Alfred Runs 10.72w/21.73w Double, Rhasidat Adeleke Wins 400, 4x100 Relay Dominates As Longhorns Pile Up 83 points

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Jamison Michael photos

AUSTIN -- The race for the NCAA Division 1 women's track and field championship was never really in doubt. 

On home turf, the likes of Julien Alfred, Rhasidat Adeleke, Ackelia Smith, Kevona Davis, Ezinne Abba, Kristine Blazevica and Valery Tobias delivered points across the spectrum of eight events and cemented themselves as one of the best women's track and field teams in NCAA history with 83 points.

Texas produced the highest score by a women's championship team since LSU accumulated 86 points in 1994. The Longhorns also became the third women's team to win a title at home, joining Oregon in 2015 and 2017, along with LSU in 1987.

It starts with Alfred, a native of Saint Lucia who celebrated her 22nd birthday Friday and capped one of the greatest sprint seasons in collegiate history with times of times of 10.72 in the 100 and 21.73 in the 200 meters. Both finals were wind-aided, but the 200 time is the fastest ever by a collegiate under any conditions. 

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"I knew that this was my last year. I wanted to go out with a bang. On my hard days, I made sure I was dedicated to it, putting my dedication into those hard workouts," Alfred said. 

Saturday's final session at Mike A. Myers Stadium began with a 4x100 relay win in 41.60 seconds, slightly slower than Thursday's collegiate record 41.55, but more than enough to put 10 points on the board. Texas now owns the four fastest relay times in collegiate history.

After Alfred won the 100-meter dash, her relay teammate and Irish standout Adeleke pulled off one of several stunning upsets on the night, out-running Arkansas star Britton Wilson in the 400 meters and crossing the finish line in 49.20 seconds. That's second in NCAA history behind Wilson's 49.13. 

Another win for the team, with Texas becoming the first women's program since Florida State in 1984 to sweep the 100, 200 and 400 titles in the same year.

"We have a really good bond, we have really good team chemistry, so it’s more than just running for our school, we’re running for each other, we’re running for each other’s families," Adeleke said. "We’re just really close, and it makes it that much more special."

Smith, who won the long jump Thursday, finished second to Florida's Jasmine Moore in the triple jump. Her mark of 47-8.50 (14.54m) is third in NCAA history, behind only Moore and Georgia's Keturah Orji, a four-time NCAA champion.

Davis was third in the 200, fifth in the 100 and part of the 4x100 relay. Abba was seventh in the 100 and ran on the 4x100. Lanae Thomas was fifth in the 200. 

Tobias finished sixth in the 800 in 2:02.39. Blazevica finished third in the heptathlon with 6,058 points. 

Coach Edrick Floréal, five years after taking over the Texas track and field program, and recruiting Alfred, won his first women's title and second overall since arriving in Austin (the men won indoors in 2022). 

The women's title was the first for Texas since 2005 and the fifth in program history. 

""(The team) all agreed it isn't about anybody's record or time, it was about supporting the team and fighting like hell," Floréal said. "And that is what you saw today. It was really about Texas."

Floréal praised Alfred, calling her "without a doubt the greatest sprinter in NCAA history."

The praise flowed both ways. 

"My coach (Floréal) has been my biggest influence in my life, my five years here at Texas," Alfred said. "Prior to beginning the championships, I went to speak to him, and he said let’s not focus on myself, focus on the team. That changed the pressure. It made a huge difference."

Florida, which closed the meet with Parker Valby's dominant win in the 5,000 meters (15:30.57) and also added Moore's triple jump win, finished second with 51 points. 

Arkansas won the 4x400 relay in 3:24.05 for outgoing head coach Lance Harter and the Razorbacks finished third with 46 points. Wilson, who attempted an ambitious 400/400 hurdles double, ran out of steam in the 400 and took second (49.64) and then returned to the track 24 minutes later and placed seventh (55.92) in the hurdles. 

Oregon finished fourth with 44 points, thanks to a third consecutive discus win for collegiate record holder Jorinde Van Klinken, who threw a meet record 215-0 (65.55m) and a surprising 2-4 finish in the 1,500 meters with Izzy Thornton-Bott and Klaudia Kazimierska.

Van Klinken became the first female athlete to win three straight discus championships, the previous two at Arizona State, since UCLA's Seilala Sua won four in a row from 1997-2000.