The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Track and Field's Neugebauer and Smith defend NCAA Outdoor titles
06.07.2024 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Neugebauer breaks collegiate decathlon record with sixth-best performance in world history.
EUGENE, Ore. – Leo Neugebauer and Ackelia Smith both defended their 2023 outdoor titles to become two-time NCAA Champions on Thursday night at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Neugebauer made history on the world and collegiate stage, breaking his own collegiate record in the decathlon with a score of 8,961 points. The score is the sixth-best performance in world history, and he became just one of seven men in the world to amass more than 8,900 points. The First Team All-American became the first Longhorn to win back-to-back NCAA Outdoor event titles since Ryan Crouser did in shot put from 2013-14.
The German national record holder had a NCAA all-time best day one with 4,685 points leading into Thursday's competition. He recorded a time of 14.36 in the 110-meter hurdles to begin the day. Neugebauer later set the world record in the decathlon discus with his first-round throw of 57.70m (189-4), breaking Bryan Clay's (55.87m) previous record set in 2005.
He later matched his personal best in pole vault after he cleared 5.21m (17-1) and scored 976 points. With 7,622 points, Neugebauer had the best score in world history after eight events heading into javelin.
He recorded a mark of 56.64m (185-10) in javelin and headed into the final event with a 851-point lead. The back-to-back decathlon champion capped off his historic run in the 1500-meter run and finished with a time of 4:44.61 – a season-best time.
Neugebauer now own the collegiate record, the German National record, the NCAA Outdoor Championships record and the Texas record and is an eight-time First Team All-American. He'll compete in Friday's open discus event after scoring Texas' first team points (10).
Just minutes later, Smith defended her long jump title with her third attempt mark of 6.79m (22-3.50). Smith became the first Longhorn woman in 18 years to win back-to-back titles in the NCAA Outdoor meet and first since Destinee Hooker won the high jump in 2006-07. She's also the first woman to win consecutive NCAA Outdoor long jump crowns since 2002-03, when Elva Goulbourne of Auburn completed the feat. Smith will compete in Saturday's triple jump in hopes to better her runner-up finish last season.
Freshman Nina Ndubuisi scored one point for the Longhorns in the shot put after finishing eighth with her throw of 17.15m (56-3.25). Ndubuisi is now a two-time first team All-American in her first season with the Longhorns. Senior Marilyn Nwora finished just off the podium in ninth with her third-round throw of 17.12m (56-2). Chrystal Herpin was 13th with a throw of 16.92m (55-6.25).
The Longhorns also advanced to four finals on Saturday. The two-time defending 4x100-meter relay will look for its third-straight title after qualifying with a time of 42.97 from Carleta Bernard, Kevona Davis, Kenondra Davis and Dejanea Oakley. The time was a season best for the Horns.
Next to advance was senior Olivia Howell in the 1500-meter who earned the final qualifying spot with her race of 4:09.91. Freshman Akala Garrett will compete in the 400-meter hurdles final after she finished with the fourth-fastest qualifying time at 54.44.
The 4x400-meter relay of Lauren Lewis, Ziyah Holman, Garrett and Oakley were the final event to advance after running a time of 3:27.79.
Players Mentioned
