The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Neugebauer and Smith crowned NCAA Champions
06.09.2023 | Track & Field / Cross Country
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 12/1 Texas track and field program saw Leo Neugebauer and Ackelia Smith crowned as NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Champions on Friday night.
Neugebauer led the Longhorns on a historic effort in the decathlon setting not only the meet and Texas record, but the NCAA collegiate record and a 39-year Germany national record with his score of 8,836 points. The six-time All-American broke seven personal bests out of 10 events.
He ended the first day of competition leading with a score of 4,591 points and a 21-point lead. Neugebauer began the second day of competition with a season-best time in the 110-meter hurdles posting a time of 14.10. He then set his fifth personal best in the discus nearly breaking the all-time collegiate decathlon best at 55.06m (180-8).
LEO. NEUGEBAUER.
— USTFCCCA (@USTFCCCA) June 9, 2023
💥 8836 POINTS 💥
✅ German Record
✅ Collegiate Record
✅ Meet Record
✅ No. 8 🌎 History
Take a bow, @le0thegerman!
The @TexasTFXC star dominated the decathlon at the 2023 @NCAATrackField DI Outdoor Championships.
Neugebauer entered the competition with a best jump of 5.10m (16-8.75) and bested that with a clearance of 5.21m (17-1) to take a 205-point lead heading into the javelin. He added yet another impressive personal best mark with a throw of 57.45m (188-6) in the javelin before finishing the competition running the 1500-meter run in 4:48.00.
Neugebauer became the third Longhorn to be crowned NCAA decathlon champion after Trey Hardee became the first in 2005 with 7,881 points and Johannes Hock in 2013 with 8,267.
Neugebauer's win gave the Texas men's team its first points of the competition with 10 and currently sit tied for eighth with Harvard and Utah Valley, while Nebraska leads with 25.
Sophomore standout Smith was resilient in her long jump efforts to win her first national title. Despite fouling her first two attempts, Smith used her final jump to become the first Longhorn long jump champion since Tara Davis in 2021 and second ever all-time during the outdoor season. The seven-time First Team All-American won the competition with her mark of 6.88m (22-7).
🗣️"This is my track. I'm not going to lose on it." - Ackelia Smith of @TexasTFXC after winning the NCAA long jump title pic.twitter.com/ss8gkiBNrL
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 9, 2023
The women got hot fast on the track when the 4x100-meter relay team of Julien Alfred, Ezinne Abba, Rhasidat Adeleke and Kevona Davis broke the collegiate record for the third time this season with a time of 41.55. The time set the facility record and meet record and would rank as the fifth-fastest country in the world if they competed as a country.
41.55🔥 pic.twitter.com/PspZEFY5Hp
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) June 9, 2023
The Longhorns had advanced three sprinters in both the 100m and the 200m, led by Alfred and Davis. Alfred led the 100m semis like she has all season with her time of 10.99 and was the lone competitor to break the 11-second barrier. Davis had the third-fastest in the event at 11.04 and Abba earned the seventh-fastest at 11.11 to all advance. Later in the night, both Alfred and Davis advanced to the 200m finals with their times of 22.33. Lanae Tava-Thomas was the final Longhorn to advance in the 200 at 22.42.
Adeleke also advanced to the 400-meter finals after running the second-fastest qualifying time at 49.86. Texas history has seen only five times on the 50-second mark and Adeleke has run three of them in the last two months of the season.
Valery Tobias was the final Longhorn to advance to a final on Saturday after registering the second-fastest 800-meter time at 2:00.68. The time is also the second-fastest time in UT history, with Tobias owning the program record and the fifth-fastest time.
The No. 1 Texas women are currently tied for ninth with 10 points from Smith and trail Arkansas in first with 24 points.
Players Mentioned
