This week marks the 2025 DI outdoor track & field championships for both men and women. For my event-by-event championship predictions, there has never been a finer moment. Let’s get started.
Predictions for women’s events
100 meters — Predicted Winner: Tima Godbless, LSU
It will be challenging just to qualify for the women’s 100-meter final. It’s difficult to predict who will win here, and my pick might not make it to the championship game. However, given that the LSU Tiger ran 10.91 in the East first round, I’m choosing Tima Godbless. With each match this season, Godbless has improved, going from 11.20 in March to 11.14 in April, 11.06 at the SEC championships, and 10.9.
100 hurdles – Florida’s Habiba Harris is the predicted winner.
After Habiba Harris failed to break 13 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles for a month in April and May, I began to doubt her chances of winning titles. The postseason followed. In her last four races, Harris made a dramatic return with times of 12.75, 12.62, 12.80, and 12.80. The freshman from Florida has earned the right to be the front-runner going into Eugene.
200 meters – South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford is the predicted winner.
The sixth-fastest finish in college history was achieved by JaMeesia Ford, who won the SEC title with a time of 22.01. I don’t think that will change in Eugene, where she hasn’t lost a 200-meter race this season.
400 meters— Georgia’s Aaliyah Butler is the predicted winner.
I believe this year’s women’s 400-meter champion will have a time under 50. At 49.44, Aaliyah Butler of Georgia is the first female runner to run such a time this season. She also demonstrated her ability to step up when the stakes are high by defeating her best opponent this year at the SEC championships.
400 hurdles – Michigan’s Savannah Sutherland is the predicted winner
Two years have passed since Savannah Sutherland’s 2023 400-meter hurdles victory, but I believe she will top the podium again in 2025. Sutherland is unbeaten in the 400 hurdles this year and has run the fastest time in the country.
800 meters – LSU’s Michaela Rose is the predicted winner
One of the greatest 800-meter runners in women’s NCAA history, Michaela Rose already holds an outdoor 800-meter title from 2023. This year, Rose set yet another personal record with a time of 1:58.12 in the 800. Rose has already shown that she is capable of reaching a higher level, even if the field this year is packed of runners who finish in under two minutes. If she did it again in Eugene, I wouldn’t be shocked.
1500 meters – Washington’s Chloe Foerster is the predicted winner
According to her results in two strong victories against tough fields, Chloe Foerster is my choice to win the women’s 1500-meter event. Foerster won both the Stanford Invitational and the Bryan Clay Invitational with times of 4:07.32 and 4:05.75, respectively. In a year when seven female performers made it into the top ten all-time list, that 4:05 time is a top-10 all-time mark. Although picking a winner in this situation is difficult, I’m going with the Washington Husky because of their track record.
3000-meter steeplechase — Doris Lemngole of Alabama is the predicted winner
Two of the highest three marks in college history are from this season, and they belong to steeplechase sensation Doris Lemngole. This is Lemgole’s pick.
5000 meters – Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico is the predicted winner.
Pamela Kosgei’s PR is less than 0.5 seconds from the collegiate record, and she has ran the second-fastest 5000 meters in NCAA history. Here, she is the favorite.
10,000 meters – Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico is the predicted winner.
Pamela Kosgei will accomplish the distance double, in my opinion. Kosgei’s 10K time of 31:02.73 this year ranks second all-time.
4×100 meter relay — Southern California is the predicted winner
Four sprinters from USC are competing in the 100-meter semifinals. This year, the Trojans had the nation’s quickest 4×100-meter team. Here, USC is the choice.
4×400-meter relay: Arkansas is the predicted winner
In addition to having the best time in the nation this year, Arkansas has won the last two outdoor 4×400-meter relay titles. I’m not criticizing the Razorbacks in any way.
Long jump: Predicted Winner: Baylor’s Alexis Brown
Alexis Brown is my pick to finish the long jump season sweep. This season, Brown has jumped more than 6.89 meters eight times (four of which were wind-legal), with a season-high 7.03 meters. This year, no other person has climbed above 6.82 meters. Brown can execute the sweep with ease.
Triple jump: Texas A&M’s Winny Bii is the predicted winner
This year, the triple jump is open to all. One woman reached 13.99 meters, while three ladies have all topped 14 meters. At two competitions this season, Winny Bii of Texas A&M and Agur Dwol of Oklahoma have both passed 14 meters. Winny Bii is my choice since she has made two 14-meter triple leaps in her last two competitions.
High Jump – Georgia’s Elena Kulichenko is the predicted winner
During the most recent indoor and outdoor championships, Elena Kulichenko tied for the NCAA high jump title. She holds an outdoor PR of 1.97 meters, but she hasn’t cleared 1.90 meters in 2025. I believe she will be on the podium once more.
Pole vault: Amanda Moll of Washington is the predicted winner
Amanda Moll wins an outdoor title to cap off what is perhaps the best season in the history of women’s collegiate pole vault. The outdoor record already belongs to her.
Discus – Louisville’s Jayden Ulrich is the predicted winner
Jayden Ulrich, the No. 2 performer in NCAA history, threw 69.39 meters in April after throwing 66.14 meters in her season opener back in March. She comes into the NCAA championship final after surpassing 64.50 meters twice in a first-round event. After all of those performances, Ulrich is the choice here.
Shot put — Predicted Winner: Mya Lesnar, Colorado State
Mya Lesnar threw 17.05, 19.28, 19.60, and 18.99 meters in her shot put series. All three of the last throws would lead the NCAA. Lesnar has also thrown 18.50 meters three times outside of that series. This season, no other athlete has thrown more than three 18.50 meters. This season, Lesnar has been the most reliable throw of the shot put long distance.
Hammer— Georgia’s Stephanie Ratcliffe is the predicted winner
Stephanie Ratcliffe’s hammer throw in the SEC Championships was the shortest, measuring 68.35 meters. She threw more than 70 meters four times during the competition. Prior to the competition in the first round, Ratcliffe had not thrown less than 69 meters in her previous three meets. At 67.13 meters, she nevertheless finished with the second-best throw of the preliminary rounds. Ratcliffe is at his best right now.
Javelin — Georgia’s Lianna Davidson is the predicted winner
During her time at Texas A&M, Lianna Davidson placed second in the javelin in the 2024 championships. In March of this year, she threw 63.79 meters, which was the third-best throw in college history. Davidson is the seasoned Bulldog with the SEC championship, even if her record this season is lower than that of her teammate Manuela Rotundo. I believe that Davidson will win a title because of her championship experience.
Heptathlon – Notre Dame’s Jadin O’Brien is the predicted winner
After winning three NCAA pentathlon indoor titles, Jadin O’Brien finally wins the elusive heptathlon title. O’Brien is my choice because she has three career performances and has already scored 6,200 points or more twice this season. Nobody else has made it to that point more than once.
Predictions for men’s events
100 meters – Jordan Anthony of Arkansas is the predicted winner
By now, Jordan is well-known to all track fans. In the first round of the West meet, Anthony raced a windy 9.75. However, a pair of sprints at the SEC championships on consecutive days, running 9.95 and 9.96, shouldn’t be overshadowed by performance. No other sprinter has raced under ten seconds twice in the same month, and Anthony is the only athlete to run two 9.9 100 meters at the same meet.
Anthony is most likely to run the quickest on the largest platform, and I predict that the NCAA title will be won in less than ten seconds.
110 hurdles; Kendrick Smallwood of Texas is the predicted winner
Two of Kendrick Smallwood’s most recent races have been 13.13. Before the championships, he is my favorite because of those two performances.
200-meter — Jordan Anthony of Arkansas is the predicted winner
Jordan Anthony is doing the sweep in the short sprints, in my view. The two Olympic finalists, Carli Makarawu of Kentucky and Makanakaishe Charamba of Auburn, are the main opponents to stopping the sweep, but Anthony is the SEC champion.
400 meters – Samuel Ogazi of Alabama is the predicted winner.
It came down to somebody I believed had the best chance of running under 45 on the championship stage out of a crowded 400-meter field. Samuel Ogazi ran 44.52 at the championships last year and has raced under 45 times this year (plus another race in 45.04). Ogazi shown his ability to sprint quickly even with a long season by running under 45 times before Eugene last year.
400 hurdles— Predicted Winner: Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel
The only man to break 48 seconds this season in the 400-meter hurdles is Nathaniel Ezekiel. Additionally, based on his regular season, he might have qualified for the 400 open, but he only runs the 400 hurdles individually at championships. It should propel him to a title with that solitary event concentration.
800m – Virginia Tech’s Christian Jackson is the predicted winner
After leading the East region in 1:45.31 and winning the ACC final in 1:44.83, Christian Jackson caught my attention. Jackson gained momentum going into the Eugene race because to those two strong finishes to the season.
1500m — Villanova and Liam Murphy are the predicted winners
In the 1500 meters, Liam Murphy holds the collegiate record. He’s not the target of my criticism.
3000-meter steeplechase — James Corrigan of BYU is the predicted winner
It might be the Olympian vs the freshman in the steeplechase. After competing in the steeplechase for Team USA in the Olympics last year, James Corrigan of BYU has gained strength this outdoor season. Despite the build-up, he nonetheless ran 8:22.20.
Corrigan’s PR was still surpassed by Louisville freshman Geoffrey Kirwa, who ran the third-best outdoor steeplechase in collegiate history in 8:13.89. Other strong candidates include Collins Kiprop Kipngok of Kentucky and fellow freshman Mathew Kosgei of New Mexico, but I’m going to rely on Corrigan’s background to win the title in my prediction.
5000 meters – Habtom Samuel of New Mexico is the predicted winner
Habtom Samuel is the top distance runner in the nation and holds the collegiate 5000-meter record. Here, he’s my choice.
10,000 meters – Habtom Samuel of New Mexico is the predicted winner
Habtom The 10K collegiate record is not held by Samuel. That would be Ishmael Kipkurui, his teammate. But Samuel, who accomplished the feat while falling last year, is the reigning 10K champion. I believe Samuel can endure whatever happens in this year’s 10K and run back-to-back because of his repeated ability to overcome hardship.
4×100-meter relay: Auburn is the predicted winner
The Tigers have all four of the runners from the quartet that won the NCAA title last season, which ran 38.03, even if Auburn’s relay team doesn’t have the quickest time in the NCAA this year. I believe that the consistency will help Auburn win the championship meet’s final men’s day.
4×400-meter relay: Florida is the predicted winner
Picking against the Gators in a 4×4 is difficult. Even more difficult is the fact that they have eliminated two distinct teams that have both finished in the top five nationally with timings no slower than 3:02.01. This is Florida’s pick.
Long jump: Charles Godfred of Minnesota is the predicted winner
This year, Charles Godfred has made five long leaps beyond eight meters. I think he will win the long jump.
Triple Jump – Oklahoma’s Brandon Green is the predicted winner
Brandon Green has jumped 16.90 meters or over three times (one more than permitted) and more than 16.55 meters four more times. No other athlete this year has gone over 16.54 meters. In the triple jump, Green ought to prevail.
High Jump: Forecasted Winner: Georgia’s Riyon Rankin
Riyon Rankin’s previous two meets prior to the competition’s first round were 2.27 and 2.29 meters. I predict the sophomore to win the championship since he is on the rise going into the season.
Pole vault: Utah State’s Logan Hammer is the predicted winner
5.68, 5.70, 5.65, and 5.65. Logan Hammer received his clearances from his previous four bouts before to the opening round in the West. Over the course of the regular season, Hammer was routinely setting a height that would earn him an NCAA championship. It will be profitable in Eugene.
Discus – Mykolas Alekna of California is the predicted winner
I believe that Mykolas Alekna will finally make it on the largest platform this year. He already holds the multiple-time discus collegiate record. The only thing lacking is an NCAA championship.
Shot put — Ole Miss Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan is the predicted winner
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan wins his fourth consecutive shot throw championship. With six throws over 20.3 meters in May, the Ole Miss Rebel has been the nation’s most reliable shot putter, despite only having the No. 2 ranking going into the final.
Hammer — Minnesota’s Angelos Mantzouranis is the predicted winner
Angelos Mantzouranis and Kostas Zaltos, two Minnesota Gophers, were the final two picks. Mantzouranis hasn’t thrown below 75 meters since March, so I accompanied him.
Javelin — Keyshawn Strachan of Nebraska is the predicted winner
Keyshawn Strachan has thrown over 80 meters twice this season and over 77 meters five times. Strachan will win a title, in my opinion, because of his steady ability to reach 77 meters.
Decathlon: Peyton Bair of Mississippi State is the predicted winner
Peyton Bair, who won the indoor heptathlon, should win the combined events in 2025, in my opinion. Bair only competed in one heptathlon, back in April, but he set a personal record in the open 400m in May.
