Bahamian athlete Jones is first to win back-to-back 60-meter crowns since 2015-16, also first to sweep both sprint titles in six years, with Dean securing program’s only 60 hurdles championship to help team hold off Arkansas, which has Pinnock prevail in long jump and Beckford achieve back-to-back victories in high jump; Young follows Nur’s distance double for Northern Arizona

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

BOSTON, Mass. – Texas Tech knew it wasn’t going to outjump Arkansas, match the distance depth of Northern Arizona or have an opportunity to knock off Florida in the 4x400-meter relay.

But the Red Raiders had Terrence Jones and Caleb Dean accounting for 33 points, including a combined three individual titles, and plenty of speed to spare, which contributed to the first men’s team crown at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships at the TRACK at New Balance.

Following three fifth-place finishes in the previous 10 indoor championship meets, Texas Tech not only navigated its way to the podium for the first time, but accumulated 50.5 points to triumph against runner-up Arkansas, which was pursuing back-to-back team titles.

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The Razorbacks still had the mathematical potential to win the championships entering the 4x400, but Arkansas earned eighth place in 3:04.77, with Texas Tech adding to its advantage by finishing fourth in 3:03.37 after Texas was disqualified for multiple steps on the lane line during the race.

Arkansas earned runner-up with 41 points, Florida took third at 39 points and Northern Arizona achieved its second fourth-place finish in three years by accumulating 31 points, highlighted by a 3,000 and 5,000 double at 7:41.01 and 13:25.29 from Nico Young, the first male athlete for the Lumberjacks to achieve the feat since Abdihamid Nur swept both titles in 2022 at the CrossPlex in Alabama.

North Carolina had 26 points to capture fifth place, including runner-up efforts from Parker Wolfe in the 3,000 (7:42.38) and 5,000 (13;27.37).

Texas Tech secured the program’s first championship at the Division 1 outdoor final in 2019 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, relying significantly on the sprinting success of Nigerian competitor Divine Oduduru.

Jones, a Bahamian standout, became the first male athlete to sweep the 60-meter dash and 200 championships in the same Division 1 final since Houston’s Elijah Hall in 2018.

Jones clocked 6.54 to become the first back-to-back winner in the men’s 60 since TCU’s Ronnie Baker in 2015-16. Don’dre Swint took third in 6.60 and Dean secured sixth in 6.67 for the Red Raiders.

Jones triumphed in 20.23 in the 200, responding with a personal-best effort in the second section after Penn State’s Cheickna Traore, representing Ivory Coast, prevailed in the first heat in a lifetime-best 20.30.

In between, Dean relied on a well-timed lean in the 60 hurdles to hold off USC’s Johnny Brackins, Jr., by a 7.56 to 7.57 margin.

Texas Tech also received a sixth-place finish from Shaemar Uter, representing Jamaica, in the 400 in 45.94, with Canadian athlete and Georgia standout Christopher Morales-Williams emerging victorious in 44.67.

Morales-Williams ran the fastest race in world indoor history Feb. 24 at the SEC Championships by clocking 44.49, a mark that was not ratified by World Athletics as the new global standard as a result of insufficient starting blocks.

But Morales-Williams followed former teammate Elija Godwin as NCAA champion, helping the Bulldogs become the first men’s program to have different athletes capturing Division 1 titles in consecutive years since Auburn’s Willie Smith (1977-78) and James Walker (1979) achieved the feat.

Auhmad Robinson of Texas A&M secured second in a personal-best 44.91.

Omamuyovwi Erhire, representing Nigeria, added a tie for fifth place at 7-1.75 (2.18m) in the high jump for Texas Tech to account for their final point total.

Following a victory Friday by Wayne Pinnock in the long jump with a world-leading 27-6.75 (8.40m) for Arkansas, the Razorbacks received another title Saturday from fellow Jamaican standout Romaine Beckford, who cleared 7-5.25 (2.27m) on his third attempt to prevail.

Beckford, who won the championship last year for South Florida, became the first male athlete in Division 1 indoor finals history to capture high jump crowns for multiple schools. Pinnock also achieved similar history as the only men’s competitor to win Division 1 long jump titles for a pair of programs.

Caleb Snowden became the first athlete in Arkansas-Pine Bluff history to earn Division 1 All-America first-team honors by clearing a personal-best 7-4.25 (2.24m). Kansas’ Devin Loudermilk took third by prevailing on fewer attempts against Nebraska’s Tyus Wilson at 7-3 (2.21m).

Roje Stona, another Jamaican standout, placed second in his final collegiate shot put competition for the Razorbacks with a lifetime-best 67-2.25 (20.48m), with sophomore Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan securing the first championship for Ole Miss with a sixth-round effort of 69-0.75 (21.05m) for the top mark in his career.

Robinson-O’Hagan also finished fifth in the weight throw final Thursday with a 75-4.50 (22.97m) performance.

Leo Neugebauer added the German indoor heptathlon record to an outdoor resume that already includes the collegiate all-time mark and his country’s top decathlon performance in history.

Neugebauer became the first Texas athlete since Donovan Kilmartin won three titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007 to capture the championship with 6,347 points to elevate to the No. 4 all-time collegiate competitor.

Michigan State’s Heath Baldwin ascended to No. 6 in collegiate indoor heptathlon history by accumulating 6,238 points, with German athlete Till Steinforth taking third at 6,140 points, just off his No. 8 all-time performer mark of 6,196 points, which earned him a fourth-place finish last year in Albuquerque, N.M.

Although Grant Levesque of Houston placed 10th with 5,842 points, he produced the best all-time collegiate pole vault clearance in a heptathlon with his 17-11 (5.46m) performance.

Washington’s Luke Houser became the first back-to-back mile champion since Scottish athlete and reigning World 3,000 indoor gold medalist Josh Kerr won consecutive NCAA titles for New Mexico in 2017-18, prevailing in a tactical final with his 4:01.72 effort to edge Australian standout Adam Spencer (4:01.92).

BYU’s Lucas Bons took third in 4:02.12 and North Carolina’s Ethan Strand finished fourth in 4:02.44 and Georgetown’s Abel Teffra edged Northern Arizona’s Colin Sahlman for fifth by a 4:02.563 to 4;02.566 margin.

Rivaldo Marshall, a 22-year-old Jamaican athlete competing in his first NCAA final after transferring from Indian Hills Community College, won the men’s 800 in 1:46.96.

Villanova’s Sean Dolan secured second in 1:47.61, just ahead of Iowa State’s Finley McLear at 1:47.68.

Russell Robinson of Miami (Florida) grabbed the early advantage with an opening-round mark of 55 feet (16.76m) in the triple jump and managed to hold off all challengers the rest of the way, including Jamaican athlete Luke Brown of Kentucky and his second-round effort of 54-10.75 (16.73m).

Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis followed a runner-up performance Friday in the long jump by taking third in the triple jump at 54-5.50 (16.60m).

Arizona State’s Justin Robinson, Kaleb Simpson, Jayden Davis and Gamali Felix captured the men’s 4x400 relay championship in 3:02.35 for the first indoor title in the event in program history.

Florida was runner-up in 3:02.53, as the schools produced the top two global indoor performances this year, just ahead of Belgium’s gold-medal effort of 3:02.54 on March 3 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Scotland.