Ranking 2024's top 20 NCAA men's and women's outdoor track and field athletes after the regular season

The NCAA outdoor regular season for most teams (beyond a few twilight/last chance meets) is over. With the postseason approaching, I rank the top 20 men's and women's individual athletes we've seen thus far using performances from the outdoor season only.

Women

1. Jaida Ross | Oregon
   • Jaida Ross has been the top collegiate woman during the outdoor track and field season through April. She not only broke the shot put collegiate record, but she also tied her same mark at 19.71 meters. She's surpassed 19 meters five times this season. No other collegian has surpassed 18.82 meters.
2. Michaela Rose | LSU
   • Michaela Rose opened her season with a collegiate record in the 600 meters and less than a month later ran the second-fastest 800 meters in collegiate history. What lands Rose No. 2 on this list is her 51.295 split on LSU's 4x400 meter relay, which sits second in the country this year.
3. Maia Ramsden | Harvard
   • Maia Ramsden leads the country in the 1500 meters after running the 10th fastest time in NCAA history. She also ran the anchor leg on Harvard's collegiate record-setting distance medley relay at Penn Relays. Those two performances land the Crimson star in the top three.
4. Parker Valby | Florida
   • Parker Valby has only run one race this season, setting a collegiate record in the 10K at the Bryan Clay Invitational. She cleared the rest of the field by more than two minutes in dominant fashion. As dominant as she was in that outing, one race isn't enough to place her atop this list.
5. Jacious Sears | Tennessee
   • Jacious Sears lands in the top five after running 10.77 seconds in the 100 meters, only trailing Sha'Carri Richardson all-time. Sears ran her time in mid-April and hasn't run the event since, so a faster time may be in her future. Moreover, her 22.78-second 200 meters is the 12th-fastest all-conditions time this season, and she's run lead-off on the two fastest 4x100 meter relays in the country.
6. Hilda Olemomoi | Alabama
   • Hilda Olemomoi has not lost a race this season. Her best race of the year came at the Bryan Clay Invitational when she ran the No. 2 5000 meters in NCAA history in 15:06.42. Olemomoi has also run the second-fastest 10K this year, while most recently showcasing her speed in a 1500-meter win.
7. Brianna Lyston | LSU
   • Brianna Lyston is a close call in the race for the best sprinter in the country this outdoor season. Her 10.84-second 100 meters and 22.35-second 200 meters rank second and third, respectively, this season. She's also run the third leg on the third-fastest 4x1 this year.
8. Rachel Glenn | Arkansas
   • Rachel Glenn has shown off her versatility this outdoor season, running the second-fastest 400 hurdles (54.91),  jumping the third-highest high jump (1.90) and running the third leg on the fastest 4x4 with a 50.87 split. That trifecta is top-10 worthy.
9. Grace Stark | Florida
   • Grace Stark has been a model of consistency in the 100 hurdles this year, undefeated thus far. She's run wind-legal sub-12.8 second races in every race this year, with a personal-best 12.56 seconds leading the way.
10. JaMeesia Ford | South Carolina
    • JaMeesia Ford has been the top freshman in the country this season in a class loaded with stars. Ford is the only freshman with two top-five national marks, leading the nation in the 200 meters (22.21) and running the No. 5 400 meters (50.81).
11. Lamara Distin | Texas A&M
    • Lamara Distin cleared 1.90 meters four times across three different meets this season. Her 1.96-meter clearance opened her season, and she's made 1.90 meters the new threshold to be a championship contender in the women's high jump. Distin only misses out on the top 10 because of a second-place finish at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational.
12. Ackelia Smith | Texas
    • Could Ackelia Smith be higher on this list? Absolutely. However, she only made her outdoor debut in late April, so her lack of performances kept her from rising higher on the list. Nonetheless, Smith long jumped a No. 2 all-time NCAA mark of 7:10 meters in her very first jump of the season, following that up with a 6.82-meter jump to give her the two furthest long jumps in the country. In her triple jump debut, she jumped 13.51 and 13.44 meters, placing her in the top five of that event too. 
13. Kaylyn Brown | Arkansas
    • Kaylyn Brown ran 49.95 in the 400 meters out of lane 9, placing her No.7 on the all-time collegiate list and with the fastest time this season. She's also run the No. 10 200 meters in the country this season while running legs on the fastest 4x1 and fourth-fastest 4x4, making her one of the top freshmen.
14. McKenzie Long | Ole Miss
    • McKenzie Long has put together another solid outdoor season, tying for the all-conditions collegiate-best mark this season in the 200 meters at 22.21 seconds. Long has also run 10.89 in the 100 meters, the fourth-fastest all-conditions time this season.
15. Doris Lemngole | Alabama
    • Doris Lemgole ran the second-fastest 3000 meter steeplechase in NCAA history, finishing in 9:22.31. She's only a freshman and has already become one of the best distance runners.
16. Jayden Ulrich | Louisville
    • Jayden Ulrich has been one of the best throwers in the country this year, leading the nation in the discus (64.29m) and ranking sixth in the shot put (18.27m). She's one of four — Jalani Davis (Ole Miss), Alida Van Daalen (Florida) and Shelby Frank (Minnesota) are the others — throwers with multiple top-10 marks, but Ulrich is the only one leading the nation in an event while doing so.
17. Savannah Sutherland | Michigan
    • Savannah Sutherland has been the top 400 hurdler this season, leading the NCAA with her 54.86-second mark at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational and also setting a Penn Relays record in the event. She's run two of the three fastest times this year.
18. Hana Moll | Washington
    • Freshman pole vaulter Hana Moll is tied for the national lead at 4.60 meters. No vaulter has cleared 4.50 meters more than four times in three meets this season.
19. Leah Phillips | LSU
    • Leah Phillips has run sub-13 seconds in the 100 hurdles at every meet this season, most recently running 12.71 seconds for the second-fastest time in the NCAA.
20. Judy Kosgei | South Carolina
    • Judy Kosegei is only a freshman but has quickly established herself as one of the better mid-distance runners in the country. She has top-10 times in the 1500 and 800 meters, ranking No. 2 and No. 10, respectively.

Men

1. Nico Young | Northern Arizona
   • Nico Young has run a collegiate record 26:52.72 in the 10,000 meters and also sub-48 (1:47.65) in the 800 meters this outdoor season. Young has range that no one can match at the collegiate level, and few can match in American track and field. That's why he's No. 1 on this list.
2. Leo Neugebauer | Texas
   • Speaking of range, few athletes — in any sport — are more versatile than decathletes, and Leo Neugebauer has performed at an all-time level this season. At Texas Relays, he set a collegiate record for the decathlon shot put and put together the third-best point total all-time in the decathlon. He hasn't done a decathlon since, but expect Neugebauer to retain his top form when he takes the track for 10 events next.
3. Colin Sahlman | Northern Arizona
   • Colin Sahlman had the No. 2 1500-meter performance in NCAA history when he ran 3:33.96 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. He also has run the No. 2 time among collegiate athletes this season in the 800 meters in 1:45.63 while running 13:38.96 in the 5K. Sahlman is the top mid-distance runner so far in 2024.
4. Wayne Pinnock | Arkansas
   • 8.15, 8.44 and 8.25 meters. That was Wayne Pinnock's series in his season-opening meet. In Pinnock's season opener, he became the sixth-best collegiate performer of all time with his 8.44-meter leap. Any of his three jumps in his series would've ranked him in the top four this season.
5. Sam Whitmarsh | Texas A&M
   • There's no better 800-meter runner than Sam Whitmarsh this year. He ran the No. 7 all-time time in the event in March, finishing in 1:44.46. Then to close April, Whitmarsh split 1:45.02 at Penn Relays as the anchor leg of the winning Championship of America 4x800 relay.
6. Chris Robinson | Alabama
   • Chris Robinson became the No. 6 all-time collegiate performer in the 400 meter hurdles when he ran 47.95 this season. Robinson also ran the 16th-fastest 400 meter flat in 45.63 seconds and split 44.54 as the anchor leg in the nation's fastest 4x4. Whether it's flat or with obstacles in front of him, Robinson has been a top-10 performer across outdoor men's track.
7. Habtom Samuel | New Mexico
   • Habtom Samuel opened his outdoor season by running the second-fastest collegiate 10,000-meter time at 26:53.49, only to run the seventh-fastest time in collegiate history of 13:13.34 in the 5000 meters less than a month later. The freshman is one of the top distance runners in the sport.
8. Tarsis Orogot | Alabama
   • Tarsis Orogot became the No. 13 all-time collegiate performer in the 200 meters when he ran 19.90 seconds earlier this year. Orogot's success in other events earned him this spot in these rankings, running 10.12 (+3.3) in the 100 meters and running the second leg of the 12th-fastest 4x1. 
9. Christopher Morales Wiliams | Georgia
   • It's been a quiet-ish outdoor season for Christopher Morales Williams, but that may be because of expectations for him to run fast in the 400m. He's done just that, running a nation-leading opener in 45.18 seconds and following that race with a still-leading 44.91 finish at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational. Williams remains one of the best sprinters in the NCAA.
10. Nathan Green | Washington
    • Nathan Green climbed the all-time charts with his 3:34.79 finish in the 1500 meters, the fourth-best in NCAA history. Green has only run two individual races this year, but he's one to watch in any mid-distance race this postseason.
11. Abdul-Rasheed Saminu | South Florida
    • While Abdul-Rasheed Saminu may have windy times that have led him to the No. 2 100 meters (9.95 +3.6) and No. 10 200 meters (20.34 +3.3) in the NCAA this season, there's no denying he's been on of the top sprinters in the country thus far. All doubt should be put to rest after he led South Florida to Championship of America wins in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays at Penn Relays. His anchor leg photo-finish in the 4x100 was one for the ages.
12. Brian Musau | Oklahoma State
    • In Brian Musau's first outdoor race of his collegiate career, he ran the sixth-fastest 5000 meters in collegiate history in 13:13.29. He used an epic kick to win the race, showing impressive resolve for a freshman.
13. Marc Minichello | Georgia
    • Marc Minichello has been the best javelin thrower in a deep field this year. He's the only one to clear 80 meters this season, doing so three times in his outdoor opener in March and once in April. His 82.32 meter throw this season leads the nation and makes him the No. 12 all-time javelin collegiate performer.
14.  Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan | Ole Miss
    • Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan has top-10 marks in the shot put and hammer throw this season, leading the nation in the former. He's thrown beyond 20 meters in the shot put at each of his five meets this season, and he opened his season in the hammer throw with a 72.42-meter toss.
15. Favour Ashe | Auburn
    • Favour Ashe returned to the track this outdoor season and ran a wind-legal 9.96 in the 100 meters. He also has a wind-legal 9.99 finish under his belt, making him the only sprinter in the NCAA with two sub-10 wind-legal races this year. Ashe also ran the second leg on the second-fastest 4x100 relay this year.
16. Rowan Hamilton | California
    • Rowan Hamilton became the No. 8 all-time hammer throw collegiate performer at Mt. SAC Relays. Hamilton launched a 77.16-meter throw, a nation-leading mark.
17. TJ McCallum | Tennessee
    • TJ McCallum ran 9.94 in the 100 meters, the fastest wind-legal time in the NCAA this season. McCallum hasn't been as successful in the 200 meters, which is why he comes in outside of the top 10 of the list, but his progression throughout the season is trending upwards.
18. Hunter Garretson | Akron
    • Hunter Garretson cleared 5.83 meters in the pole vault at Texas Relays. He's cleared 5.60 meters at two other meets and 5.50 meters at two additional meets this season, showing off his consistency.
19. Darius Luff | Nebraska
    • Darius Luff earns a spot on this top-20 list after running an NCAA-leading 13.25 seconds in the 110 hurdles into a -0.7 headwind at Drake Relays. Luff has run sub-13.5 at every meet this season, with his latest performance being his best.
20. Clement Ducos | Tennessee
    • Clement Ducos has run the second-fastest 400 hurdles time in the country this year at 48.26 seconds. His other 400 hurdles race this year finished in 49.03 seconds. Ducos looks ready to run sub-49 as the postseason approaches. 

TRACK AND FIELD

  : Arkansas, Texas Tech win 2024 indoor titles | Florida, Arkansas win 2024 outdoor titles | How the outdoor championships work

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