Texas Tech athlete Dean runs 47.23 seconds to elevate to No. 2 in collegiate history and No. 5 all-time among American competitors in 400 hurdles, completing sweep with indoor 60 hurdles; Arkansas standout Beckford clears 7-5 (2.26m) to capture high jump crown at fourth consecutive Division 1 final, winning indoor and outdoor titles in back-to-back years

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Logan Hannigan-Downs and Kirby Lee/Image of Sport

EUGENE, Ore. – Romaine Beckford was back to clearing the highest bars Friday at the NCAA Division 1 men’s championship meet, just like the Arkansas standout has done better than any collegiate jumper for the past two years.

Caleb Dean showcased his exceptional combination of technical skill, speed and strength over the hurdles once more at Hayward Field, with the Texas Tech star reminding all of his fellow competitors why he is one of the most versatile athletes in the country.

But as smooth a path as it appeared both Beckford and Dean paved Friday to each win their second NCAA crowns this year, perhaps the biggest obstacles they overcame since capturing Division 1 indoor titles March 8 in Boston had to do with just being able to return to the track in enough time following significant leg injuries in order to pursue championships once again.

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Dean became the first male athlete in Division 1 history to capture the indoor 60-meter hurdles title and the outdoor 400-meter hurdles championship in the same year, running a lifetime-best 47.23 seconds in the latter Friday to elevate to the No. 2 competitor in collegiate history and the No. 5 all-time American performer.

“It kind of surprised me, but I knew I could run a 47 easily, it’s just a matter of when and what competition. I knew I was capable of running that time, and I expected it to be here. I’ve been working on 47 for the past couple of years now,” Dean said. “It’s great. Running the second-fastest 400 hurdles of all-time, it’s history. To be right after (Rai Benjamin) collegiately means a lot to me.”

Beckford cleared 7-5 (2.26m) on his second attempt, helping the Jamaican standout complete a sweep of indoor and outdoor high jump championships in consecutive years, following a pair of titles last year at South Florida.

Beckford won the first men’s outdoor high jump crown for Arkansas since 1995, in addition to becoming the first male athlete to capture indoor and outdoor titles in back-to-back years since USC’s Jesse Williams achieved the feat in 2005-06.

“I am still in disbelief. Nobody really knows, but I went through an injury (during) indoor season after trying to attempt the Olympic standard,” Beckford said. “I had a fibular stress reaction that had me out about seven or eight weeks. I just didn’t have the best season and I was scared that it would happen over and over. Being ranked fifth, I felt like I was an underdog today. It reminded me of when I was at South Florida and I was pretty much just trusting in God. I know my ability, I know I can jump high, I just really prayed.”

Beckford outlasted Nebraska’s Tyus Wilson and Arkansas Pine-Bluff’s Caleb Snowden, who both cleared 7-3.75 (2.23m).

“The great thing about me is I love pressure,” Beckford said. “I work the best under pressure, when there’s somebody jumping higher than me and all that stuff. I pretty much put pressure on myself, knowing that I have to come here and just do it for myself and my team and do it for everybody.”

Although Beckford triumphed at the Division 1 indoor final last year in Albuquerque, N.M., followed by winning the outdoor title for South Florida last season in Austin, Texas, before transferring to Arkansas, he has continued to use a 13th-place finish in 2022 at the NCAA outdoor championship meet at Hayward Field for motivation throughout his career.

“I was just trying to stay focused, trying to stay dialed in, trying to stay hungry, trying to get all the bars the first time,” Beckford said. “It didn’t work that way. Every time I touch that bar, it gets me more angry like, ‘Come on, I got this.’ It just put me in that mood to go get it. I love the crowd reaction today. I had a bad experience jumping here two years ago, when I finished 13th. I was kind of scared coming here again, but God knows how much I prayed for this moment and it really came through. I cannot thank God enough. I can’t thank my coaching system, my trainers, everybody, my supporters enough. I just give everybody a big thank you for continuing to support me.”

Dean also expressed gratitude for his support system at Texas Tech, led by head coach Wes Kittley and hurdles coach Calvin Robinson, helping him elevate to No. 4 in the world this year in only his sixth 400 hurdles race since resuming training in late April after being sidelined following his 60 hurdles title in 7.56 in Boston.

“It means the world to know that I’m here to stay, and I’m ready to compete with whoever,” Dean said. “I’ve never been focused on the outcome, because we’ve always been focused more on the process. I know if I execute the way I am capable of, then the rest will take care of itself.”

Dean joined former Division 2 standout Trevor Bassitt from Ashland and Division 3 star Luke Campbell of Salisbury as the only three male competitors in NCAA history to sweep the 60 hurdles and 400 hurdles championships in the same year. Bassitt achieved the feat in 2022, with Campbell sweeping in three straight years from 2014-16.

“You never want to think too far ahead, and for me, the goal (after winning the 60 hurdles) was just to be able to get back on the track and resume training,” Dean said. “But being the only guy in Division 1 to do it and one of the few collegiate athletes ever, it definitely means a lot.” 

Queen Claye of Virginia Tech was the last Division 1 female athlete to produce the same hurdling feat in 2010, with USC’s Jasmine Jones presented with the same opportunity Saturday in the 400 hurdles final after emerging victorious in the 60 hurdles in Boston in 7.77.

Claye also won the 100 hurdles national championship in 2010, but Dean didn’t have the opportunity to pursue the trifecta after knocking over a barrier May 24 at the Division 1 West Regional in Arkansas and not advancing past the quarterfinals.

Darius Luff, a senior, became the first Nebraska athlete to win the Division 1 title with a wind-legal 13.19 performance Friday to produce a lifetime-best effort, edging Auburn freshman Ja’Kobe Tharp in 13.20.

Salif Mane, a senior, also produced the first men’s triple jump championship in Fairleigh Dickinson history with a personal-best 56-2.75 (17.14m) mark on his opening attempt, holding off NCAA indoor winner Russell Robinson of Miami (Florida) and his fifth-round effort of 56-2.50 (17.13m).

Francis Prinsloo, a senior at South Alabama, surpassed the 60-meter barrier on each of his first three throws in the discus final, all of the marks good enough to win his first career Division 1 crown, completing his ascent to the top with a 208-4 (63.51m) effort following a disappointing 12th-place performance last season in Texas.

Prinsloo joined fellow South African standout Kyle Rademeyer, who won the NCAA pole vault title for South Alabama last year with an 18-8.25 (5.70m) clearance at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.