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The indoor season is barely in the rearview mirror, and already the outdoor campaign is taking shape.
Arkansas and Georgia left as defending national champions with targets on their backs, BYU's women are quietly building a case as one of the deepest distance programs in the country, and Oregon is staring down a rare opportunity to win a national title on home soil for the first time in over a decade.
Before the outdoor season starts rolling, here are answers to three questions heading into the 2026 campaign.
More Information On The 2026 Penn Relays
Not even a month ago, the Arkansas men claimed their 22nd indoor national title and first of the Doug Case era, while Caryl Smith Gilbert guided Georgia to a second consecutive indoor crown following their outdoor title last June.
On their home track in Fayetteville, the Razorback men were dominant from the jump, pulling away to a 33.5-point victory behind nine top-four finishes across eight events, highlighted by Tyrice Taylor's 800m title. The Bulldogs' margin was narrower, but national titles from Adaejah Hodge in the 200m and Dejanea Oakley in the 400m were enough to hold off a chase pack of Oregon, Illinois, and Arkansas.
Both SEC powers are clear outdoor contenders heading into the spring, though the equation changes considerably once you factor in the hammer, discus, and javelin, along with the 3000m steeplechase, 400m hurdles, and 4x100m relay. The addition of these events can reshape a team's ceiling entirely, and some athletes won't step into their best event until the outdoor season comes around.
FloTrack's latest College Outdoor T&F Rankings Presented by Saucony has Arkansas at No. 25 and Georgia at No. 4, though Arkansas showed a tendency to peak late last winter. Don't be surprised if Case's squad looks considerably different by early May.
When the smoke clears, both defending indoor champions are the teams to beat.
That depends largely on what Diljeet Taylor's goal is when the NCAA West Regional comes around. The Cougars have the firepower to go all in and chase a team title, but considering it has taken 60 points or more to win the trophy all but three times since 2010, even a perfect day from the distance squad might not be enough to outpace the field.
The headliner is obvious. Jane Hedengren could realistically sweep the 5k and 10k just as she swept the 3k and 5k indoors, and her collegiate record-breaking debut at the 10k distance, by four seconds over Parker Valby's previous mark, only adds to that case. Jenna Hutchins, Taylor Lovell, Nelah Roberts, and Taylor Rohatinsky are all capable of producing All-American performances at Hayward, with Hutchins and Lovell both doing so in 2025.
The wildcard might be Riley Chamberlain, who after narrowly missing individual All-American honors as a junior, broke through in cross country, finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships. The momentum carried indoors, where she became the sixth-fastest collegian ever in the 5k and the sixth woman to break 15 minutes, while also posting 2:02, 4:20, and 8:43 in the 800m, mile, and 3000m. At this point, she could step into almost any event and contend for a national title.
So yes, BYU has the strength, depth, and talent to win. The open question is how Taylor chooses to approach it.
It has been over a decade since the Oregon men were crowned national champions in Tracktown USA, and it remains the last time the Ducks won it all outdoors. Since taking over in Eugene, Jerry Schumacher has kept the program competing for titles in all three seasons, and last month, they were the closest team to Arkansas at indoors, posting 40 points behind contributions from their distance, throws, and multi squads.
The gap between Arkansas and the field might look daunting, but the transition to outdoor works in Oregon's favor, arguably, more than any other program in the country.
Start with Mykolas Alekna, the discus world record holder and three-time top-three finisher at the NCAA Championships, who is in Eugene this spring with unfinished business. A national title in the discus would be as good a place to start as any, and the chance to truly leave his mark at Hayward.
Then you've got Peyton Bair, the two-time defending heptathlon champion and reigning decathlon national champion, who gives Oregon a near-automatic points source in the multis.
Simeon Birnbaum's recent 13:19 in the 5k signals that the distance corps is trending in the right direction, too, and the Ducks have enough depth across the 800m, 1500m, steeplechase, 5k, and 10k to stack All-Americans if the right names clear the West Regional.
The full picture of what Oregon is capable of this spring won't come into focus for another few weeks, but a home title is well within reach.
Don’t miss all the track and field season action streaming on FloTrack. Check out the FloTrack schedule for more events.
Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
Continue reading...
Arkansas and Georgia left as defending national champions with targets on their backs, BYU's women are quietly building a case as one of the deepest distance programs in the country, and Oregon is staring down a rare opportunity to win a national title on home soil for the first time in over a decade.
Before the outdoor season starts rolling, here are answers to three questions heading into the 2026 campaign.
More Information On The 2026 Penn Relays
Can Arkansas & Georgia Run It Back?
Not even a month ago, the Arkansas men claimed their 22nd indoor national title and first of the Doug Case era, while Caryl Smith Gilbert guided Georgia to a second consecutive indoor crown following their outdoor title last June.
On their home track in Fayetteville, the Razorback men were dominant from the jump, pulling away to a 33.5-point victory behind nine top-four finishes across eight events, highlighted by Tyrice Taylor's 800m title. The Bulldogs' margin was narrower, but national titles from Adaejah Hodge in the 200m and Dejanea Oakley in the 400m were enough to hold off a chase pack of Oregon, Illinois, and Arkansas.
Both SEC powers are clear outdoor contenders heading into the spring, though the equation changes considerably once you factor in the hammer, discus, and javelin, along with the 3000m steeplechase, 400m hurdles, and 4x100m relay. The addition of these events can reshape a team's ceiling entirely, and some athletes won't step into their best event until the outdoor season comes around.
FloTrack's latest College Outdoor T&F Rankings Presented by Saucony has Arkansas at No. 25 and Georgia at No. 4, though Arkansas showed a tendency to peak late last winter. Don't be surprised if Case's squad looks considerably different by early May.
When the smoke clears, both defending indoor champions are the teams to beat.
Does BYU Have The Distance Strength To Win It All?
That depends largely on what Diljeet Taylor's goal is when the NCAA West Regional comes around. The Cougars have the firepower to go all in and chase a team title, but considering it has taken 60 points or more to win the trophy all but three times since 2010, even a perfect day from the distance squad might not be enough to outpace the field.
The headliner is obvious. Jane Hedengren could realistically sweep the 5k and 10k just as she swept the 3k and 5k indoors, and her collegiate record-breaking debut at the 10k distance, by four seconds over Parker Valby's previous mark, only adds to that case. Jenna Hutchins, Taylor Lovell, Nelah Roberts, and Taylor Rohatinsky are all capable of producing All-American performances at Hayward, with Hutchins and Lovell both doing so in 2025.
The wildcard might be Riley Chamberlain, who after narrowly missing individual All-American honors as a junior, broke through in cross country, finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships. The momentum carried indoors, where she became the sixth-fastest collegian ever in the 5k and the sixth woman to break 15 minutes, while also posting 2:02, 4:20, and 8:43 in the 800m, mile, and 3000m. At this point, she could step into almost any event and contend for a national title.
So yes, BYU has the strength, depth, and talent to win. The open question is how Taylor chooses to approach it.
Can The Oregon Men Win It On Their Home Track?
It has been over a decade since the Oregon men were crowned national champions in Tracktown USA, and it remains the last time the Ducks won it all outdoors. Since taking over in Eugene, Jerry Schumacher has kept the program competing for titles in all three seasons, and last month, they were the closest team to Arkansas at indoors, posting 40 points behind contributions from their distance, throws, and multi squads.
The gap between Arkansas and the field might look daunting, but the transition to outdoor works in Oregon's favor, arguably, more than any other program in the country.
Start with Mykolas Alekna, the discus world record holder and three-time top-three finisher at the NCAA Championships, who is in Eugene this spring with unfinished business. A national title in the discus would be as good a place to start as any, and the chance to truly leave his mark at Hayward.
Then you've got Peyton Bair, the two-time defending heptathlon champion and reigning decathlon national champion, who gives Oregon a near-automatic points source in the multis.
Simeon Birnbaum's recent 13:19 in the 5k signals that the distance corps is trending in the right direction, too, and the Ducks have enough depth across the 800m, 1500m, steeplechase, 5k, and 10k to stack All-Americans if the right names clear the West Regional.
The full picture of what Oregon is capable of this spring won't come into focus for another few weeks, but a home title is well within reach.
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Don’t miss all the track and field season action streaming on FloTrack. Check out the FloTrack schedule for more events.
FloTrack Archived Footage
Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
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