. 3 in Washington history. 

Former USC standout William Jones was the only other competitor left in the elite field to run under 45 seconds in 44.96 for fourth overall.

Less than 24 hours after posting a 20.35-second performance in the men's 200 meters, Jelani Watkins of Arkansas delievered a world-leading, all-conditions 9.82-second (+2.8) performance in the invitational 100 to beat USC's Eddie Nketia and Garrett Kaalund.

The NCAA 60-meter runner-up defeated the USC duo while racing out in lane nine and broke 10 seconds for the first time in his career regardless of legal-wind. His 9.82-second run is the eighth-fastest all-conditions performance in NCAA history and second in school history behind Jordan Anthony's 9.75 (+2.2) from last spring at the NCAA West Regional meet.

Nketia, the former football player for USC, finished second to Watkins by two-hundredths of a second in 9.84 for an NCAA#2. Kaalund, the NCAA indoor 200 champion, was third in 9.90, an NCAA#3.

Watkins also anchored Arkansas to NCAA-lead in the invitational 4x100 relay in 38.62 but finished second to SHARKS International, a professional group made of American Travis Williams with Ghana sprinters Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Amoah and Ibraim Fuseini.

Kaalund did return later in the afternoon to race in his first 200 since breaking the American indoor record (19.95) to win his NCAA title Fayetteville, Ark., in March. The USC senior bounced back to win the invitational 200 in an NCAA-leading 20.10.

Another invitational race that got the attention of everyone in the stadium, but in the wrong way possible, was the 800.

Coming up to the bell lap of the final and fastest section, both Alex Amakwah of Ghana and Arkansas' Rivaldo Marshall ran directly into a photographer who happened to wander onto the track without noticing the athletes. The collision caused nine of the 10 athletes from finishing the race, which ultimately made Iowa State's Jacoby Harmon, the winner from section two, the overall champion in 1:49.17. Arizona State's Dayton Carlson, the only athlete to finish section three, jogged 1:57.14.

Other highlights on the track included Reyte Rash winning the invitational 400 hurdles in 49.35, Arkansas' Karamoko Sacko winning the invitational 110 hurdles in an NCAA#7 13.42 and Northwestern State in the invitational 4x400 relay running 3:04.45, completing a late comeback past Arkansas.

In field action, Arkansas' Scottie Vines cleared an NCAA#1 2.26 meters (7-5) to beat Texas Tech's Bradford Jennings, who jumped an NCAA#5 2.20m (7-2.50), for the invitational high jump title.

U.S. indoor triple jump champion Russell Robinson, representing adidas, jumped 17.16m (56-3.75) to win invitational section, which is the sixth best mark in the world this season. NCAA indoor champion Jonathan Seremes of Texas Tech was third with an NCAA#5 16.32m (53-6.50), 

Reigning NCAA discus champion Ralford Mullings of Oklahoma threw an NCAA#2 64.77m (212-6), beating fellow Jamaican, Racquil Broderick of USC, by almost four meters in the invitational competition.

Trey Knight, a 2025 World Outdoor qualifier in hammer, dominated the invitational field with a throw of 77.04m (252-9).

Washington's Jimmy Rhoads cleared 5.70m (18-8.25) in the invitational pole vault and won by 20 centimeters.

Japan's Yuki Hashioka beat U.S. Paralympian Derek Loccident by three centimeters in the invitational long jump with a 8.12m (26-7.25) mark.