The newly expanded Big Ten showed up to the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships looking nothing like the old Midwestern league of memory. Stretching coast to coast with 18 schools, the conference brought a wave of champions to Hayward Field, and proved it can win in the throws, the vault, the distance races, and the relays alike.
The SEC may have taken the team trophies, but the Big Ten left Eugene with a stack of individual titles and a clear message: this conference is a national contender from end to end.
Oregon leads on home soil
Fittingly, the conference’s host school led the charge. Oregon won two men’s national titles at its own Hayward Field, Simeon Birnbaum in the 1500m and Ben Smith in the shot put, on the way to a fifth-place team finish. On the women’s side, the Ducks placed fourth, powered in part by Aaliyah McCormick’s national title in the 100m hurdles.
Two-plus individual titles and top-five team finishes on both sides made Oregon the Big Ten’s standard-bearer in Eugene.
Washington’s vaulting dynasty
No event belonged to the Big Ten more than the women’s pole vault, where Washington’s Moll sisters reign supreme. Amanda Moll cleared 4.84m to win the national title and reclaim the collegiate record from her sister Hana, who finished second, a 1-2 finish that’s become one of the best stories in the sport. Washington’s Sofia Cosculluela added a national title of her own in the heptathlon, underscoring the Huskies’ multi-event depth.
Nebraska’s throwing and vaulting power
Nebraska brought championship firepower in the field. Axelina Johansson won the women’s shot put with a meet-record 19.92m, one of the best throws in NCAA history, while Dyson Wicker soared to the men’s pole vault national title at 5.85m. Two field-event champions in one weekend is a statement of strength for the Cornhuskers.
USC’s sprint relay crown
Out west, USC kept the Big Ten’s sprint tradition alive, with the women’s 4x100m relay defending its national title in a blazing 41.58, just off the collegiate record. Madison Whyte added a national runner-up finish in the 400m with a school record, leading the Trojans to a fifth-place team finish on the women’s side.
Why the Big Ten is built for the long haul
The Big Ten’s 2026 showing wasn’t about one dominant program, it was about breadth. Champions from Oregon, Washington, and Nebraska, a relay title from USC, and scoring depth from Illinois to UCLA to Minnesota: this is a conference that can win all over the event schedule.
As the nation’s oldest conference, now expanded coast to coast with NIL budgets among the highest in college sports, the Big Ten is positioned to develop and keep elite track and field talent for years. And many of the athletes who broke through in Eugene are just getting started, with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles on the horizon.
The Big Ten brought champions from every corner of the country to Hayward Field. The only question left for fans is which Big Ten star you’re rallying behind next.
Browse Big Ten track and field athletes by school, sport, and position on RallyFuel, and back them through fan-powered NIL deals.
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