Midseason superlatives for NCAA men's and women's outdoor track and field

We're at the midpoint in men's and women's outdoor track and field, and the season is red hot with championships rapidly approaching.

Let's hand out midseason superlatives — for the outdoor season — to some of the nation's top performers in 2024... so far.

Best non-collegiate record individual performance

Men's: Colin Sahlman | Northern Arizona | 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational

Colin Sahlman ran the second-fastest 1500 meters in collegiate history in 3:33.96. Sahlman's performance wasn't just impressive from the time alone; he held off defending NCAA 1500 meter champion Nathan Green (3:34.79) and several pro athletes down the stretch.

Women's: Jacious Sears | Tennessee | 100 meters at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational

Jacious Sears ran the second-fastest women's 100 meters in collegiate history in 10.77 seconds. Only Sha'Carri Richardson (10.75) ran faster at the 2019 NCAA outdoor championships. Sears' previous best marks were 10.94 (+2.3) and 10.96 (+0.9). Such an improvement shows the work the Lady Vol has been putting in and puts the collegiate record within reach.

RECORDS: Every collegiate track and field record broken in 2024

Ol' reliable award

Men's: Nico Young | Northern Arizona

Nico Young opened his outdoor season — the week after the indoor championships — by setting the NCAA 10,000 meter record. He dropped down to the 800 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational and ran 1:48.00, a top-25 time in the NCAA this year. Young can do it all and consistently shows he's one of the top runners in the country.

MONTH IN REVIEW: Recapping the top outdoor track and field moments of March

Women's: Michaela Rose | LSU

If you want to beat Michaela Rose in an 800m race this year, you better be ready to run a top-five all-time time. That's how consistent Rose has been across the distance, adding a 1:58.37 finish at the Bryan Clay Invitational to her four sub-two-minute times in her outdoor career. Rose also set the 600 meter collegiate record, further showcasing her mid-distance ability.

Lived up to the hype award

Men's: Leo Neugebauer | Texas

The last time we saw Leo Neugebauer compete in the decathlon before 2024 was when he won the 2023 NCAA title with a collegiate record en route to becoming a Bowerman finalist. While the Texas star didn't break his own top mark at his season opener at the Texas Relays, Neugebauer still set a decathlon shot put collegiate record while scoring the third-most points in any collegiate decathlon ever. It's safe to say he's living up to the hype.

Women's: Parker Valby | Florida

There might not be a more notable athlete in collegiate women's track and field than Parker Valby, and with that comes immense expectations. Coming off of a prolific indoor championships meet, all eyes were on the Florida distance runner at her outdoor opener, the Bryan Clay Invitational. There she set a collegiate record in the 10,000 meters, living up to her stardom.

AWARDS: Ranking the 10 men and 10 women on the fourth 2024 Bowerman watch list update

Under the radar award

Men's: Luke Brown | Kentucky

Can an athlete be under the radar after finishing second at indoor championships? I think so. That's why Luke Brown gets this superlative. Brown doesn't have the NCAA-leading mark in the triple jump, but he hasn't lost to a collegiate athlete this season, jumping 16.40 meters and 16.48 meters. Brown is only a freshman, and he's looking like one of the best jumpers in the country.

Women's: Timara Chapman | Texas A&M

Timara Chapman scored 6,219 points in the heptathlon at the 44 Farms Team Invitational, a nation-leading mark. It's hard to fly under the radar when you lead the nation in your event, but I think Chapman is doing just that — until this article at least. 

Champan did earn SEC Women's Field Athlete of the Week for her performance, but it was overshadowed (rightfully so) by Jaida Ross' shot put collegiate record that same weekend. While Chapman didn't break a collegiate record, her performance made her the No. 13 all-time collegiate performer, and she's only a few PRs away from entering the top-10.

No. 1️⃣ heptathlon total in the nation y’all ‼️🇺🇸

6219 points later, better watch out 👀 //

— Texas A&M Track & Field/Cross Country (@aggietfxc)

TRACK AND FIELD

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🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons

💥HISTORY: Programs with the most titles | Men's champ history | Women's champ history | Bowerman history | How the outdoor championships work