Winning a national title in a track and field event brings a trophy and a spotlight as perks, but also a new target on one's back. 10 DI NCAA champions fit the bill this winter, all looking to defend their indoor crowns against a deep field of challengers.
I'll only be highlighting the indoor returning champions, saving the returning outdoor champions for the outdoor season. I also will not include relay champions. That said, let's look at the potential title defenses.
Men
High Jump (sweep): Romaine Beckford | Arkansas (Won at South Florida)
Top Challengers
- Trey Allen | Louisville
- Shaun Miller Jr. | Ohio State
Romaine Beckford transferred to Arkansas from South Florida this offseason after sweeping the high jump titles. If Beckford is to repeat in his new threads, he'll have to outjump Louisville's Trey Allen and Ohio State's Shaun Miller Jr., who both have personal-best marks above 2.20 meters.
Triple Jump (sweep): Jaydon Hibbert | Arkansas
Top Challengers
- Apalos Edwards | Arkansas
- Jeremiah Davis | Florida State
Jaydon Hibbert is the reigning Bowerman winner after a dominant freshman year. While all signs point to him only getting better, he'll still have challengers in 2024.
Hibbert can look across the locker room for one challenger — his new teammate Apalos Edwards (an LSU transfer), who had two top-five finishes in the triple jump in 2022. Elsewhere, Jeremiah Davis returns to Florida State as one of the top horizontal jumpers in the nation.
WATCH LIST: The 2024 Bowerman Watch List for men's and women's NCAA track and field
Mile: Luke Houser | Washington
Top Challengers
- Anass Essayi | South Carolina
- Joe Waskom | Washington
Washington's Luke Houser won the men's mile last year, but the event still feels up for the taking in 2024. South Carolina's Anass Essayi and Joe Waskom — Houser's teammate — look like two of the top returning contenders this winter.
800 meters: Yusuf Bizimana | Texas
Top Challengers
- Sam Austin | Florida
- Handal Roban | Penn State
Yusuf Bizimana won the indoor 800 title last year even though he crossed the finish line second, thanks to an impeding violation. In 2024, Bizimana will try to leave no question as to who the 800 indoor champion is, but he'll have to fend off top contenders Sam Austin and Handal Roban. Austin seems to always make the final race for Florida and Roban finished third at the indoor and outdoor championships as a freshman.
RECORDS: Every collegiate track and field record broken in 2024
60 meters: Terrence Jones | Texas Tech
Top Challengers
- Shaun Maswanganyi | Houston
- Godson Oghenebrume | LSU
Terrence Jones recovered from injury just in time for a Big 12 and NCAA 60-meter title last winter. He'll have a full season of races in 2024 as he tries to defend his title.
However, 2023's fourth-place finisher Shaun Maswanganyi is always a threat in any NCAA sprint race and is motivated as he searches for his first NCAA title. As is LSU's Godson Oghenebrume, a member of the preseason Bowerman watch list that only got better with each race during the outdoor season. Men's sprints bring the most excitement to track and field of any event, and 2024 will be no different.
EARLY LOOK: 10 way-too-early men's Bowerman frontrunners for the 2024 track and field season
3000 meters: Fouad Messaoudi | Oklahoma State
Top Challengers
- Nico Young | Northern Arizona
- Brian Musau | Oklahoma State
Fouad Messaoudi is the defending 3000-meter champion, but a repeat won't be easy. Northern Arizona's Nico Young already ran the third-fastest 3K in NCAA history as his season opener, and Messaoudi's teammate Brian Musau — only a freshman — was less than a second behind him. If Messaoudi is to repeat, he'll have to fend off plenty of contenders.
ICYMI: 10 NCAA indoor track and field performances you may have missed from December
Women
Weight Throw: Jalani Davis | Ole Miss
Top Challengers
- Shelby Frank | Minnesota
- Jasmine Mitchell | Ole Miss
Ole Miss has won the last two women's weight throw titles, with Jalani Davis being the most recent champion. To repeat, Davis will have to out-throw her teammate Jasmine Mitchell, who finished third last year, and Minnesota's Shelby Frank, the second-place finisher. The women's weight throw should be exciting if all three have improved this offseason.
MUST-WATCH: The top indoor track and field meets to watch in 2024
High Jump: Lamara Distin | Texas A&M
Top Challengers
- Charity Griffith | Kentucky
- Elena Kulichenko | Georgia
Lamara Distin has won the last two indoor NCAA high jump titles and would be on a four-title streak if not for Charity Griffith's upset win at the 2023 outdoor championships. Griffith has since transferred to Kentucky from Ball State this offseason and is looking to start a title streak of her own. Georgia's Elena Kulichenko also remains a title threat as she enters her third year with numerous top finishes on her resume.
BIG NAMES: 50 returning stars for the 2024 collegiate track season
Mile: Olivia Howell | Texas (Won at Illinois)
Top Challengers
- Flomena Asekol | Florida
- Maia Ramsden | Harvard
Olivia Howell transferred to Texas from Illinois this offseason and will look to defend her mile title in her new shade of orange. However, third and fourth-place finishers from a year ago, Flomena Asekol and Maia Ramsden, respectively, are back this winter, creating an exciting build-up to Boston in March.
EARLY LOOK: 10 way-too-early women's Bowerman frontrunners for the 2024 track and field season
800 meters: Roisin Willis | Stanford
Top Challengers
- Juliette Whittaker | Stanford
- Michaela Rose | LSU
If one of Roisin Willis, Juliette Whittaker or Michaela Rose doesn't win the women's indoor 800 title, it will be shocking after the trio looked a step above the rest of the field in 2023. Willis is the defending indoor champion, but Rose won the outdoor title in the last outing. Meanwhile, Whittaker will try to get an NCAA title of her own this winter.
: Arkansas, Texas Tech win 2024 indoor titles | Florida, Arkansas win 2024 outdoor titles | How the outdoor championships work
💥HISTORY: Programs with the most titles | Men's champ history | Women's champ history | Bowerman history
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
